Latest Releases
ICYMI: Star Tribune: Sen. Tina Smith goes to bat against Comcast for frustrated Twins fans
WASHINGTON, D.C. [7.7.24] – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Tina Smith sent a letter to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts urging the cable provider to return to the negotiation table with Bally Sports North and get the Minnesota Twins back on the air for Comcast customers. Star Tribune: Sen. Tina Smith takes aim at Comcast on behalf of ‘furious’ constituents In a letter to Comcast’s CEO this week, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith chided the cable company for dropping Bally Sports channels nationwide — a move that has left thousands of Twins fans without access to games. By Michael Rand | June 6, 2024 If you’re a Twins fan and Comcast cable subscriber frustrated by the cable company’s decision more than a month ago to drop Bally Sports North in a pricing dispute, know this: U.S. Sen. Tina Smith is frustrated, too. The Minnesota senator sent a letter this week on her official U.S. Senate stationery to Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts urging the company to restart negotiations. “My constituents are furious,” she wrote. In a follow-up interview with the Star Tribune that appears on Thursday’s “Daily Delivery” podcast, Sen. Smith expanded on her thoughts and feelings. “I hear so much about this from my constituents and I come from a big baseball fan family myself. Springtime comes and you are excited to watch the Twins and you can’t go to the games all the time,” she said. “And so watching the Twins on television as a fine part of Minnesota’s summer
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, Climate Crisis Committee, Release New Report on Climate Action, Plan to Build Clean Economy
For Immediate Release: August 25, 2020 Contact: Katie McElrath katie_mcelrath@smith.senate.gov 202-365-5865 WASHINGTON, D.C. [08/25/20]—Today U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) released a comprehensive report and plan of action to address the climate crisis with her colleagues on the Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis. The new report, titled “The Case for Climate Action: Building a Clean Economy for the American People,” details how bold climate action from Congress can act to create millions of new jobs, grow the American economy and improve people’s lives across the country. The report comes after dozens of hearings, meetings, and input from experts, labor unions, mayors, environmental justice leaders, and native communities, including meetings in
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar & Tina Smith Tell Postmaster General That Postal Service Changes Hit Deployed U.S. Servicemembers Hard
WASHINGTON, D.C. [08/24/20]—U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) joined 28 of their Senate colleagues in raising concerns to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy about the harmful impact that recent operational changes he has made to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) are having on American servicemembers and their families – especially those serving overseas. In a letter to DeJoy, Sens. Klobuchar, Smith, and their colleagues said that because USPS is the only service that can deliver to the Army Post Office (APO) and Fleet Post Office (FPO) addresses used by our military overseas, deployed servicemembers and their families are uniquely impacted by recent USPS changes. Active duty servicemembers who
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, U.S. Representative Angie Craig Demand Explanation from USDA on Diverting Funds from Program to Help Farmers who are People of Color, Immigrants, Veterans
MINNESOTA [08/21/20]—After learning that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is diverting funds from a program that supports producers from diverse backgrounds—including farmers who are people of color, immigrants and veterans—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and U.S. Representative Angie Craig (MN-2) are demanding an explanation and answers. In a bicameral letter to the USDA, the lawmakers said that the decision to divert funds from the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program was made without a thorough process for input and consultation from lawmakers, stakeholders and the communities of color and veterans that they serve. “During this difficult time, farmers across the
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Tom Udall, U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján Demand Explanation from USDA on Diverting Funds from Program to Help Farmers who are People of Color, Immigrants, Veterans
MINNESOTA [08/21/20]—After learning that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is diverting funds from a program that supports producers from diverse backgrounds—including farmers who are people of color, immigrants and veterans—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) are demanding an explanation and answers. In a bicameral letter to the USDA—which was joined by nearly 40 colleagues—the lawmakers said that the decision to divert funds from the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program was made without a thorough process for input and consultation from lawmakers, stakeholders and the communities of color and veterans that they