Latest Releases
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Lead Push to Reinstate Energy Projects for Farmers, Small Businesses
Sixteen Senators are demanding the Trump Administration reverse canceling the bipartisan Rural Energy for America Program WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) led fourteen colleagues in demanding the Trump Administration re-commit to funding energy projects across rural America through the bipartisan Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). In 2022 alone, REAP projects saved enough energy and generated enough energy to power over 250,000 homes. Roughly 70% of those projects could be deemed ineligible under the Administration’s new arbitrary restrictions. “Unleashing American energy and supporting American farmers are stated priorities of the Trump Administration. But this change would stifle American energy and hurt our farmers, who are already dealing with increasing costs of operation and uncertain access to markets. At a time like this, it is unconscionable to discourage the use of cost- and energy-saving wind and solar technologies that help to keep their businesses afloat” wrote the Senators. “A REAP program that helps rural Americans invest in the best energy solution for them is a win for farmers’ bottom line and for the lands that they steward. We urge you to remove these new restrictions on REAP,” Senators concluded. On August 18th, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced they will be restricting assistance for wind and solar projects previously authorized under REAP. The move will hurt the deployment of cheaper, cleaner energy projects at a time when rural energy costs continue to rise. The REAP program was authorized in
U.S. Senator Tina Smith Delivers Floor Speech Remembering Annunciation School Shooting Victims, Pushes for Congress to Pass Gun Safety Legislation
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tina Smith delivered a speech on the floor of the United States Senate after the tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic School last week. You can watch Sen. Smith’s floor speech here. You can read Sen. Smith’s remarks as delivered below: Mr. President, I stand before this body trying to make sense of the terrible shooting at Annunciation Catholic School just a couple of miles from where Archie and I live in Minneapolis. And I can’t. I can’t make it make sense. You know, I know this neighborhood really well. I’ve lived in and around it for many, many years. And I also know Annunciation School. Mr. President, Annunciation School is one of those places where, whether your kids go there or not, it’s two degrees of separation from everybody that you would know. If it’s not your child, it’s someone you know — their niece, their nephew, their grandchild, their child. And here in Annunciation Catholic School on a fall morning, sweet children were gunned down when they went to mass to celebrate the beginning of the school year, and their sense of peace and safety was shattered like the church windows that the bullets flew through. Fletcher Merkel was eight years old. His dad said that Fletcher had an infectious smile, and he danced with every touchdown he scored in flag football. He loved his family and his friends, and he loved fishing and cooking. Harper Moyski was ten. Her parents say that she was
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Announce Funding for Meat and Poultry Processing in Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN) announced funding for two Minnesota-based agricultural projects through the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP). The grants, totaling $2 million, will increase meat processing capacity, help Minnesota farmers access new markets, and create dozens of new jobs. “Minnesota’s meat and poultry products help feed the nation and the world,” said Klobuchar. “This new funding will make it easier for our processors to bolster their capacity and get their high quality meats to new markets.” “Minnesota has long been a linchpin in America’s agricultural market, and I’m proud to advocate
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith Announce Two USDA Farm to School Grants to Support Agricultural Education and Local Food Access in Minnesota Schools
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN) announced funding from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm to School Grant program for two projects in Minnesota. The projects will expand agricultural education, support local producers, and incorporate local foods into child nutrition programs in Minnesota. Two projects in Minnesota will each receive $100,000 in funding for agricultural education and child nutrition programs: 1. The Boys and Girls Club of Detroit Lakes: Funding will be used to purchase a “flex connect” farm system, 12 hydroponic towers used for crop growth, from Fork Farms. By purchasing the system, the
Klobuchar, Smith, Finstad, Craig Urge Treasury Department to Issue Clean Fuel Production Credit Guidance to Increase U.S. Production of Biofuels
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) and Representatives Brad Finstad (R-MN) and Angie Craig (D-MN) joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers in urging the U.S. Department of the Treasury to issue timely guidance on the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit to give farmers, blenders, retailers, and fuel users certainty and the time needed to make additional clean fuel projects a reality. The 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit consolidates and replaces several fuel-related credits currently scheduled to expire at the end of the year. While 45Z was written to increase the domestic production of clean,
U.S Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Announce Funding to Improve Bus Infrastructure in Southeastern Minnesota
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tina Smith, Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Transportation, and Senator Amy Klobuchar (both D-MN) announced a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to strengthen bus and transportation infrastructure in Southern Minnesota. One hundred and seventeen communities across the country are getting grants from the DOT thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, legislation passed by President Biden in 2021 that has delivered infrastructure upgrades to nearly 5,000 communities nationwide. The Minnesota Department of Transportation will receive $6,282,400 tobuild two new transit facilities in Austin and Waseca. This project will help improve efficiency and enhance reliable transportation services
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