Latest Releases
Klobuchar, Smith Secure Significant Federal Funding for Infrastructure Improvements to Highway 11 Along the Rainy River
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has awarded $2,560,000 in federal funding for the City of Loman’s Highway 11 Rainy River Slide Realignment and Resiliency Project. The project addresses two critical slope failures that threaten to close portions of Highway 11 along the Rainy River. The project will realign 1.2 miles of the highway about 150 feet to the west, removing the roadway from the slide areas and completing work to stabilize the slopes. “Highway 11 is a vital part of Northern Minnesota’s transportation system,” said Klobuchar. “With this grant, the City of Loman will make critical infrastructure improvements to make Highway 11 resilient and improve driving conditions.” “Minnesotans deserve to drive on safe, reliable roads,” said Smith. “Highway 11 along the Rainy River in Northern Minnesota is a danger to drivers, and this project will realign the highway on safer, more stable ground to protect and improve drivers’ safety.” The funding was secured through the USDOT Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) Grant program. PROTECT provides funding to ensure surface transportation resilience to natural hazards including climate change, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather events, and other natural disasters through support of planning activities, resilience improvements, community resilience and evacuation routes, and at-risk coastal infrastructure. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides funding for PROTECT. ###
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Celebrates Red Lake, Inc. Trade Mission to India
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, celebrated that Red Lake Nation’s Red Lake, Inc. will be participating in a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) agribusiness trade mission to New Delhi, India at the end of the month. 47 diverse businesses and organizations will join Under Secretary Alexis M. Taylor on the mission, and Red Lake will be the only representative from a Native or Tribal community. “We need to support all farmers—and that includes making sure we’re advocating for Native farmers who may face unique and challenging barriers to successfully owning and operating farms,” said Sen. Smith. “This trade mission to India will be a great opportunity for Red Lake to cultivate new markets for their agriculture products.” While on the trade mission, participants will engage in targeted meetings and site visits to build new trade linkages, strengthen existing partnerships, observe U.S. products in the marketplace, and discover the latest Indian consumer food trends. Participants will also receive in-depth market briefings from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service and industry trade experts. Dating back to 2018, Senator Smith has pushed for Tribal inclusion on USDA trade missions. She joined colleagues from New Mexico, Montana, and North Dakota to send a letter to then Secretary Sonny Perdue to more fully incorporate tribes into these trade missions. ###
Klobuchar, Smith Join Warner & Colleagues Calling for Coronavirus Economic Response Focused on Helping Workers and Families
WASHINGTON – This week, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) joined Mark Warner (D-VA) and over 30 colleagues in a letter to President Trump calling for an economic stimulus package focused on helping working Americans and their families who will be most harmed by the outbreak and spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) across the United States. “The spread of COVID-19 will create economic ramifications that will affect individuals, families, and regions differently. While following social distancing guidelines may be important to mitigate the spread of the virus, it creates potentially grave economic challenges for American workers who are
U.S. Senators Smith, Inhofe Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect Cattle Producers
WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/11/20]—Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) introduced their bipartisan Securing All Livestock Equitably (SALE) Act, which would address dealer payment default. The quick turnaround between the purchase and resale of cattle by dealers often leaves the ranchers who originally owned the cattle with little recourse if a dealer defaults on a purchase—the livestock has often already been resold. The SALE Act would establish dealer statutory trusts, which are similar to existing packer statutory trusts, to ensure that cattle sellers receive payment should a livestock dealer become insolvent. “Minnesota cattle producers, farm organizations, and family-owned businesses have shared with me how important
Sen. Smith Leads Fight to End Federal Contracts with Companiesthat Mistreat Employees & Violate Worker Protection Laws that Mistreat Employees & Violate Worker Protection Laws
WASHINGTON, D.C. [03/11/20]–Today U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) introduced legislation to prevent companies that mistreat their employees and repeatedly break workplace protection laws from receiving taxpayer-funded federal contracts. Sen. Smith says the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Act would also expand workplace protections for people employed by large federal contractors. Her legislation is largely similar to a President Obama Executive Order that was repealed in 2017. “I approach this issue with the core belief that all companies should follow the law and treat their workers fairly,” said Sen. Smith. “If companies break the law, then they should not receive taxpayer-funded government contracts. But right
Senators Klobuchar, Smith Urge Vice President to Actively Work with Native Communities, Tribal Leaders on Coronavirus Response
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) are urging Vice President Mike Pence to actively work with Native communities and Tribal leaders as part of the federal government’s response to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). In a bipartisan effort led by vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Tom Udall (D-N.M.), 27 senators sent a letter to Vice President Pence following Congress passing an emergency funding bill that includes $40 million for Tribes, Tribal organizations and Urban Indian Health Organizations impacted by COVID-19. The United States has confirmed COVID-19 cases in a number of states where Tribes and urban Indian communities are located. Given these developments and past issues accessing federal resources for the Zika, Ebola, H1N1, and SARS outbreaks, Tribes and Urban Indian Organizations have voiced concerns that federal COVID-19 response efforts
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