Latest Releases
Minnesota, North Dakota Delegations Respond to Inspector General’s Audit of Postal Service, Press Postmaster General for Better Service
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), John Hoeven (R-ND), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) led the entire Minnesota and North Dakota congressional delegations in sending a bipartisan letter pressing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to improve postal services in the Minnesota-North Dakota District. The letter comes after the Postal Service’s Inspector General audited the District and found 130,858 missing or delayed pieces of mail at six post offices over the course of only two days. The lawmakers also requested regular updates from the Postal Service on their progress in implementing these recommendations. “It has long been clear that postal operations in the District are in trouble, and the investigation confirms this,” wrote lawmakers.“We need to ensure that the OIG’s recommendations are fully implemented and actually result in significantly improved mail delivery and services across our states.” Senators Smith and Klobuchar requested the audit of the Minnesota-North Dakota Postal District back in December, as did the entire Minnesota House delegation in January. Senator Hoeven, Senator Cramer, and Congressman Armstrong requested an audit in February. Senators Smith, Hoeven and Klobuchar introduced the bipartisan Postal Delivery Accountability Act, which would address USPS’ failure to accurately track when mail routes do not receive deliveries. The legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congresswoman Angie Craig. You can find full text of the letter here or below. Mr. Louis DeJoyPostmaster GeneralUnited States Postal Service 475 L’Enfant Plaza Southwest Washington, DC 20260 Dear Postmaster General DeJoy, We write in response to the United States Postal Service (USPS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report titled “Minnesota-North Dakota District: Delivery Operations” (24-032-R24). This report contains important findings about postal operations and recommendations to
U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Statement on SCOTUS Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) Decision
Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) released the following statement on the Supreme Court’s Decision on Moyle v. United States: “The Supreme Court ruled on process, not on policy. This is a reprieve, not a vindication. While Idaho can resume providing emergency reproductive care, this ruling does nothing to reassure women that their health and wellbeing is protected. “Let’s be clear: President Biden’s work to ensure access to emergency abortion care under EMTALA is not safe under this decision. There are other challenges to EMTALA pending in the ultra-conservative Fifth Circuit — challenges that could come before the Supreme Court soon. “But this chaos is the point. Patients will suffer while these lawsuits move forward. There should be no legal question when medicine is clear: Abortion is health care. Justice Jackson hit the nail on the head with her dissent: ‘While this Court dawdles and the country waits, pregnant people experiencing emergency medical conditions remain in a precarious position, as their doctors are kept in the dark about what the law requires.’” ###
Klobuchar, Smith, Stauber Urge Navy to Name New Ship for the City of Duluth, in recognition of the USS Duluth
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) and Representative Pete Stauber (R-MN) urged the U.S. Navy to name a new landing platform dock (LPD) amphibious ship in honor of the USS Duluth LPD-6, which was commissioned in 1965 and decommissioned in 2005 and originally named for the city of Duluth. “We write to urge you to consider naming a new LPD amphibious ship for the city of Duluth, Minnesota and in honor of the USS Duluth LPD-6, which was commissioned in 1965 and decommissioned in 2005. The USS Duluth served for nearly 40 years and, whatever
Klobuchar, Smith, Grassley Statements on Passage of Bipartisan Legislation to Rename Federal Building in Minneapolis After Senator Paul Wellstone
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tina Smith (D-MN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) released the statements below on the House passage of their bipartisan legislation to rename the Federal Building in Minneapolis the “Paul D. Wellstone Federal Building,” in honor of the legacy of the late Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN). The bill passed the Senate unanimously earlier this month and now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law. “From his passionate advocacy for better mental health care to his leadership on civil rights, Paul Wellstone showed that public service is really about improving people’s lives,” said
U.S. Senator Tina Smith on the Arrest of Sam Bankman-Fried
WASHINGTON, D.C. [12/13/22] — Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) released the following statement in response to the arrest and indictment of Sam Bankman-Fried: “In this country, people are free to invest or bet their money however they want to. But they deserve to know that the market is fair and the rules protect them from bad actors, so they aren’t getting ripped off. “Looking at the charges brought against Sam Bankman-Fried, it’s hard not to conclude that he and his crypto organizations ran roughshod over the market rules protecting consumers. That’s flatly wrong and he needs to answer for what
Senators Klobuchar, Smith, and Representative Craig Announce Deadline Extension for Enrollment in 2023 Dairy Margin Coverage Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. [12/12/22] — U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, and U.S. Representative Angie Craig (all D-MN) announced that the deadline for eligible farmers to enroll in the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) and Supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage (SDMC) programs has been extended. Eligible producers will now have until January 31, 2023 to enroll in the program. These programs help dairy producers manage the volatility of milk and feed price disparities. “The Dairy Margin Coverage program helps provide Minnesota’s dairy farmers with important stability and risk management tools that benefit our rural communities,” said Klobuchar. “This extended sign-up period will allow
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