Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Decry Postal Service’s Response to Minnesotans
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (both D-MN) slammed the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) responses to their recent letters as unacceptable. The letters asked the Postmaster General to take immediate steps to address the pressing concerns of Minnesotans. After hearing from Bemidji-area constituents and postal workers, Senators Smith and Klobuchar pressed the Postmaster General about agreements made with Amazon that have overwhelmed the already-stretched postal system in Minnesota and pushed workers into dangerous and unsustainable conditions. Minnesotans rely on the Postal Service to receive prescriptions, paychecks, and other essential needs, and Minnesotans across the state have reported delays in receiving these deliveries. Postal workers, particularly in the Bemidji area, report chaos as they are told to prioritize the deliveries of Amazon packages over regular mail and lack of staffing to meet the Postal Service’s delivery standards. In response to Senators Smith and Klobuchar’s letters, the Postal Service asserted that, “for the most part, all mailpieces and packages, including in Bemidji, are being delivered daily.” Dozens of reports from across Minnesota, including from members of Senator Smith’s staff and their families, contradict that claim. Additionally, postal workers and constituents report mail deliveries going out well into the night – hours after dark – which is dangerous as well as an unreasonable work load. Senators Smith and Klobuchar stand by the reports of Minnesotans. Plus, the Postal Service’s Inspector General has found that USPS’s tracking systems are unreliable and riddled with false data, a problem Sen. Smith and Klobuchar have introduced legislation to fix. “The Postal Service management has asked me to take their word over the words of Minnesotans. I believe Minnesotans,” said Senator Smith. “This week, I have heard from postal workers and their families
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Celebrates Inclusion of C-130 Aircraft for Minnesota’s Air National Guard in National Defense Authorization Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith released the following statement on the inclusion of her bipartisan amendment to mandate the United States Air Force maintain a minimum 271 C-130 aircraft, which will ensure that the Minnesota National Guard’s 133rd Airlift Wing maintains its flying mission. “Our C-130s are essential to Minnesota’s 133rd Airlift Wing and the Air Force’s capability to carry out their missions,” said Senator Smith.“Ensuring they maintain enough of these aircraft means stability for the men and women of Minnesota’s National Guard as they carry out their duties at home and overseas.” The C-130 aircraft is essential to carry out missions at home and overseas and are essential to the operations of the Minnesota National Guard. The bipartisan amendment was co-led by Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), John Barrasso (R-WY), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY). Senator Smith has repeatedly advocated for Minnesota’s 133rd Airlift Wing – in June she joined Senator Klobuchar and the entire Minnesota delegation from the House of Representatives in urging the Air Force to select the 133rd Airlift Wing to receive new C-130J Transport Planes. In September, the Air Force heeded their calls and announced that Minnesota will receive the new aircraft, pending an environmental review.
U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Senate Colleagues Call on Department of Agriculture to Speed up Development of Crop Guidelines Established in Farm Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/07/19]—This week, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and a bipartisan group of her Senate colleagues—led by Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)—urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expedite the development of the cover crop guidelines that were established in the strong, bipartisan 2018 Farm Bill. Sen. Smith and her colleagues also requested that haying and grazing of cover crops on prevent plant acres be allowed prior to the current USDA-mandated November 1 harvest date. “According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture published last month, between 2012 and 2017, cover crops on
U.S. Senator Tina Smith: Affordable Housing, Rural and Native Areas Must Remain a Focus in Housing Finance Reform Discussions
WASHINGTON, D.C. [06/06/19]—Today, as Congress considers reforms to the nation’s housing finance system, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) outlined her top priorities. In a letter to the nation’s top housing finance agency and leaders of the Senate Banking Committee—on which she serves—Sen. Smith pressed the officials to make sure any changes to the housing finance system support the affordable housing market and housing availability in rural areas, including on tribal lands. Following the Senate Banking Committee’s hearings on the housing finance system earlier this year and ongoing discussions about housing finance reform, Sen. Smith is fighting to preserve meaningful gains
U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, Reps. Pete Stauber, Jim Hagedorn, Collin Peterson, Laud Federal Investment in State’s Electric Infrastructure
WASHINGTON, D.C. [06/05/19]— U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Representatives Pete Stauber (R-Minn. 8), Jim Hagedorn (R-Minn. 1), and Collin Peterson (D-Minn. 7) lauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) $133 million investment in Minnesota electric infrastructure that will improve services for more than 100,000 electric customers across the state. The loans provided to Minnesota included $52 million for Lake Country Power, which covers an eight county area in Rep. Stauber’s district, $36 million for People’s Energy Cooperative, which covers a six county area in Rep. Hagedorn’s district, and over $40 million for Stearns Cooperative Electric
Sen. Smith Lauds EPA’s Lifting of Summertime E15 Ban
WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/31/19]—Today, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) lauded the lifting of the E15 ban, a move that will expand the use of ethanol in the nation’s fuel supply during the summer “Farmers in Minnesota and across the country have been hit hard by low farm prices and recent trade uncertainties that have pushed prices even lower,” Sen. Smith said. “This rule change—something I’ve long fought for–will increase demand for farm products, bolster our farm communities, all while expanding the use of renewable fuels nationwide.” Senator Smith, a member of the Agriculture committee, has consistently pushed for the
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