Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Leads Senate Agriculture Subcommittee Hearing on Expanding Opportunities for Beginning Farmers
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade, led a hearing focused on opportunities to support new and emerging farmers. According to the most recent Census of Agriculture, the average age of a producer in the United States is now 58, and in Minnesota it is 57. One of the witnesses who spoke at the hearing about challenges faced by beginning farmers was Tessa Parks, Minnesota native and owner and operator of W.T. Farms in Northfield. Tessa is a young, first-generation farmer of color who, along with her husband, raises Holstein steers and runs a haying service. “The average age of a producer in the United States is 58, and in Minnesota it’s 57. And of course, this number increases every year. That in a nutshell is why we need to invest in the next generation of farmers, so this country’s agriculture production continues to work,” said Senator Smith. “This is a matter of national security, food security, and the strength and vitality of rural America. Agriculture is a driving force in America’s economy.” “Though I am new to farming and several generations removed from the farm, my connection to and love for agriculture is strong,” said Tessa Parks, owner and operator of W.T. Farms in Northfield, MN. “But beginning farmers like me face significant barriers to entry into agriculture, including a farm safety net that favors larger and more established farms, barriers to accessing land and capital, climate change, and
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Demands Accountability from USPS Leadership Following Damning Report on Postal Failures in Minnesota
WASHINGTON, D.C. [5.29.24] – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith sent a scathing letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, following a United States Postal Service (USPS) Inspector General (OIG) report that reveals severe management failures contributing to critical postal service disruptions in Bemidji and the broader Minnesota-North Dakota District, including around 80,000 pieces of delayed mail. Senator Smith is calling for immediate action to address these failures and restore reliable postal service for Minnesotans. The OIG report reveals that the Bemidji Post Office only had eight days warning before their package volume doubled and Postal Service management failed to confirm that the facility had the staffing or resources to accommodate the increased volume. It also found that local postal workers were not properly trained to avoid these issues. The report attributes these problems directly to national and district management missteps, resulting in untenable working conditions for postal workers and severe delays in mail delivery. “The findings of the Inspector General’s report are deeply troubling and highlight severe mismanagement within the USPS that has led to unacceptable delays and unnecessary hardships for postal workers and Minnesotans,” said Sen. Tina Smith. “Reliable postal service is not a luxury—it’s a necessity for accessing medications, paychecks, and staying connected with loved ones. It is imperative that USPS leadership takes immediate action to address these issues and restore trust in our postal system.” Senator Smith’s letter stresses the urgency of rectifying these issues and holds USPS leadership accountable for ensuring Minnesotans receive the reliable postal service they depend on for essential
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Working to Provide Relief to Northwest Angle Businesses
Washington, DC [09/11/2020]– Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) introduced legislation to provide relief to Minnesota businesses in the Northwest Angle that are hurting due to coronavirus (COVID-19) travel restrictions between the United States and Canada. The Remote Recreational Small Business Interruption Program Act would provide forgivable loans to small businesses in exclaves of the contiguous United States near the Canadian border. In order to safely reach the Northwest Angle, Americans must travel through Canadian territory by automobile at a border crossing. The alternative is a 40 mile boat trip across Lake of the Woods. Sens. Smith and Senator Klobuchar have urged cooperation between the U.S. and Canadian governments to find solutions to
U.S. Senators Tina Smith & Lisa Murkowski Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Help Tribes Combat COVID-19, Other Public Health Crises
WASHINGTON, D.C. [09/10/2020]—Today U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced bipartisan legislation to help Tribes access public health data and address health disparities that hit American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities especially hard. The Tribal Health Data Improvement Act would strengthen data sharing between Tribes, Tribal Epidemiology Centers and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) so Tribes can more effectively address public health challenges. Tribes and Tribal Epidemiology Centers are routinely denied access to important health data systems, despite having clearance to do so. Accessing federal and state public health data is critical for engaging in preventative public health work and combatting current health crises. Structural barriers to accessing data have been especially problematic during COVID-19, which has disproportionately
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Elizabeth Warren to President Trump: Your Executive Order to End U.S. Overreliance on Foreign Nations for Key Pharmaceutical Products is Far Too Weak
Washington, DC [09/4/2020] – This week United States Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told President Trump that his recent Executive Order to address the nation’s overreliance on foreign nations for key drug products is far too weak, and pressed him to support their legislation, which would arm the United States with the tools needed to adequately address this serious health and national security problem. In a letter to Trump Wednesday, the two Senators said that while his Executive Order directs several federal agencies to prioritize the procurement of adequate supplies of U.S.-produced essential medicines, it does not require those agencies to create a definitive list of essential medicines. It also fails to
Smith, Klobuchar Urge Administration to Support Wheat Farmers
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue requesting that funds in the CARES Act be help support wheat farmers who have experienced economic harm from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “As Members of Congress representing wheat-producing states, we write regarding the deteriorating economic conditions being experienced by wheat farmers across the country who are already nearly complete with this year’s harvest,” the senators wrote. “Whether it’s wheat farmers who wrapped up harvest in May, those in the field harvesting their crops now, or those looking ahead to harvest in
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