Latest Releases
Senators Klobuchar, Smith Announce Significant Investments to Support Economic Recovery for Tribal Nations in Minnesota
WASHINGTON – Today, Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN) announced significant funding to help Tribal communities in Minnesota recover from economic dislocation caused by the pandemic. Nearly $5 million in grants will go towards projects that help people most impacted by the pandemic in the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, and the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe – White Earth Band. “This federal funding will make a real difference for Tribal communities across our state, helping connect them to high-quality job opportunities in high-demand sectors,” said Klobuchar. “I’ll keep pushing to ensure our Tribal communities have the economic resources they need to thrive.” “The pandemic took an economic toll on communities throughout Minnesota and disproportionately hurt people in disadvantaged communities,” said Smith. “These grants will help boost local economies in Native communities and help people who have been hit hardest by the pandemic get back on their feet. I will continue working to support Tribal communities and families across Minnesota as we enter a new phase in our economic recovery.” “Mille Lacs Band families were hard hit when the pandemic economy in rural Minnesota pushed many mothers and fathers off the payroll,” said Melanie Benjamin, Chief Executive of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. “We are very appreciative of this grant because it will help our Tribal Government to empower our citizens who have been anxiously looking for new opportunities to rejoin the workforce.” These Quality Jobs, Equity, Strategy and Training (QUEST) Disaster Recovery grants
Klobuchar, Smith Secure Significant Federal Funding to Expand High-Speed Internet Access in Rural Minnesota
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that they have secured significant federal funding to expand access to high-speed broadband in rural Minnesota communities. This investment, provided through the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s ReConnect program, will help connect over 6,000 people, 150 businesses, and 680 farms across Freeborn, Morrison, Stearns, Houston, and Todd counties. The American Rescue Plan, which Klobuchar and Smith supported and was signed into law last year, delivered significant supplemental funding for the ReConnect program. This affordable broadband will be deployed by Winnebago Cooperative Telephone Association in Freeborn County, Upsala Cooperative Telephone Association in Morrison, Stearns and Todd counties, and Spring Grove Communications in Todd County. “This federal funding will make a real difference for rural communities across our state, allowing thousands of families to access critical opportunities online while enabling hundreds of farms to connect to new farming technologies such as precision agriculture,” said Klobuchar. “As co-chair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, I’ll keep fighting to close the digital divide and help all Minnesotans reliably get the high-speed internet they need.” “Broadband is the infrastructure of the 21st Century – it isn’t just nice to have, it’s necessary if we’re going to build an economy that works for everyone,” said Smith. “ReConnect funding helps connect communities in greater Minnesota who have been left out of the digital economy. I am proud of our work to secure this funding, which will bring us one step closer to our goal of ensuring every
Bipartisan Opioids Legislation U.S. Senator Tina Smith Helped Write Becomes Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/24/18]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) helped write the bipartisan opioids legislation that the President signed into law today, which gives Minnesota and the nation the tools to combat the crisis by investing in long-term prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts. Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Health Committee, said the legislative package includes her measure to help bring mental health professionals into schools and community-based organizations in order to better reach families who need these vital services. “Families in rural areas, small towns and downtowns, and in Indian Country are hurting from the opioid epidemic—I want to make
Sens. Warren, Smith Seek Explanation for HHS Secretary Azar’s Misleading Testimony on President Trump’s Broken Drug Pricing Promises
Washington, DC – United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) today sent their second letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar about his potentially misleading statements during Senate testimony in which he blamed pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and drug distributors for drug manufacturers’ ongoing refusal to meaningfully reduce their prices. On May 30, 2018, President Trump promised that drug companies would “announce voluntary massive drops in prices.” In a June hearing in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Senator Warren asked Secretary Azar to explain why drug prices remained high despite President Trump’s assurances
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith Presses Administration to Quickly Change Tax Rules Blocking Cooperatives From Expanding Rural Broadband
WASHINGTON, D.C. [10/31/18]—Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) urged the Trump Administration to ensure cooperatives don’t lose their tax-exempt status if they receive government grants to expand rural broadband in Minnesota and across the country. Sen. Smith said that the Republican tax law passed last year threatens the tax-exempt status of rural telephone and electric cooperatives in Minnesota and across the country because of a provision meant to tax for-profit companies. In a letter Wednesday, Sen. Smith pushed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig to use their administrative authority to fix the unintended consequences of the provision, which
Klobuchar, Smith, Nolan Announce Success in Adding Kanabec County to Recent Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Relief Declaration Following Major Flooding
WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, and Congressman Rick Nolan announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has updated its major disaster declaration to include Kanabec County following this summer’s major flooding. The change comes after Klobuchar, Smith, and Nolan sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Regional Administrator James Joseph last month urging him to reconsider the denial of FEMA disaster relief funding to Kanabec County and extend the relevant incident period to July 12, 2018, in the wake of flooding in the area. “This disaster relief is greatly needed given the extent of
English