Tag: Tina Smith

ICYMI: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan Blasts Jason Lewis’ Rhetoric on COVID-19 as ‘Nothing Short of Dangerous’

In a response to Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis’ campaign of fear and division, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan urges Minnesotans to not fall for his distractions, writing  in a Star Tribune op-ed that Lewis “much rather we pay attention to his fearmongering than to the very real challenges we face.”

In the piece, Lt. Governor Flanagan highlights how dangerous Lewis’ rhetoric has been, and how it continues to  pose a danger to Minnesotans’ lives. Lewis has repeatedly downplayed the seriousness of COVID-19, spread misinformation and conspiracy theories by calling masks “muzzles” designed to enforce “total, absolute conformity” and mocked Minnesotans who are concerned about the pandemic, saying they have a  “bizarre obsession with risk.” Lewis has also claimed that “anybody under the age of 50 has exactly a 99.98% chance of survival,” while the deadly virus has now claimed over 2,000 lives in the state. 

In her op-ed, Lt. Governor Flanagan leaves Minnesotans with a reminder of the seriousness of COVID-19, and that they should expect more empathy from leaders who are supposed to represent all of us in Washington. That choice is clear: U.S. Senator Tina Smith.

Continue reading “ICYMI: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan Blasts Jason Lewis’ Rhetoric on COVID-19 as ‘Nothing Short of Dangerous’”

Kitchen Table Conversation with Sen. Harris, Sen. Smith, & Lieutenant Governor Flanagan

On Sept 2nd, Sen. Harris joins Sen. Tina Smith and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan for a conversation with Senator Bobby Joe Champion, Rep. Rena Moran, and Minnesotans from the Twin Cities about the challenges they are facing with the return to school during the COVID-19 pandemic.

More information and RSVP here.

Minnesota Congressional Delegation Requests Federal Relief For State Unemployment Insurance Programs

“The rapid rise in unemployment claims in Minnesota and across the country is unprecedented and requires renewed attention from Congress as the pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on our economy” 

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN), and Representatives Angie Craig (D-MN-2), Dean Phillips (D-MN-3), Betty McCollum (D-MN-4), Ilhan Omar (D-MN-5) sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader McCarthy requesting relief for state unemployment insurance programs in any upcoming coronavirus relief package. In the letter, the members of the Minnesota delegation highlighted the strain that the coronavirus pandemic has placed on state unemployment insurance programs and requested that the next relief package allow the Federal Government to cover a portion of the upfront costs paid by non-profit and government employers – a relief measure that the Senate has already approved.

“The rapid rise in unemployment claims in Minnesota and across the country is unprecedented and requires renewed attention from Congress as the pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on our economy,” the lawmakers wrote. “This extreme level of unemployment has also placed significant stress on Minnesota’s unemployment insurance program—and unemployment insurance programs in states across the country.” Continue reading “Minnesota Congressional Delegation Requests Federal Relief For State Unemployment Insurance Programs”

DFL Party Endorses Tina Smith for the United States Senate

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota DFL Party announced that Tina Smith secured the DFL Party’s endorsement for re-election to the United States Senate.

Minnesota DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement:

“Today, I’m incredibly proud to announce that the Minnesota DFL Party has endorsed Tina Smith for re-election to the United States Senate. Senator Smith works across the aisle to get things done for Minnesota–whether it’s fighting to lower the price of insulin, expanding mental health services, increasing broadband access or making sure people get the skills they need to get good-paying jobs. And more recently as the nation combats coronavirus, she successfully fought to ensure free COVID-19 testing for all Americans.

“And right now, Tina isn’t shying away from the very real changes we need to make, including fixing the systems that fail to prevent abuses of power and racism in all forms. Minnesotans deserve an advocate, an ally, and a fighter like Tina Smith in the United States Senate.” Continue reading “DFL Party Endorses Tina Smith for the United States Senate”

Phillips, Smith Announce Coronavirus Briefing Call

Free and open-to-the-public informational call comes as more COVID-19 cases are confirmed, all Minnesotans are invited to submit questions and hear from public health experts

MINNESOTA – Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) and Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) announced today that they will host a free and open-to-the-publiccoronavirus briefing call featuring Minnesota public health experts at 6:00 PM CST on Monday, March 16. Minnesotans are invited to submit their questions about coronavirus (COVID-19) online HERE, and join the call by dialing 855-927-0897 or streaming online HERE.

WHAT:  Coronavirus Briefing Call

WHEN:  Monday, March 16, 2020, 6:00 PM CST – 7:00 PM CST

WHERE:  CALL IN: 855-927-0897 or STREAM ONLINE: https://phillips.house.gov/dial-in

WHO:

– Rep. Dean Phillips
– Senator Tina Smith
– Dr. Rob Thomas, Medical Director, Emergency Physicians Professional Association
– Dr. Penny Wheeler, CEO, Allina Health System
– Additional public health experts to be announced

SUBMIT QUESTIONS HERE:   https://tinyurl.com/MNCoronavirusBriefing

Minnesota state senator: Jason Lewis is going to ‘chop [Tina Smith] into little pieces’

Jason Lewis’ 2018 reelection campaign was colored, and likely doomed, by the resurfacing of offensive things he’d said on the radio.

Lewis, then representing Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District, tried explaining his rants by saying his radio role was to be provocative and entertaining. If your idea of entertainment is a man angrily complaining he can’t call Madonna a slut, you should 1) try literally anything else, and 2) stop trying to reconcile with your ex-wife.

Lewis lost his seat to Democrat Angie Craig, and could’ve slunk back to a dishonorable life in conservative talk radio and smarmy speaking engagements. Instead, he’s back in a big, dumb way, announcing last week that he’d challenge DFL U.S. Sen. Tina Smith in 2020.

View the complete August 27 article by Mike Mullen on The CityPages website here.

Senators call for more TSA screeners at Minneapolis-St. Paul airport

Construction aggravated an existing problem at the main terminal, they said.

Long se­curi­ty lines at the Min­ne­ap­olis-St. Paul International Airport’s main ter­mi­nal prompt­ed Min­ne­so­ta’s two U.S. sena­tors on Wednesday to call for ad­di­tion­al staff­ing from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

On Mon­day, the Metropolitan Air­ports Commission (MAC) launched a tem­po­rary reconfiguration of two se­curi­ty check­points in the tick­et­ing lob­by of Ter­mi­nal 1, also known as the Lind­bergh ter­mi­nal. The new sys­tem prompted by a con­struc­tion pro­ject has cre­at­ed long lines, con­fu­sion and out­rage a­mong pas­sen­gers this week.

But Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Sen. Tina Smith, both D-Minn., said the con­struc­tion ex­ac­er­bat­es an al­read­y fes­ter­ing problem: TSA staff­ing has not kept up with the growth of pas­sen­gers fly­ing from MSP.

View the complete August 22 article by Janet Moore on The Star Tribune website here.

Smith hears about rural health challenges

“I thought I could get more answers here than in Washington,” U.S. Sen. Tina Smith told a group Thursday meeting at Rainy Lake Medical Center about rural health care challenges.

Smith’s visit to Borderland included a rural economy tour of the community in the morning, as well as a boat tour of Voyageurs National Park and its restoration projects.

Top on Smith’s list of concerns about rural health care challenges is maternal and obstetrics, which she said in some rural settings forces families to travel more than 100 miles for care.

View the complete August 20 article by Laurel Beager on The International Falls Journal website here.

Statement from DFL Chair Ken Martin on Jason Lewis

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Today, DFL Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement after President Trump’s hand-picked Republican Senate candidate Jason Lewis—who Minnesotans in the 2nd Congressional District voted out last November—announced that he was running for the U.S. Senate in 2020:

“Jason Lewis spent his time in Washington repeatedly siding with powerful special interests over Minnesotans—voting to gut protections for people with pre-existing conditions and to give tax breaks and giveaways to big corporations like prescription drug companies, big oil and Wall Street. Jason Lewis may want to continue fighting for special interests and big corporations, but Minnesota voters will reject this failed attempt at a second act.” Continue reading “Statement from DFL Chair Ken Martin on Jason Lewis”