Latest Releases
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Announces Funding to Upgrade, Relocate Duluth International Airport’s Air Traffic Control Tower
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tina Smith announced she helped secure funding for Duluth International Airport’s Air Traffic Control Tower relocation project. The $10 million in funding will support relocating the non-standard tower currently at the airport, a tower which was commissioned in 1963. The airport coordinates over 67,000 arrivals/departures per year, contributes over $700 million to northern Minnesota’s economy, and supports over 6,000 jobs in the area. “The Duluth International Airport provides critical service to northern Minnesota, from commercial service to cargo, military and medical flights, yet it’s operating with a 70-year-old tower – the third oldest in the nation,” said Senator Smith. “This investment will make DLH safer and more efficient. It’s exactly the kind of project we aimed to support through the President’s infrastructure law.” In 2023, Smith joined the Minnesota delegation in sending a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requesting that they expedite reviews and approvals required for Duluth International Airport (DLH) to apply for grant funding to build a new air traffic control tower. ###
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Expansion of Terminal 2 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-Minn.) announced federal funding for the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to expand Terminal 2. The project will add two new gates to the terminal’s north side, Gates H15 and H16. The funding comes from President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure legislation, which Senators Klobuchar and Smith helped pass. “Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is among the busiest airports in the country and supports tens of thousands of jobs,” said Senator Klobuchar. “This funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will enable the airport to continue serving the Twin Cities area, improve the travel experience for passengers, and maintain its position as a top-ranking airport.” “MSP is a critical transportation hub and economic driver for communities across Minnesota,” said Senator Smith. “This investment will make sure MSP remains one of the best airports in the world and has the capacity to meet demand.” The $20,000,000 grant was awarded through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Terminals Program, which received a $5 billion boost through the President’s infrastructure legislation. The program funds safe, sustainable and accessible airport terminals, on-airport rail access projects and airport-owned traffic control towers. Several investments have been made in Minnesota’s largest airport since President Biden signed the infrastructure legislation that Klobuchar and Smith helped pass, including five new boarding bridges, new electrical substations for baggage claim, the north security checkpoint, and airport police, as well as new walkways, ramps, and slopes to support passengers with disabilities. The law has also funded a portion of a project to rehabilitate and
Klobuchar and Smith Urge Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to Ensure Minnesota Students Have Internet Access
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith urged Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to take action to ensure that Minnesota students have access to the internet so that they can continue learning while schools are closed in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Minnesota’s schools are closed until at least March 27, while 17 percent of students in Minnesota do not have access to high speed internet at home. “With nearly one million students potentially being moved to online instruction, we are concerned about the 17 percent of students in Minnesota who do not have access
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Pushes to Ensure Funding, Reimbursement For Hospitals, Other Providers Hit by Surge in Coronavirus Patients
WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/18/20]— Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) is pressing the top Trump Administration Emergency Management official for “clear and strong” assurances that hospitals and other health providers who now face an overwhelming increase in emergency coronavirus patients will get quick federal funding and reimbursement to help them expand capacity to meet the need. In a letter Wednesday to the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Peter Gaynor, Sen. Smith said such funding assurances are second in priority only to ensuring that Minnesota and the rest of the country have adequate testing capacity to allow the country to determine the extent
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Presses Secretary Pompeo for Plan to Bring Home Minnesotans, Other Americans Trapped Abroad Due to Coronavirus
WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/18/20]—With a growing number of countries closing their borders due to the spreading coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) is pressing U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to quickly implement plans to get information and assistance to Minnesotans and other Americans trapped abroad so they can safely travel home. In a letter to Pompeo Tuesday, Sen. Smith said her office has been in contact with numerous Minnesotans trapped in countries that have closed their borders—like Peru and Morocco—leaving them with no access to commercial flights or other transportation. With other countries expected to follow suit and close borders, Smith said the number
Minnesota Congressional Delegation Speaks with One Unified Voice on Coronavirus Response
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, and Representatives Jim Hagedorn (MN-01), Angie Craig (MN-02), Dean Phillips (MN-03), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Tom Emmer (MN-06), Collin Peterson (MN-07), and Pete Stauber (MN-08) wrote an open letter to the people of Minnesota concerning the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The delegation is committed to working together to ensure Minnesotans have the information they need to keep themselves and their families safe. “The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a rare event that is reshaping our society. We all need to follow the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and
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