Latest Releases
U.S. SENATOR TINA SMITH ANNOUNCES ABORTION CLINIC DIRECTOR TAMMI KROMENAKER AS STATE OF THE UNION GUEST
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) announced that Tammi Kromenaker, the Clinic Director of the Red River Women’s Clinic in Moorhead, MN, will be her guest at the President’s State of the Union Address on Thursday, March 7th in Washington, D.C. The Red River Women’s Clinic spent nearly 25 years in Fargo, where it was North Dakota’s sole abortion provider for most of that time. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs decision in 2022, the Republican Governor of North Dakota enacted one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country. To continue serving patients in desperate need of care, Kromenaker moved the clinic to the neighboring city of Moorhead in Minnesota, where abortion rights are protected under state law. “When North Dakota banned abortion statewide after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Tammi Kromenaker sprang into action, moving Red River Women’s Clinic across the bridge from Fargo to Moorhead,” said Senator Smith. “Now, Minnesota is an island for abortion care in the Upper Midwest, and thousands of people in the region and across the country count on Red River Women’s Clinic for their health care. Every day, women walk through the doors of RRWC ready to make the best decisions for themselves and their families. And every day that freedom is under assault by the forces dedicated to a national abortion ban. The story of Tammi and her clinic represents the absolute chaos for Americans after the Supreme Court ruling, and her commitment to continuing to provide health care for women in a
U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez Introduce Legislation to Protect Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence from Economic Abuse
[WASHINGTON, DC] – Today, Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) introduced the Survivor Financial Safety and Inclusion Working Group Act, a bill aimed at increasing support for survivors of intimate partner violence within the financial system. The bill would create an interagency working group comprised of the federal financial regulators and relevant stakeholders, including a representative of historically underserved communities. The working group would be tasked with collecting data on the impacts of economic abuse of survivors carried out through regulated financial institutions. The working group would also provide recommendations on how Congress and federal regulators can help financial institutions improve existing products and services and launch new ones to meet survivors’ financial and safety needs. “It can be impossible for someone trapped in an abusive relationship to escape if they’re unable to land on their feet,” said Senator Smith. “Abusers in intimate partner relationships use financial insecurity as a tool to trap their victims. This legislation will help protect survivors of economic abuse within the financial system and ensure they have a chance at safety, healing, and long-term financial stability.” “Intimate partner violence is a scourge in our society, with over 10 million men and women being physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States every year. Most survivors also report experiencing economic abuse from harm-doers, making it extremely difficult to build the financial security necessary to escape a dangerous situation,” said Congresswoman Velázquez. “It’s clear that financial institutions must do more to reduce economic abuse of survivors. This
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan: Coronavirus Relief Funding Meant for Tribes Should Go To Tribal Governments, Not Corporations
WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/16/20]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan voiced concerns over the Trump Administration’s apparent move to send a portion of CARES Act relief intended for Tribal governments to for-profit Alaska Native corporations. The CARES Act provides $8 billion in critical relief to Tribal governments so they can respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to provide essential government services. The U.S. Treasury Department is required to distribute the $8 billion by April 24, but the Trump Administration is already signaling that it is putting for-profit corporations ahead of Tribal governments and Tribal members. Sen. Smith and Lt. Gov.
U.S. Senators Klobuchar, Smith, Colleagues Press President Trump for Answers on Mismanagement of the Strategic National Stockpile
WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/17/20]—U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) are calling on President Trump to provide answers on the Administration’s mismanagement of the Strategic National Stockpile, which has left states without promised federal assistance and supplies they need to combat coronavirus (COVID-19) and save lives. “The COVID-19 pandemic threatens the overall health and safety of families across the country, in every single state. Dozens of states have requested supplies from the stockpile to ensure that public health workers, emergency responders, and frontline health care workers have the personal protective equipment they need to prevent the spread of this virus
Klobuchar, Smith Announce over $4 Million for Affordable Housing in Minnesota
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith announced that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded Minnesota $4,078,002 in grants to meet the housing needs of Minnesotans. These funds, made available through the Housing Trust Fund (HTF), will be used to increase and preserve the supply of affordable housing for low-income households, including homeless families. “As Minnesotans continue to deal with the health and economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, ensuring all residents have access to safe housing is vitally important,” Klobuchar said. “These grants will help meet the needs of the people of our state, including the homeless, who
U.S. Senator Tina Smith: $7.6 Billion in Forgivable Loans Approved for Nearly 34,000 Minnesota Small Businesses
Senator Smith, Who Helped Pass Paycheck Protection Program Into Law, Calls Loan Approvals Important Start; Continues Pressing for Additional Funds, Faster Delivery and Improvements to Help More Businesses Access Paycheck Protection Program WASHINGTON, D.C. [04/15/20]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.)—a member of the Senate Banking Committee—announced that, as of April 13, 33,819 Minnesota small businesses have been approved for forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, which she helped pass into law as part of the recently passed legislation to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Sen. Smith is also pressing for improvements to the program so that money will flow more quickly and to fix implementation errors. These loans total $7,633,395,870 to help the state’s businesses and make Minnesota the
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