{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where party = \"Democrat\", state = \"MN\" and year = 2026 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=B40048DE-E56A-4FB3-A6A3-BE68BFFAB11B", "Klobuchar, Crapo Reauthorization for Young Women\u2019s Breast Cancer Awareness Program Passes Senate", "2026-09-29", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "Since early detection of cancer is vital, the EARLY Act seeks to educate young women about breast cancer risk and prevention\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) released the following statements after the Senate passed their bipartisan Young Women\u2019s Breast Health Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young (EARLY) Reauthorization Act of 2026. About 16 percent of all new cases of breast cancer in the United States are in women younger than 50, who tend to have more aggressive cases of the disease and are often diagnosed at later stages. The Senate bill now heads to the House of Representatives.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve come so far in the fight against breast cancer, but there is more we must do to ensure that all women \u2014 and especially women who are under the age of 45 and at high-risk \u2014 have the information and support they need to detect this deadly disease early on,\u201d Klobuchar said. \u201cOur bipartisan bill will help continue the important work of elevating breast cancer awareness while supporting critical research so that one day we can finally eradicate breast cancer.\u201d\n\n\u201cEarly detection and preventive care are critical to saving lives, improving treatment outcomes and reducing health care costs,\u201d said Crapo. \u201cThe EARLY Act strengthens important education and awareness efforts that help women understand their risks and seek care sooner, giving more families the opportunity for better outcomes and more time with their loved ones.\u201d\n\n\u201cEarly detection remains one of the most powerful tools we have to reduce the burden of breast cancer. Senate passage of the EARLY Act brings this critical legislation closer to becoming law and helps ensure that young women with \u2014or at risk of developing\u2014 breast cancer continue to have access to potentially lifesaving education, support and resources,\u201d said Lisa Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). \u201cACS CAN is especially grateful to Senators Amy Klobuchar and Mike Crapo for their bipartisan leadership and commitment to advancing this bill. Reauthorizing the EARLY Act will address the unique challenges young patients face as it strengthens efforts to raise awareness, promote early detection and improve outcomes.\u201d\n\nThe bill reauthorizes the federal Bring Your Brave campaign to educate women younger than 45 about breast cancer through real stories, encourage them to learn their family health history, and take action to lower their risk of breast cancer. To date, Bring Your Brave has had over 231 million social media impressions, 12.4 million video views, and 2 million social engagements, and has driven over 2.9 million people to the Bring Your Brave website.\n\nThe program also helps to create support systems by connecting breast cancer survivors with young women who are at high-risk for breast cancer or who have already been diagnosed. The program has led to increased training and education of family medicine health care providers, specifically in managing the care of patients with a higher risk of hereditary cancer.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-30T10:57:52Z", "2026-09-30T10:59:04Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smiths-bipartisan-bill-to-extend-terrorism-risk-insurance-support-housing-construction-passes-the-senate-unanimously/", "U.S. Senator Tina Smith\u2019s Bipartisan Bill to Extend Terrorism Risk Insurance, Support Housing Construction Passes the Senate Unanimously", "2026-09-29", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "Roughly 60 percent of American businesses have terrorism risk insurance, which is critical to major construction projects\n\nWASHINGTON, DC \u2013 U.S. Senator Tina Smith\u2019s bipartisan legislation to safeguard the availability of terrorism risk insurance coverage passed the full Senate by a unanimous vote. Roughly 60 percent of American businesses have terrorism risk insurance, which could become unavailable without further action by Congress. Sen. Smith (D-MN) led the bipartisan Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2026 alongside Senators Dave McCormick (R-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Thom Tillis (R-NC).\n\nFollowing the attacks on September 11, 2001, many insurance companies started excluding terrorism risks from commercial insurance policies, leaving businesses and industries without access to coverage. Since insurance is a precondition for commercial lending and real estate transactions, this gap in coverage threatened broad economic damage across real estate, construction, energy, transportation and related industries. Congress responded by passing the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (TRIA), creating a federal reinsurance backstop to stabilize the private market and ensure that commercial policyholders could continue to obtain terrorism risk coverage.\n\nThe private insurance market has relied on the TRIA backstop ever since. When TRIA briefly lapsed in December 2014, terrorism exclusions that insurers had pre-filed with state regulators took effect automatically, making terrorism coverage effectively unavailable across commercial policies nationwide. As a result, terrorism risk coverage was removed from policyholders immediately and without notice. Given that the current threat landscape remains elevated, allowing a similar lapse in terrorism coverage would expose policy holders to unnecessary financial risk and uncertainty.\n\n\u201cWithout this bill, a potential terrorism event would mean an even greater financial catastrophe for businesses and taxpayers. It\u2019s critical that we keep terrorism risk insurance available and affordable to businesses in Minnesota and across the country,\u201d said Sen. Smith. \u201cExtending this law will ensure housing development and major public events like Vikings games can continue. I\u2019m heartened to see it pass with such strong bipartisan support and urge the House to pass this bill.\u201d\n\nThe Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2026 would extend TRIA by seven years. Acting before the program expiration date of December 31, 2027, provides long-term market certainty and would prevent policyholders from facing a gap in coverage.\n\nThe Terrorism Risk Insurance Act is also backed by:\n\nNational Football League (NFL)\n\nMajor League Baseball (MLB)\n\nNational Association of Home Builders\n\nNational Multifamily Housing Council\n\nAmerican Council of Engineering Companies\n\nU.S. Chamber of Commerce\n\nAmerican Hotel and Lodging Association\n\nAmerican Public Power Association\n\nIndependent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America\n\nThe American Property Casualty Insurance Association\n\nNational Association of Mutual Insurance Companies\n\nReinsurance Association of America\n\nCoalition to Insure Against Terrorism\n\nNareit\n\nReal Estate Roundtable\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-30T10:57:52Z", "2026-09-30T10:59:04Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=481DBCA8-D8C1-45AC-B3CB-A040AAE732DD", "Klobuchar, Cassidy, McBath, Thompson Introduce National Hazing Awareness Week Resolution", "2026-09-25", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) introduced a resolution to recognize this week, September 21st through the 25th, as \u201cNational Hazing Awareness Week.\u201d The resolution recognizes the hundreds of students who have died or suffered severe, life-altering injuries as a result of collegiate hazing and promotes efforts to prevent hazing. In the House of Representatives, the resolution is led by Representatives Lucy McBath (D-GA) and Glenn \u201cGT\u201d Thompson (R-PA).\n\n\u201cWhen parents send their kids away to college, they expect they will get a good education and make new friends. They don\u2019t expect them to be harassed and hazed. Hazing is a dangerous \u2014 and at times deadly \u2014 reality that students are confronted with,\u201d said Sen. Klobuchar. \u201cWith this resolution, we honor the students who have died or been severely injured due to hazing and promote preventive efforts. This goes hand in hand with our bipartisan Stop Campus Hazing Act, which is improving hazing reporting and prevention on college campuses.\u201d\n\n\u201cStudents should not have to fear getting physically or emotionally harmed while they are simply trying to find community at college,\u201d said Dr. Cassidy. \u201cThanks to the tireless work of the Gruver family and other advocates, we passed the Stop Campus Hazing Act last Congress to increase accountability and ensure hazing is never ignored.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have been honored to work with families and advocates to pass legislation to end campus hazing. I know what it's like to lose a loved one, and no parent should ever have to bury their child,\u201d said Rep. McBath. \u201cI\u2019m glad to lead efforts once again to spread awareness about the pain of these incidents and am grateful to my colleagues for their continued commitment to protecting our students.\u201d\n\n\u201cHazing has left countless students with life-altering injuries, and too many families have had to endure the loss of a loved one. I am pleased to introduce this bipartisan resolution to bring awareness, accountability, and transparency to campuses in an effort to help protect students from hazing,\u201d Rep. Thompson said.\n\nIn 2024, Klobuchar and Cassidy\u2019s Stop Campus Hazing Act to improve the reporting and prevention of hazing on college campuses was signed into law. The bipartisan legislation requires colleges to include hazing incidents in their annual campus safety report and establish a campus-wide, research-based program to educate students about the dangers of hazing. In addition, the bill increases transparency and accountability by providing parents and students with better information about a student organization\u2019s history of hazing incidents.\n\nThe first annual security reports to include hazing are required to be published by October 1 of this year. According to a recent analysis by HazingInfo, more than 500 hazing incidents have been recorded across more than 1,400 colleges during the 2025-2026 academic year, the first year that colleges were federally required to publish Campus Hazing Transparency Report on their websites.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-26T09:43:57Z", "2026-09-26T09:44:55Z"], ["https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-craig-cosponsors-bipartisan-legislation-reform-americas-immigration-system", "Rep. Craig Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Reform America\u2019s Immigration System, Hold ICE Accountable", "2026-09-24", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Angie Craig", "C001119", "craig.house.gov", "craig", "https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "EAGAN, MN \u2013 Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig officially cosponsored bipartisan legislation that would make meaningful reforms to our country\u2019s broken immigration system.\n\nThe DIGNITY Act would grant legal status and protections to certain undocumented immigrants, reform the asylum screening process to provide legal options for asylum seekers, invest in border security and modernize ports of entry, create new regional processing centers for asylum seekers, mandate accountability for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and provide a pathway to citizenship for our country\u2019s Dreamers.\n\nThe DIGNITY Act was originally introduced by Reps. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) and Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL).\n\n\u201cAmerica is a country of immigrants, yet for too long, our broken immigration system has made it too hard for folks who come to this country looking for a better life to stay here,\u201d said Rep. Craig. \u201cIt\u2019s time to create a humane immigration system that actually works and provide a pathway to legal status for those who work, pay taxes and contribute to our economy. I\u2019m proud to support this critical bill, which makes meaningful reforms to our immigration system without compromising our communities\u2019 safety and security. It\u2019s a win-win\u201d\n\nRep. Craig has always advocated for a legal pathway to citizenship for our nation\u2019s Dreamers and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. She has repeatedly cosponsored the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act, which would provide a pathway to citizenship to Dreamers, recipients of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) beneficiaries. She is also a cosponsor of the America\u2019s Children Act, which would provide a pathway to legal permanent residency for individuals who were brought to the U.S.as children and have since graduated from an institution of higher education.\n\nRep. Craig has also been a fervent defender of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program in the face of President Trump\u2019s repeated attacks on TPS holders.\n\nIn July, she introduced the Temporary Protected Status Review Act, which would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to follow a clear, evidence-based process before terminating TPS and allow Congress to reverse TPS terminations under the Congressional Review Act.\n\nYou can read the full text of the DIGNITY Act here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-25T10:04:52Z", "2026-09-25T10:05:46Z"], ["https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-mccollum-senator-tina-smith-secure-funding-local-water", "Congresswoman McCollum, Senator Tina Smith Secure Funding for Local Water Infrastructure", "2026-09-24", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Betty McCollum", "M001143", "mccollum.house.gov", "mccollum", "https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "On Thursday, the EPA awarded $1,092,000 to the City of Gem Lake. Congresswoman McCollum and Senator Tina Smith secured the funding for the Municipal Water Supply Community Project through the FY 2026 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Following the grant award, Congresswoman McCollum released the following statement:\n\n\u201cIn the East Metro, we understand just how vital safe drinking water is to the health of our community,\u201d Congresswoman McCollum said. \u201cThis federal investment will help protect the health of Gem Lake residents by providing them with safe drinking water.\u201d\n\n\u201cClean drinking water should be a basic standard in this country,\u201d said Senator Tina Smith. \u201cGem Lake citizens have been rightfully concerned about carcinogens in their water supply, and this new system will give residents some peace of mind. I\u2019m glad Rep. McCollum and I were able to secure this funding.\u201d\n\n\u201cBetty McCollum\u2019s office was instrumental in helping us in all phases of grant application and processing. We are very grateful for the help and on-going professionalism\u201d Gem Lake Mayor\n\nThis funding would be used for the construction phase of a new water supply system to provide safe drinking water to residents. In FY 2024, Congresswoman McCollum secured $959,757 which was used to fund the design of the new water supply system.\n\nSampling performed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) detected 1,4-dioxane, a likely human carcinogen, in several private wells in Gem Lake. While the cause of the contamination has not been narrowed to one source, the residents of Gem Lake are not responsible for it, nor did they contribute to the issue. The MPCA has been providing residents with bottled water, a short-term solution.", 1, "2026-09-25T10:04:52Z", "2026-09-25T10:05:46Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=BE5FFB1E-2C0E-417C-9A78-1590F9B88CFA", "On Senate Floor, Klobuchar Continues to Press the President to End the Iran War", "2026-09-24", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WATCH KLOBUCHAR\u2019S FULL REMARKS HERE\n\nWASHINGTON \u2014 On the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) delivered remarks once again pressing President Trump to end the war in Iran. This is the 13th resolution that Klobuchar has voted for to end the war.\n\nSenator Klobuchar: Mr. President, I rise today to urge the Senate to assert its constitutional authority and to demand accountability for the grave costs that service members, our families, and the American people have shouldered because of the President's war in Iran.\n\nAfter more than six months\u2013six months\u2013it is clear that the President had no plan when the war started, and has no plan for how to end it.\n\nTo be clear, Iran is a terrorist state and should never have a nuclear weapon. And the regime's aggression in the region and repression of Iranian citizens must end.\n\nThat's why I've long supported sanctions against Iran, as well as the Iran nuclear agreement negotiated by President Obama and our allies. And I oppose President Trump's decision to take us out of that agreement.\n\nOur ultimate goal must be peace in the region. But more than six months into this conflict, American service members have been killed, including my constituent, Master Sergeant Nicole Amor, who was among those killed by an Iranian strike on a U.S. facility in Kuwait on March 1st. Innocent civilians across the region have also been killed, and the costs keep mounting.\n\nBeyond the toll on human life, the cost of the war to taxpayers is staggering. The Pentagon recently estimated that it has already spent $42 billion dollars on this unauthorized war so far. $42 billion. This is money that could be used to expand child care or to restore healthcare premium tax credits to help millions of Americans who have seen their premiums, healthcare premiums double or triple this year, or how about the 8 million people who just this last year have given up coverage entirely? That $40 billion that could have extended the tax credits to help people afford their insurance premiums for over a year, and now the president is asking for $70 billion more. That's two more years of those tax credits.\n\nAs a result of this war, American families continue to face spiking gas prices, costing consumers more than $800 per family in higher gas and diesel costs. American people, outside of what I just outlined-that the Pentagon has spent of their taxpayer money-have spent over $100 billion on this war in higher prices.\n\nIn Minnesota, gas prices are up more than $1.50 since the day before the war started. Diesel prices, right as farmers are going to harvest have doubled across the country. These higher fuel prices also make trucking, in addition to farming and freight, more expensive, hitting families and small businesses over and over again when you add to that the tariffs.\n\nThat is why Congress must step up and assert our authority under the Constitution. Congress did not authorize this war, and more than six months in, Congress still has not authorized this war. Six months in.\n\nAnd our colleagues on the other side of the aisle keep just giving up their authority. Why even come here? Why even take this job if you're going to just let one president run over you and be able to make his own calls and just say, \"Hey, we're going to a war. It's going to cost the American people over $100 billion. It's going to spike up prices across the country. Innocent people are going to be killed, and then we're going to lose soldiers at the same time.\u201d\n\nIn fact, both houses of Congress have passed resolutions to stop this unauthorized war. I have voted a dozen times to stop this war unless Congress passes an authorization, and I will continue to vote that way until Congress restores its role in decisions of war and peace.\n\nThe American people are asking what this war has accomplished. Are we closer to a strong and stricter agreement to curtail Iran's nuclear ambitions? The answer is no. Are we now dealing with Iranian leaders who are less hardline? The answer is no. Have we preserved open shipping routes that are so important for trade? Answer no.\n\nIt's time for the president to end this war. It's time to work to bring costs down for the American people and foster lasting peace in the region. This is our moment. I yield the floor.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-25T10:04:52Z", "2026-09-25T10:05:46Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smith-mn-housing-organizations-unveil-new-legislation-to-build-more-homeless-shelters-upgrade-aging-shelters-and-permanent-supportive-housing/", "U.S. Senator Tina Smith, MN Housing Organizations Unveil New Legislation to Build More Homeless Shelters, Upgrade Aging Shelters and Permanent Supportive Housing", "2026-09-24", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "In Minnesota, more than 6,500 people stay in shelters every night, with many shelters operating at or near capacity\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) unveiled new legislation to help more people find a warm and safe place to sleep by increasing the capacity of homeless shelters and permanent supportive housing across the nation, while making critical repairs and upgrades to aging shelters and permanent supportive housing buildings. The Building and Maintaining Homeless Shelters Act would provide $1.5 billion in much-needed federal support over the course of five years. More than 8,300 people experience homelessness on a daily basis in Minnesota, and around 1,800 people can\u2019t find any shelter and are often forced to sleep outside.\n\n\u201cHomeless shelters and permanent supportive housing providers are being asked to do more with less at a time when homelessness is on the rise in big cities and small towns. It\u2019s not sustainable, and it\u2019s past time the federal government stepped in,\u201d said Sen. Smith. \u201cThis new legislation would increase funding for communities to build new shelters that meet their citizens\u2019 needs while also providing major upgrades to aging shelters. It would mean fewer people on the street and connecting more people to resources to find a place to call home.\u201d\n\n\u201cAddressing homelessness requires a full continuum of care, but services cannot succeed without adequate physical infrastructure. Minnesotans navigating homelessness know all too well the exhaustion of a system lacking physical capacity, for both shelter and Permanent Supportive Housing, the long-term solution that actually ends homelessness,\u201d said the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless. \u201cSenator Tina Smith\u2019s Building and Maintaining Homeless Shelters Act delivers the capital support that shelter and housing providers desperately need to acquire properties, repair aging facilities, and build new permanent supportive housing units. This bill directly transforms the experience of those navigating housing loss by turning immediate crisis response into lasting stability and creates a real, permanent path home.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Minnesota Tribal Collaborative enthusiastically supports the Building and Maintaining Homeless Shelters Act. This bill would address some of the funding gaps that tribal nations experience when trying to provide a continuum of housing and services to our communities,\u201d said Christina Olsen with Minnesota Tribal Collaborative, which consists of 10 Tribal Nations working to prevent and end homelessness for American Indians in Minnesota. \u201cAmerican Indians are 30 times more likely to experience homelessness than non-Hispanic white persons. These racial disparities can be traced back to the historic trauma caused by the U. S. government\u2019s policies on American Indians. This bill starts to address these historical wrongs and will ensure that future generations of American Indians do not experience homelessness and instead thrive.\u201d\n\nNationally, more than 700,000 people experience homelessness. Last year, around 415,000 people stayed in emergency shelters and hundreds of thousands of Americans used permanent supportive housing to prevent homelessness. The Building and Maintaining Homeless Shelters Act will create a new grant program to help cities and towns respond to homelessness. These grant dollars could be put toward:\n\nPurchasing property to be used for a new shelter or permanent supportive housing.\n\nRehabilitating aging shelters and making critical maintenance repairs to shelters and permanent supportive housing such as replacing old HVAC systems, repairing windows, replacing roofs and exterior modifications to improve safety and accessibility.\n\nAddressing other physical infrastructure needs to expand homelessness response capacity such as mobile health clinics, day centers, rapid rehousing and safe parking programs where people can legally sleep in their vehicles in monitored parking lots.\n\nConverting commercial buildings like hotels or motels into shelters or permanent supportive housing.\n\nSen. Smith has long been a strong advocate for solutions to homelessness as the top Democrat on the Senate Housing Subcommittee. She introduced the first bipartisan homelessness response legislation in decades, the Reducing Homelessness Through Program Reform Act, to cut red tape and create local solutions for addressing homelessness. She also introduced the Housing for All Veterans Act, legislation to permanently end veteran homelessness.\n\nSen. Smith also led her colleagues in condemning the \u201charmful and potentially illegal\u201d changes to a program that helps people who previously experienced homelessness find more stable and permanent homes. The changes were specifically targeted at the Continuum of Care (CoC) and CoC Builds programs, which help keep 3,600 Minnesotans off the streets.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-25T10:04:52Z", "2026-09-25T10:05:46Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smith-reintroduces-bill-to-help-college-students-facing-emergencies-afford-to-stay-in-school/", "U.S. Senator Tina Smith Reintroduces Bill to Help College Students Facing Emergencies Afford to Stay in School", "2026-09-24", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "Legislation would provide emergency funds as students face record high college costs\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) has reintroduced legislation to help college students afford to stay in school when faced with unexpected financial emergencies. The Emergency Grant Aid for College Students Act comes as students face record high college costs, while the Trump Administration works to dismantle the Department of Education and limit federal borrowing amounts for undergraduate and professional students.\n\n\u201cPaying for college is a precarious balancing act for many students, and that\u2019s when everything is going \u2018right,\u2019\u201d said Sen. Smith. \u201cThis bill would help provide financial stability for students facing a death in the family, steep medical bills, or any number of unexpected emergencies that too often force them to drop out of school and give up on their dreams, ultimately hurting our economy.\u201d\n\nFor students already balancing tuition, housing, groceries and transportation alongside work and classes, a car repair, medical bill or death in the family can put their education at risk. The Emergency Grant Aid for College Students Act would help colleges and universities provide emergency grants to help students manage these unexpected expenses and continue their education without taking on additional debt. Unlike student loans, the grants would not need to be repaid. The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Joe Morelle (D-NY 25).\n\n\u201cEvery student deserves the opportunity to pursue higher education and achieve their personal and professional goals,\u201d said Congressman Morelle. \u201cUnfortunately, unexpected financial emergencies like a vehicle breaking down or the sudden loss of a job can derail years of dedicated work, preventing young people from completing their coursework or even causing them to drop out. That\u2019s not right\u2014which is why I am proud to partner with Senator Smith to introduce this important legislation and ensure students have the support and resources necessary to reach their full potential.\u201d\n\nA law signed by President Trump capped loan amounts for parents and graduate students, with limited exceptions for continuing borrowers. Those changes took effect July 1, 2026. Since taking office in January 2025, Trump has worked to destroy the Department of Education and has made it more difficult to navigate the repayment of federal student loans.\n\nSen. Smith\u2019s legislation is supported by two leading student advocacy organizations, uAspire and the Today Students Coalition.\n\n\u201cuAspire provides financial aid advising to low-income students, and so we see how unexpected costs can derail a college semester and jeopardize a degree. We applaud Senator Smith and Representative Morelle for leading with the Emergency Grant Aid for College Act to ensure campuses can support students with unexpected costs such as medical bills or a necessary car repair,\u201d said uAspire in a statement.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re thankful to Senator Smith for leading the way on this important bill,\u201d said Tanya Ang, executive director of Today\u2019s Students Coalition. \u201cHigher education is one of the greatest paths to economic mobility, but unexpected events such as a car repair, a high utility bill, or a sick child can force students to withdraw before they finish. Emergency aid grants have proven time and again that they boost retention and help students finish what they started.\u201d\n\nYou can read a summary of the bill here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-25T10:04:52Z", "2026-09-25T10:05:46Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=576351D8-A154-49DD-BF2E-4872085053F3", "Klobuchar, Smith Push the Trump Administration to Release Heating Assistance Funds Before Winter", "2026-09-24", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "More than 100,000 Minnesota households relied on federal energy assistance last winter\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN), along with several colleagues, are leading a bipartisan push for the federal government to release energy assistance funding as quickly as possible, helping families stay safe and warm as our weather cools and energy costs spike.\n\nMore than 100,000 Minnesota households relied on the Low-Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) last winter. Nationwide, an estimated 6 million households received assistance with heating and cooling costs through LIHEAP over the last year. Demand for assistance is expected to increase as the average family will likely spend around $1,030 to heat their homes this winter, an 8.7% increase from last year. Heating oil costs are projected to soar by 31% this winter.\n\n\u201cIn Minnesota, heating your home isn\u2019t a luxury, it's a necessity,\u201d said Sen. Klobuchar. \u201cWith colder weather on the horizon, families shouldn't have to choose between staying warm and putting food on the table.\u201d\n\n\u201cMother Nature doesn\u2019t play politics, and we shouldn\u2019t either,\u201d said Sen. Smith. \u201cNo one in Minnesota or across the country should have to choose between turning on the heat or paying for their medications or groceries.\u201d\n\nSens. Klobuchar and Smith, along with 27 of their colleagues from both parties, sent a letter requesting the Department of Health and Human Services release the roughly $4 billion in federal LIHEAP funds before winter home-heating bills arrive.\n\nLast year, President Trump fired staff working to deliver LIHEAP benefits, slowing the process of paying the bills on time. The President proposed eliminating LIHEAP altogether in fiscal year 2027, until Sens. Klobuchar, Smith and colleagues pushed back and successfully prevented LIHEAP from being dismantled.\n\nSenators involved in the bipartisan push in addition to Sens. Klobuchar and Smith include Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Jack Reed (D-RI), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Angus King, Jr. (I-ME), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mark Warner (D-VA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-NM), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NM), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Gary Peters (D-MI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Ron Wyden (D-OR)\n\nFull text of the letter is below:\n\nDear Secretary Kennedy:\n\nAs you know, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act for Fiscal Year 2027 (P.L. 119-103) requires the Department of Health and Human Services to distribute no less than 90 percent of its total LIHEAP allotment by November 1, 2026. Given the extraordinary pressure consumers will face this winter, we ask that you make this distribution well before the deadline.\n\nOctober marks the start of the heating season for many states, and with temperatures already dropping, low-income families and seniors are feeling additional strains on their household budgets. As the main federal program benefiting these individuals with their energy bills, LIHEAP provides critical assistance to vulnerable families and seniors during the cold winter and hot summer months. State agencies and tribes are already activating their LIHEAP programs for the coming winter. A quick release of funding will ensure no gaps in assistance.\n\nWe look forward to working with you on this critical program. Thank you for your attention to our concerns and those of our constituents.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-30T10:57:52Z", "2026-09-30T10:59:04Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senators-amy-klobuchar-tina-smith-push-the-trump-administration-to-release-heating-assistance-funds-before-winter/", "U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Push the Trump Administration to Release Heating Assistance Funds Before Winter", "2026-09-23", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "More than 100,000 Minnesota households relied on federal energy assistance last winter\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith (both D-MN) and several colleagues are leading a bipartisan push for the federal government to release energy assistance funding as quickly as possible, helping families stay safe and warm as our weather cools and energy costs spike. More than 100,000 Minnesota households relied on the Low-Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) last winter. Nationwide, an estimated 6 million households received assistance with heating and cooling costs through LIHEAP over the last year. Demand for assistance is expected to increase as the average family will likely spend around $1,030 to heat their homes this winter, an 8.7% increase from last year. Heating oil costs are projected to soar by 31% this winter.\n\n\u201cIn Minnesota, heating your home isn\u2019t a luxury, it\u2019s a necessity,\u201d said Sen. Klobuchar. \u201cWith colder weather on the horizon, families shouldn\u2019t have to choose between staying warm and putting food on the table.\u201d\n\n\u201cMother Nature doesn\u2019t play politics, and we shouldn\u2019t either,\u201d said Sen. Smith. \u201cNo one in Minnesota or across the country should have to choose between turning on the heat or paying for their medications or groceries.\u201d\n\nSens. Klobuchar and Smith, along with 27 of their colleagues from both parties, sent a letter requesting the Department of Health and Human Services release the roughly $4 billion in federal LIHEAP funds before winter home-heating bills arrive. Last year, President Trump fired staff working to deliver LIHEAP benefits, slowing the process of paying the bills on time. The President proposed eliminating LIHEAP altogether in fiscal year 2027, until Sens. Klobuchar, Smith and colleagues pushed back and successfully prevented LIHEAP from being dismantled.\n\nSenators involved in the bipartisan push in addition to Sens. Klobuchar and Smith include Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Jack Reed (D-RI), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Angus King, Jr. (I-ME), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mark Warner (D-VA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-NM), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NM), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Gary Peters (D-MI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Ron Wyden (D-OR)\n\nFull text of the letter is below:\n\nDear Secretary Kennedy:\n\nAs you know, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act for Fiscal Year 2027 (P.L. 119-103) requires the Department of Health and Human Services to distribute no less than 90 percent of its total LIHEAP allotment by November 1, 2026. Given the extraordinary pressure consumers will face this winter, we ask that you make this distribution well before the deadline.\n\nOctober marks the start of the heating season for many states, and with temperatures already dropping, low-income families and seniors are feeling additional strains on their household budgets. As the main federal program benefiting these individuals with their energy bills, LIHEAP provides critical assistance to vulnerable families and seniors during the cold winter and hot summer months. State agencies and tribes are already activating their LIHEAP programs for the coming winter. A quick release of funding will ensure no gaps in assistance.\n\nWe look forward to working with you on this critical program. Thank you for your attention to our concerns and those of our constituents.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-24T09:44:48Z", "2026-09-24T09:45:52Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=5A2B0515-EB07-44C2-B493-2F011116A67D", "Klobuchar Receives Rural Electric Co-op Distinguished Service Award", "2026-09-22", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "Sen. Amy Klobuchar receives the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association\u2019s (NRECA) 2026 Distinguished Service Award from NRECA CEO Jim Matheson\n\nMINNESOTA \u2013 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) was awarded the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association\u2019s (NRECA) 2026 Distinguished Service Award for championing electric cooperatives and the communities they serve. Klobuchar was nominated for the award by co-op leaders, including directors of the Minnesota Rural Electric Association (MREA). Klobuchar is the only Member of Congress to receive the award for the coming year.\n\n\u201cElectric co-ops connect the farmers who feed our country, keep the lights on at our schools, hospitals, and small businesses, and power our communities,\u201d said Klobuchar. \u201cWhen I visit all 87 Minnesota counties each year, meetings with the local electric co-ops are always some of my favorite stops. As their partner in Washington, I\u2019m focused on making sure co-ops have the support they need \u2014 especially now as global instability in energy markets increases, demand is up, and people across the country are facing higher electricity costs.\u201d\n\n\u201cOver your distinguished Senate career, you have consistently fought for policies of critical importance to America\u2019s electric cooperatives,\u201d NRECA CEO Jim Matheson wrote in a letter to Klobuchar. Matheson said the award is, \u201creserved for those who, over time, demonstrate repeated support for the 42 million Americans who belong to electric cooperatives.\u201d\n\n\u201cSenator Klobuchar has consistently demonstrated that she is a champion for the cooperative model, working to adopt balanced legislation that ensures the interests of rural members are upheld while enhancing the reliability of the electric grid,\u201d Minnesota Rural Electric Association (MREA) board chair Wesley Waller wrote in a letter to NRECA President Mike Partin. \u201cSenator Klobuchar has been a national leader in ensuring cooperatives are eligible for and receive grants supporting their energy transition efforts. She knows cooperatives and engages in work to ensure they compete on a level playing field.\u201d\n\nKlobuchar has long led efforts to support rural electric cooperatives and the communities they serve, as well as to support rural broadband and bridge the digital divide.\n\nKlobuchar has advocated for the release of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds to help families with home energy costs.\n\nKlobuchar\u2019s Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act was incorporated into the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and is delivering significant federal funding to Minnesota for expanding high-speed internet access statewide.\n\nAs a member of the bipartisan, bicameral Universal Service Fund Working Group, Klobuchar is working to update USF programs, like the High-Cost Program, to ensure they continue to support rural co-ops.\n\nKlobuchar has championed programs such as the Rural Utilities Service Electric Infrastructure Financing for rural infrastructure improvements and ReConnect for rural broadband deployment.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-23T09:45:16Z", "2026-09-23T09:46:14Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smith-hears-from-renee-goods-family-members-and-firsthand-witness-of-alex-prettis-killing-in-public-testimony-to-congress/", "U.S. Senator Tina Smith Hears\u00a0from\u00a0Renee Good\u2019s Family Members and Firsthand Witness of Alex Pretti\u2019s Killing in Public Testimony to Congress", "2026-09-22", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "\u201cWe all want our law enforcement officers to perform at the highest standards, but when they don\u2019t, it shouldn\u2019t matter who their employer is. There should be a path to justice for those they harm,\u201d said Brent Ganger, brother of Renee Good.\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) heard testimony from three witnesses regarding the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during Operation Metro Surge. Witnesses included the mother and brother of Renee Good, Donna and Brent Ganger, and the bystander who recorded the killing of Alex Pretti, Stella Carlson. Their testimony was part of a spotlight forum on fatal shootings at the hands of immigration agents.\n\n\u201cI want to particularly thank the Ganger family, Donna and Brent, and Stella, who was here in many ways, speaking for all of us from Minnesota,\u201dsaid Senator Smith. \u201cHow do you move forward when there hasn\u2019t been accountability for these crimes, and when there isn\u2019t some sense that these agents going forward are going to be held accountable? Accountability and a free and fair investigation might be partisan issues inside this building, they are not partisan issues out in the country.\u201d\n\n\u201cI want to express my deepest condolences to all of the other families here today. I know the pain you are in, the frustration and helplessness\u2026 but also the HOPE that America can still do the right thing on behalf of our loved ones. I am here alongside my oldest son, Brent, on behalf of our large family. Members of Congress, we need your help,\u201d said Donna Ganger, mother of Renee Good, in written testimony. \u201cOur family is deeply grateful for the outpouring of love and support from the community in Minneapolis, from people across the country and around the world. The prayers and words of support have truly brought us comfort. It is meaningful that these sentiments have come from people of all colors, faiths and ideals. That is a perfect reflection of Renee. But thoughts and prayers are not enough. We need action. We need accountability. We need this never, ever to happen again and destroy another family or another community.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019ve heard from my mother that she is a Republican, and that I consider myself moderate. We have other family members who lean more to the left. I speak to all members of Congress\u2026 including those who chose not to attend today but who I hope are listening. Our family proves that even in the darkest of times, we can and should stay united. We expect nothing less from the leaders in this country and in Congress,\u201d said Brent Ganger, brother of Renee Good, in written testimony. \u201cWe all want our law enforcement officers to perform at the highest standards, but when they don\u2019t, it shouldn\u2019t matter who their employer is. There should be a path to justice for those they harm.\u201d\n\n\u201cOn the morning of Saturday, January 24, I was getting ready to go to work in Minneapolis. I was supposed to be at a church community gathering, face painting children for three hours. And then I heard the whistles,\u201d said Stella Carlson, the bystander who recorded the killing of Alex Pretti, in written testimony. \u201cThe truth does not become less true because someone with great power tells a louder lie. Although I was terrified, in that moment, I knew that I had to keep recording and to bear witness. I knew that I could not look away. And so have so many other people in my community throughout Metro Surge and sadly in a growing list of places from California and Illinois to Texas and Maine and beyond.\u201d\n\nYou can watch and download Brent and Donna Ganger\u2019s testimony here.\n\nYou can watch and download Stella Carlson\u2019s testimony here.\n\nYou can watch and download Senator Smith\u2019s questioning here.\n\nOn January 7, 2026, an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year old mother, who was in her car on Portland Avenue South in Minneapolis. For six months following the shootings, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Department of Justice (DOJ) prevented state and local law enforcement from investigating both shootings. Prominent members of the Trump Administration, including then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, falsely described Ms. Good\u2019s actions as domestic terrorism. There has been no reported material progress on these federal investigations.\n\nOn January 24, 2026, Customs and Border Patrol agents fatally shot Alex Pretti on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis. Pretti was shot at least 10 times. Ms. Carlson\u2019s video is a key piece of evidence in refuting the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s account of the shooting, where they described Pretti as a domestic terrorist.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-23T09:45:16Z", "2026-09-23T09:46:14Z"], ["https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases/icymi-rep-omar-speaks-oversight-and-government-reform-hearing-dhss-fatal", "ICYMI: Rep. Omar Speaks in Oversight and Government Reform Hearing on DHS's Fatal Shootings", "2026-09-22", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Ilhan Omar", "O000173", "omar.house.gov", "omar", "https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 Today, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) spoke in a hearing hosted by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations titled \u201cOur Values at Stake (Part V): Deaths, Deception, and a Failure of Accountability at DHS.\u201d Donna and Brent Ganger, mother and brother of Ren\u00e9e Good, and Stella Carlson, eyewitness to the murder of Alex Pretti, joined the Committees as witnesses. Rep. Omar questioned them on the aftermath of the fatal shootings by immigration officers in Minnesota, and across the country. She also asked them about the communities' needs as they seek justice for those murdered by DHS agents. You can watch the full video here. Below is a transcript of her opening remarks:\n\n\"For those who know me, I'm not known for being an emotional person, but representing Minnesota, representing the epicenter of where Operation Metro Surge took place, having two of my constituents assassinated in broad daylight - it was the most emotional I've ever been in my entire life.\n\n\"And, you know, even the last two hearings that I've participated in, even today, I had to walk out a few times because it is hard to hear people account for losing their daughter, for losing their son, for losing their father, for losing their neighbor, for losing a young dad -I was around his age when when my first daughter was around his daughter's age.\n\n\"And to know that it all happened in the hands of your own government. And for those of us who, like Rep. Garcia talked about, who are immigrants in this country, who fled countries where people are routinely killed in the hands of their government - and as Representative Crockett said, you know, we come to the United States as the land of free, the land of laws, there is an incredible constitution we all celebrate and take an oath to, not just when we become citizens, but when we do, end up serving that country to give back because we are enormously grateful for it - that you just never think that this country is going to be a country where its own government kills its own citizens and residents.\n\n\"And then that government turns around and continues this sort of insane thing that, you know, happens in other countries, where that government creates this propaganda to say that the victims somehow were responsible for their assassination. That they somehow invited their government to publicly execute them.\"\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-24T10:30:22Z", "2026-09-24T10:31:42Z"], ["https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-craig-omar-introduce-legislation-reimburse-minnesota-and-other-states", "Reps. Craig, Omar Introduce Legislation to Reimburse Minnesota and Other States for Damages Inflicted by ICE", "2026-09-17", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Angie Craig", "C001119", "craig.house.gov", "craig", "https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, U.S. Representatives Angie Craig (MN-02) and Ilhan Omar (MN-05) introduced legislation that would establish a federal grant program to reimburse states for costs incurred and damages caused by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Make ICE Pay Act would direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish this grant program using $139,575,630,000 in federal funding previously appropriated to ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).\n\nThis funding would be available to states targeted by President Trump\u2019s reckless and lawless immigration enforcement operations \u2013 including Minnesota, California, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina and Oregon \u2013 and would be distributed to impacted nonprofits and small businesses.\n\nThe Make ICE Pay Act is co-sponsored by Reps. Chuy Garcia (IL-04), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) and Janelle Bynum (OR-05). The bill is endorsed by Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, the National Partnership for New Americans, Popular Democracy and the Black Alliance for Just Immigration.\n\n\u201cThe psychological and financial impacts of Operation Metro Surge will be generational,\u201d said Rep. Craig. \u201cAs Minnesotans begin the long process of healing from the wounds that President Trump\u2019s ICE inflicted, it\u2019s important that we commit to holding this lawless and misguided administration accountable. There is much more work to be done, but this bill is a critical step toward making our communities whole.\u201d\n\nRep. Craig has taken the Trump Administration to task over its reckless and lawless immigration agenda and has fought to bring home Minnesotans wrongfully detained by ICE.\n\nThis summer, she successfully secured the release of her constituent, Andrea Pedro-Francisco, who was held in ICE detention while suffering from an untreated ovarian cyst. In May, she traveled to El Paso, TX to visit Pedro-Francisco and conduct oversight of two ICE detention facilities\u2014Camp East Montana and the El Paso Service Processing Center.\n\nEarlier this year, she conducted four oversight visits of the ICE processing center at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis. Following her third visit with Rep. Omar, she sent a letter to former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem expressing concern that no detainees were present during their visit despite reports that individuals were being held at Whipple and slamming Noem for previously denying them their constitutional right to conduct unannounced oversight visits. Rep. Craig also introduced articles of impeachment against former Secretary Noem in January before she was ultimately fired in March.\n\nShe has vocally opposed the opening of any new ICE facilities in Minnesota, including a proposed ICE detention center in Shakopee, which she successfully quashed alongside state and local leaders. And this Congress, she helped introduce the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in ICE and CBP Custody Act to establish standards of care for individuals held in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and ICE custody.\n\nYou can read the full text of the bill HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-18T09:27:43Z", "2026-09-18T09:29:09Z"], ["https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-ilhan-omar-introduces-legislation-redirect-ice-and-cbp-funding", "Congresswoman Ilhan Omar Introduces Legislation to Redirect ICE and CBP Funding to States Targeted by Immigration Surges", "2026-09-17", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Ilhan Omar", "O000173", "omar.house.gov", "omar", "https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Following the conclusion of \u201cOperation Metro Surge\u201d in Minnesota, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) introduced the Make ICE Pay Act to redirect the $140 billion allocated to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) through the \u201cOne, Big Beautiful Bill\u201d Act (HR-1) and invest it into communities across the country that have been impacted by the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s heinous operations.\n\n\"For over a year, ICE has been tearing through our nation, leading racist terror campaigns that have caused devastating damage to our cities, to our businesses, and to the lives of our constituents,\" said Rep. Omar. \"In Minneapolis, Operation Metro Surge cost our community nearly $700 million. We have a moral responsibility to end this abuse of power. Our bill will force ICE to pay the price for the damage they\u2019ve left in their wake and ensure that these devastating operations can never be repeated.\"\n\n\u201cThe psychological and financial impacts of Operation Metro Surge will be generational,\u201d said Rep. Craig. \u201cAs Minnesotans begin the long process of healing from the wounds that President Trump\u2019s ICE inflicted, it\u2019s important that we commit to holding this lawless and misguided administration accountable. There is much more work to be done, but this bill is a critical step toward making our communities whole.\u201d\n\nThe Make ICE Pay Act would redirect nearly $140 billion towards local recovery efforts in states affected by ICE and CBP surges and named operations; including California, Minnesota (Operation Metro Surge), Illinois (Operation Midway Blitz), Louisiana (Operations Swamp Sweet and Catahoula Crunch), Maine (Operation Catch of the Day), North Carolina (Operation Charlotte\u2019s Web), and Oregon (Operation Black Rose).\n\nThe funding can be used by states, localities, non-profits and small businesses to provide economic relief, reimburse operational costs, support educational institutions, or deliver psychosocial support to the impacted. It may also be used for investigations, commissions of inquiry, truth telling, record-keeping, and memorialization to make sure that this devastation is accurately recorded, remembered, and can never be repeated.\n\nThe legislation is cosponsored by Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-IL), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-OR), Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN).\n\nThe full text of the bill is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-18T09:27:43Z", "2026-09-18T09:29:09Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=F4146A58-8BB0-43FF-98A3-2EC82AFB2F9B", "Klobuchar, Cassidy, McBath, Thompson Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Resolution Honoring Connie Clery", "2026-09-17", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced a bipartisan, bicameral resolution to honor the life of Connie Clery during National Campus Safety Awareness Month. After Connie Clery\u2019s 19-year-old daughter Jeanne Clery was murdered on campus in 1986, Clery became the driving force behind the Clery Act, which requires colleges to disclose their campus safety policies and information about crimes that occur on and near their campuses. Connie Clery passed away on June 23, 2026. Representatives Lucy McBath (D-GA) and GT Thompson (R-PA) introduced a companion resolution in the House of Representatives.\n\n\u201cFollowing the tragic loss of her daughter Jeanne, Connie Clery led a national movement to make campuses safer for students. Her tireless advocacy led to the first federal law requiring colleges to disclose crimes that occur on their campuses, a legacy that to this day provides students and families with transparency about the safety of the campuses they call home,\u201d said Klobuchar. \u201cDuring the first National Campus Safety Awareness Month since her passing, we are introducing this bipartisan resolution to honor her life and dedication to improving campus safety and protecting victims of crime across the country.\u201d\n\n\u201cParents everywhere owe a debt of gratitude to Connie Clery,\u201d said Dr. Cassidy. \u201cFollowing the senseless murder of her daughter at Lehigh University, Connie dedicated her life to improving campus safety. Her advocacy led to the foundational Clery Act and my Stop Campus Hazing Act, protecting students\u2019 lives and giving parents peace of mind as they drop their children off at college.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m proud to lead this resolution in Connie Clery\u2019s name alongside my colleagues. After the horrific assault and murder of their daughter Jeanne, Connie and Howard turned their grief into action and passed the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 into law, which was renamed the 'Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act' through the passage of our bill, the 'Stop Campus Hazing Act',\u201d said McBath. \u201cJust as I have been for my son Jordan, Connie was committed to honoring her late daughter\u2019s legacy and fighting to make sure that no other families have to go through the pain of losing a loved one. May Connie\u2019s memory serve as proof that there is no force on Earth stronger than a mom.\u201d\n\n\u201cConnie Clery took her family\u2019s tragedy and transformed it into a national movement to make college campuses safer,\u201d said Thompson. \u201cThanks to her advocacy, numerous state and federal laws were passed to improve student safety. Connie\u2019s vision and legacy will live on through the work of the Clery Center, and I am grateful to her unwavering commitment to this cause.\u201d\n\n\u201cOn behalf of Clery Center, we are deeply grateful to the United States Senate for honoring Connie Clery\u2019s extraordinary life and enduring legacy through this resolution. Connie dedicated her life to making campuses safer for all students, transforming unimaginable loss into advocacy, action, and lasting change. I was blessed to have Connie in my life\u2014as a friend, mentor, and fellow mom with whom I shared a very special bond. We were brought together by the unimaginable loss of our children\u2014Jeanne and Gary Jr.\u2014and by the failures in campus safety that contributed to their deaths. Through our shared loss, we found purpose in advocating for safer campuses and working to ensure that other families would not have to experience what we did. Connie and Howard reminded us, \u2018The best education in the world is useless if a student doesn\u2019t survive with a healthy mind and body.\u2019 Those words capture so much of what Connie stood for and why her work mattered so deeply. As we honor Connie, we must carry that work forward\u2014moving from awareness to action, from action to accountability, and from accountability to prevention. Her legacy is not simply one to remember; it is a responsibility to continue. For Connie. For Jeanne. For the Clery family. And for every student whose story is still being written, we must remain committed to creating safer campuses where students can learn, grow, and thrive. On behalf of Clery Center, I thank the United States Senate for recognizing Connie\u2019s remarkable life and unwavering commitment to students and for helping ensure that her legacy continues to inspire generations to come,\u201d said Julie G. DeVercelly, Chair, Clery Center Board of Directors.\n\nFull text of the resolution is available HERE and below:\n\nWhereas Constance Benjamin Clery (referred to in this preamble as \u201cConnie Clery\u201d) was born on February 12, 1931, and passed away on June 23, 2026;\n\nWhereas Connie Clery graduated from New Bedford High School in 1949, earned a degree from Barnard College in 1953, and worked as a tri-lingual interpreter;\n\nWhereas Connie Clery married Howard K. Clery, Jr. in 1956, starting a partnership of 51 years until his passing in 2008, and was a devoted mother to Howard III, Benjamin, and Jeanne;\n\nWhereas, following the tragic murder of her daughter, Jeanne Clery, in 1986, Connie and Howard Clery transformed their grief into a national movement, founding the nonprofit organization Security On Campus, Inc., now known as Clery Center, in 1987, to make college campuses safer and protect victims of campus crime;\n\nWhereas, at the time of Jeanne Clery\u2019s death, no Federal standard required institutions of higher education to disclose crimes occurring on their campuses, and prospective students and their families had no reliable means of learning about the safety of the campuses they were considering;\n\nWhereas Connie and Howard Clery helped advance more than 30 State and Federal laws, notably the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 (Public Law 101\u2013542; 20 U.S.C. 1001 note), which was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on November 8, 1990 and added subsection (f) to section 485 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1092(f)) (now referred to as the \u201cJeanne Clery Campus Safety Act\u201d) to require institutions participating in title IV student financial assistance programs to disclose campus crime statistics and security policies;\n\nWhereas, in 1992, Connie Clery led efforts to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a Campus Sexual Assault Victims\u2019 Bill of Rights, and in 1998, to expand public disclosure, including a daily crime log and a broader definition of campus;\n\nWhereas Connie Clery remained engaged in subsequent efforts to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965, including in 2008 to strengthen emergency notification and missing student procedures, in 2013 to require disclosure of dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking and to strengthen prevention programs and victim rights, and in 2024 to require the disclosure and research-informed prevention of hazing;\n\nWhereas Connie Clery was responsible for running the Clery Center until 2003, and spent nearly 4 decades counseling grieving families, training campus safety professionals, and insisting that survivors of campus crime be treated with dignity and compassion; and\n\nWhereas Connie Clery is remembered for her courage, perseverance, compassion, and commitment to protecting students: Now, therefore, be it\n\nResolved, That the Senate\u2014\n\n(1) has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of Constance \u201cConnie\u201d B. Clery;\n\n(2) honors the life and legacy of Connie Clery and expresses its deep condolences to her family and loved ones; and\n\n(3) reaffirms its commitment to the implementation and enforcement of the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act (20 U.S.C. 1092(f)).\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-18T09:27:43Z", "2026-09-18T09:29:09Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smiths-bipartisan-legislation-to-extend-terrorism-risk-insurance-support-housing-construction-passes-banking-committee/", "U.S. Senator Tina Smith\u2019s Bipartisan Legislation to\u00a0Extend\u00a0Terrorism Risk Insurance, Support Housing Construction\u00a0Passes Banking Committee", "2026-09-17", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "Roughly 60 percent of American businesses have terrorism risk insurance, which is critical to major construction projects\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Tina Smith\u2019s bipartisan legislation to safeguard the availability of terrorism risk insurance coverage passed the Senate Banking Committee by a unanimous vote. Roughly 60 percent of American businesses have terrorism risk insurance, which could become unavailable without action by Congress. Sen. Smith (D-MN) leads the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2026 alongside Senators Dave McCormick (R-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Thom Tillis (R-NC).\n\nFollowing the attacks on September 11, 2001, many insurance companies began excluding terrorism risks from commercial insurance policies, leaving businesses and industries without access to coverage. Since insurance is a precondition for commercial lending and real estate transactions, this gap in coverage threatened broad economic damage across real estate, construction, energy, transportation, and related industries. Congress responded by passing the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (TRIA), creating a federal reinsurance backstop to stabilize the private market and ensure that commercial policyholders could continue to obtain terrorism risk coverage.\n\nThe private insurance market has relied on the TRIA backstop ever since. When TRIA briefly lapsed in December 2014, terrorism exclusions that insurers had pre-filed with state regulators took effect automatically, making terrorism coverage effectively unavailable across commercial policies nationwide. As a result, terrorism risk coverage was removed from policyholders immediately and without notice. Given that the current threat landscape remains elevated, allowing a similar lapse in terrorism coverage would expose policy holders to unnecessary financial risk and uncertainty.\n\n\u201cWithout this bill, a potential terrorism event would mean an even greater financial catastrophe for businesses and taxpayers. It\u2019s critical that we keep terrorism risk insurance available and affordable to businesses in Minnesota and across the country,\u201d said Senator Smith. \u201cI\u2019ve worked to preserve the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program measure throughout my time in the Senate. Extending this law will ensure housing development and major events can continue \u2013 lowering costs for Minnesotans and creating new jobs. I\u2019m heartened to see it pass with such strong bipartisan support and urge the full Senate to pass this bill.\u201d\n\nThe Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2026 would extend TRIA by seven years. Acting before the program expiration date of December 31, 2027, provides long-term market certainty and would prevent policyholders from facing a gap in coverage.\n\nThe Terrorism Risk Insurance Act is also backed by:\n\nThe American Property Casualty Insurance Association\n\nCouncil of Insurance Agents and Brokers\n\nIndependent Insurance\n\nAgents & Brokers of America\n\nNational Association of Mutual Insurance Companies\n\nReinsurance Association of America\n\nCoalition to Insure Against Terrorism\n\nNareit\n\nReal Estate Roundtable\n\nCommercial Real Estate Finance Council\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-18T09:27:43Z", "2026-09-18T09:29:09Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senators-smith-baldwin-murphy-reintroduce-bill-to-support-young-farmers-forgive-student-loan-debt/", "U.S. Senators Smith, Baldwin & Murphy Reintroduce Bill to Support Young Farmers, Forgive Student Loan Debt", "2026-09-17", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) reintroduced the Student Loan Forgiveness for Farmers and Ranchers Act, legislation to create a loan forgiveness program for beginning farmers and ranchers, as well as veteran, women and minority farmers. Beginning farmers are considered those who have less than 10 years of experience operating a farm.\n\nThe ag industry will soon see major shifts in farm ownership with more than one-third of American farmers being 65 years old or older. Student loan debt is among the largest obstacles America\u2019s young farmers face, placing an enormous financial strain on beginner farmers and discouraging others from pursuing careers in the agricultural industry. Unforgiven student debt has a disproportionate impact on the farming industry. The Student Loan Forgiveness for Farmers and Ranchers Act would grant these farmers the support they need to invest in their farms and ranches and incentivize a new generation of farmers to enter the agricultural industry.\n\n\u201cTo keep Minnesota\u2019s agriculture economy thriving, we need to continue to invest in the next generation of farmers as the average age of farmers keeps going up. There is more we can be doing to help future farmers fill their shoes,\u201d said Sen. Smith. \u201cStudent debt is one of the most significant challenges our young farmers and ranchers face. This legislation would help encourage a younger, more diverse workforce and help more people start and stay in farming.\u201d\n\n\u201cWisconsin farmers work hard to feed our families, support our rural economies, and keep our state the agricultural prize of the country,\u201d said Sen. Baldwin. \u201cBut right now, they are getting squeezed from all sides. Between President Trump\u2019s trade war and the war in Iran driving up fuel and fertilizer costs, farmers are facing more uncertainty and financial pressure at a time when it\u2019s already hard enough to make ends meet. Our bill will help ease the burden and incentivize getting into this rewarding work and help keep Wisconsin agriculture strong for generations to come.\u201d\n\n\u201cBetween the trade war, the Iran war, and his devastating cuts to agricultural programs, Donald Trump has sent farm bankruptcies surging and thrown our farming industry into a full-blown crisis,\u201d said Sen. Murphy. \u201cOur farmers are a cornerstone of rural life in Connecticut and we need to give them our support so they can not only survive this crisis but come out stronger on the other side. My bill would help the beginner farmers overcome financial barriers and strengthen Connecticut agriculture for the long term.\u201d\n\nSen. Smith is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and understands agriculture is the backbone of Minnesota\u2019s economy.\n\nFull text of the legislation can be found here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-18T09:27:43Z", "2026-09-18T09:29:09Z"], ["https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-ilhan-omar-introduces-make-ice-pay-act", "Congresswoman Ilhan Omar Introduces Make ICE Pay Act", "2026-09-17", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Ilhan Omar", "O000173", "omar.house.gov", "omar", "https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Following the conclusion of \u201cOperation Metro Surge\u201d in Minnesota, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) introduced the Make ICE Pay Act to redirect the $140 billion allocated to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) through the \u201cOne, Big Beautiful Bill\u201d Act (HR-1) and invest it into communities across the country that have been impacted by the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s heinous operations.\n\n\"For over a year, ICE has been tearing through our nation, leading racist terror campaigns that have caused devastating damage to our cities, to our businesses, and to the lives of our constituents,\" said Rep. Omar. \"In Minneapolis, Operation Metro Surge cost our community nearly $700 million. We have a moral responsibility to end this abuse of power. Our bill will force ICE to pay the price for the damage they\u2019ve left in their wake and ensure that these devastating operations can never be repeated.\"\n\n\u201cThe psychological and financial impacts of Operation Metro Surge will be generational,\u201d said Rep. Craig. \u201cAs Minnesotans begin the long process of healing from the wounds that President Trump\u2019s ICE inflicted, it\u2019s important that we commit to holding this lawless and misguided administration accountable. There is much more work to be done, but this bill is a critical step toward making our communities whole.\u201d\n\nThe Make ICE Pay Act would redirect nearly $140 billion towards local recovery efforts in states affected by ICE and CBP surges and named operations; including California, Minnesota (Operation Metro Surge), Illinois (Operation Midway Blitz), Louisiana (Operations Swamp Sweet and Catahoula Crunch), Maine (Operation Catch of the Day), North Carolina (Operation Charlotte\u2019s Web), and Oregon (Operation Black Rose).\n\nThe funding can be used by states, localities, non-profits and small businesses to provide economic relief, reimburse operational costs, support educational institutions, or deliver psychosocial support to the impacted. It may also be used for investigations, commissions of inquiry, truth telling, record-keeping, and memorialization to make sure that this devastation is accurately recorded, remembered, and can never be repeated.\n\nThe legislation is cosponsored by Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-IL), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-OR), Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN).\n\nThe full text of the bill is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-23T09:45:16Z", "2026-09-23T09:46:14Z"], ["https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-mccollum-votes-against-expanded-presidential-tariff-powers", "Congresswoman McCollum Votes Against Expanded Presidential Tariff Powers", "2026-09-16", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Betty McCollum", "M001143", "mccollum.house.gov", "mccollum", "https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014 Today, the House of Representatives voted on The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act. Congresswoman McCollum voted against the legislation that would hand expanded tariff powers to President Trump. Following the vote, Congresswoman McCollum released the following statement:\n\n\u201cThis bill is a wolf in sheep\u2019s clothing. While purporting to be a bill to sanction Russia, this bill is so broad that it passes tariff authority into law that could hit the majority of our trading partners. I refuse to give expanded tariff authority to a president that routinely wages reckless trade wars with our closest allies.\n\n\u201cThe U.S. must implement enforceable sanctions against Russia to bring an end to their illegal and devasting war against Ukraine. This bill fails to mandate those penalties for Russia\u2019s aggression. Instead, this legislation only directs the president to put sanctions on Russia if he chooses. I want sanctions on Russia, period, and President Trump already has the power to do so without this bill.\n\n\u201cFor a president who says he supports Ukraine, he has inexplicably delayed release the $400 million dollars that Congress appropriated last spring to support Ukraine. President Trump must immediately release these funds that are so desperately needed to defend Ukraine from Russia\u2019s aggression.\u201d", 1, "2026-09-17T09:52:05Z", "2026-09-17T09:53:00Z"], ["https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases/house-passes-water-resources-development-act-includes-language-rep-omar", "House Passes Water Resources Development Act, Includes Language from Rep. Omar to Protect the Stability of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis", "2026-09-16", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Ilhan Omar", "O000173", "omar.house.gov", "omar", "https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed language from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) to protect the future of the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). This legislation provides authority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to carry out water resources development projects and conduct studies to provide improvements to the nation's ports, inland waterways, locks, dams, flood protection, ecosystem restoration, and other water resources infrastructure.\n\nThe language resolves a decades-long concern for local and state governments regarding a vital piece of abandoned infrastructure underneath the Mississippi River, just upstream of St. Anthony Falls. The cutoff wall was constructed by the Corps on an emergency basis in the 1870s in order to stabilize the bed of the Mississippi River after a failed attempt to create additional tunnels for hydro mills led to a rapid collapse of St. Anthony Falls. A recent study by the St. Anthony Falls Lab assessed the integrity of the cutoff wall, while highlighting that ongoing questions about ownership cast doubt on who would be responsible for maintenance and evaluation of this important piece of infrastructure. Rep. Omar\u2019s language in this bill will clarify that the Corps owns the cutoff wall and is responsible for its maintenance.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m thrilled to see my language about the cutoff wall included in the House passage of the Water Resources Development Act,\u201d said Rep. Omar. \u201cThis passage addresses longstanding concerns shared by the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, and the State of Minnesota about a piece of infrastructure that is vital to the stability of the river at the heart of the Twin Cities. It builds on our work to protect this historic segment of the Mississippi waterfront, and ensures this sacred site will be safe and stable for our future generations. I\u2019m grateful for our community, local, state, and federal partners that made this victory possible.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-17T09:52:05Z", "2026-09-17T09:53:00Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=3612A99B-B3AE-495B-B8D3-403F084E414E", "Klobuchar, Curtis Bipartisan Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act Passes Out of Committee", "2026-09-16", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Curtis (R-UT) announced their legislation to reauthorize and strengthen the bipartisan Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee.\n\nIn addition to continuing to require all public pools to install safe drain covers that prevent suction entrapment and fund a national public education campaign to raise awareness about drowning prevention, this updated legislation expands the grant program at the Consumer Product Safety Commission to include tribes as eligible recipients, and modernizes the grant program\u2019s requirements to reflect the needs of pool owners and operators. The bill would also ensure the Consumer Product Safety Commission has a dedicated employee focused on drowning prevention.\n\n\u201cThis bipartisan legislation makes critical updates to the original law that incentivized states to enact pool safety laws,\u201d said Klobuchar. \u201cWorking together, there is so much we can do to make sure our pools are safe. We can stop entrapments. We can prevent drownings. We can save lives. This law has made a major difference nationwide and I am pleased it advanced with bipartisan support today.\u201d\n\n\u201cParents should be able to trust that when their kids jump into a pool, the structure of the pool itself doesn\u2019t pose any hazards,\u201d said Curtis. \u201cThis bipartisan bill builds on a proven law to prevent drownings and protect children. I\u2019m glad to see it advance out of committee and look forward to its passage by the full Senate.\u201d\n\n\"The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act is a perfect example of how sensible and sound policy can save lives. Since the passage of the legislation, entrapment deaths in public pools have ceased and have been substantially reduced in private pool settings,\u201d said Alissa Magrum, Executive Director of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. \u201cThis shows how well-designed legislation can have direct impacts on child safety and engineer our pool environments to be safer for all. The reauthorization not only ensures communities continue to be safe from this preventable tragedy, but also that water safety efforts will continue across the country to address the more than 4,000 fatal drownings the US experiences each year.\u201d\n\n\"Our daughter Abbey's hope was that no other child would experience a death or injury from a dangerous pool or spa. The VGB Act was the realization of that hope. We can all still do better with the reauthorization of this critical safety legislation. We unequivocally support this bill,\u201d said Scott and Katey Taylor, Founders of Abbey's Hope Charitable Foundation.\n\n\"The passage of the VGB Act, in a significant way, has helped to make some sense of the tragic death of my daughter, Graeme, and so many children whose lives have been lost in preventable drownings,\u201d said Nancy Baker, Mother of Virginia Graeme Baker and water safety advocate. \u201cThe reauthorization of the legislation also makes sense, as we have learned over the past 15 years what works well and what might be done even better to ensure water safety. I am fully supportive of the bill.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act has saved lives. Reauthorization of this Act allows for its proven safety standards to continue to do its good work, making pools and spas across the United States safer for those who use them,\u201d said William Ramos, Ph.D., American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council Aquatics Chair. \u201cThis legislative intervention creates actions and outcomes that those working in public health so often hope to see. It works!\u201d\n\n\u201cThe core purpose of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance is to prioritize safety and health in pool and hot tub environments. We have been unwavering in our support for the reauthorization of the VGB Act, recognizing its significant impact on saving lives,\u201d said Sabeena Hickman, CAE, President & CEO of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA). \u201cPHTA is proud to play a role in the VGB Act through the development of two industry safety standards that establish stringent requirements for suction outlet fitting assemblies and suction entrapment avoidance. By reauthorizing this legislation, we will ensure a substantial reduction in fatal drownings\u2014a cause that deserves universal backing.\u201d\n\nIn 2007, six-year-old daughter Abbey Taylor suffered a debilitating injury from a pool drain accident. After meeting with Abbey, Scott, and Abbey\u2019s mother Katey, Klobuchar led the successful efforts to pass the original Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, which was signed into law in 2007, shortly before Abbey passed away in March 2008 after undergoing sixteen surgeries. Since the law\u2019s passage, there have been no drain entrapment deaths in any public pool within the country.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-17T09:52:05Z", "2026-09-17T09:53:00Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/sen-tina-smiths-statement-on-agriculture-committees-second-partisan-markup-of-long-delayed-farm-bill/", "Sen. Tina Smith\u2019s Statement on Agriculture Committee\u2019s Second Partisan Markup of Long-Delayed Farm Bill", "2026-09-16", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "The partisan legislation forces Minnesotans to pay $140 million in administrative costs, fails to address SNAP cuts\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement after the Senate Agriculture Committee failed to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill, instead choosing to pass a partisan version drafted by Republicans that will not gain enough support to pass the full Senate:\n\n\u201cI said it before and I\u2019ll say it again, patience is a virtue, it\u2019s just not my virtue. I\u2019m disappointed that, once again, Republicans have pursued a partisan path on the Senate Farm Bill; however, we\u2019ll keep working to find a path forward. It\u2019s crucial that we pass a bipartisan Farm Bill that meets the needs of farmers, ranchers and rural America, including year-round E15,\u201d said Sen. Smith.\n\n\u201cWe have been clear for months that it is not possible to pass a Farm Bill that fails to delay the deep cuts to SNAP by at least two years. Minnesota counties simply can\u2019t afford a $140 million tax increase to pay for these SNAP cost shifts,\u201d she continued. \u201cAmid shrinking markets, tariffs and skyrocketing costs for diesel and fertilizer, farmers need Congress to negotiate a comprehensive, bipartisan Farm Bill that stands a chance of becoming law.\u201d\n\nSen. Smith, along with her Democratic colleagues, were clear that they could not support a Farm Bill that did not delay the cost-shift of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by at least two years. Without this delay, counties would be forced to increase property taxes to cover the costs of administering the program, which most Minnesotans could not afford. Senate Republicans went forward with the bill, knowing that without a provision addressing SNAP, the bill will fail to pass the full Senate.\n\nThe Senate Agriculture Committee already held a markup of the Farm Bill in August. During the failed August markup, Democrats offered an amendment to delay the SNAP cost shift by two years, but it was blocked by Republicans. Sen. Smith pushed for multiple amendments to the legislation, including amendments that would:\n\nAllow for year-round sale of E-15\n\nExpand Tribal self-determination authority for the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations\n\nEstablish self-determination authority for Tribal meat processing\n\nRestore canceled Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants, which is particularly important for recipients who spent money preparing their operation for projects that the federal government had already committed to\n\nProhibit prediction markets from offering sports betting and casino-like games that violate state and Tribal regulations\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-17T09:52:05Z", "2026-09-17T09:53:00Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smiths-bill-to-combat-lyme-disease-other-tick-borne-diseases-heads-to-presidents-desk/", "U.S. Senator Tina Smith\u2019s Bill to Combat Lyme Disease & Other Tick-Borne Diseases Heads to President\u2019s Desk", "2026-09-16", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "Most recent data shows Minnesota recorded 3,551 cases in 2024 alone, a rate that has likely increased in recent years\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Tina Smith\u2019s (D-MN) bipartisan bill to expand research, testing and treatment for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases is expected to become law after successfully passing both chambers of Congress. The Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act passed the U.S. Senate in August and passed the U.S. House of Representatives this week, heading to the President\u2019s desk to be signed into law.\n\n\u201cWhen this bill soon becomes law, it will save lives and help people battling Lyme Disease and other tick-borne diseases,\u201d said Sen. Smith. \u201cMinnesota is proud to have more than 10,000 lakes and thousands of rivers. Unfortunately, as we venture outdoors, the number of Lyme disease cases in the state\u2014and states across the country\u2014goes on the rise. This bill will step up regional efforts at researching, testing and treating Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. We must cut down on tick-borne illnesses for the sake of Americans\u2019 health and well-being.\u201d\n\nThe bill, co-led by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), was named in honor of former Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC), who passed away on October 28, 2019, due to complications from the tick-borne Powassan virus.\n\nOver the past two decades, Minnesota has experienced a significant rise in tick-borne diseases. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, Lyme disease remains the state\u2019s most reported tick-borne illness, with 3,551 probable cases reported in 2024. In the same year, Minnesota also reported hundreds of cases of other tickborne diseases: 627 cases of anaplasmosis, 89 cases of babesiosis and 14 cases of Powassan virus disease.\n\nUsing a three-pronged approach, The Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act will:\n\nContinue implementation and updates of the Department of Health and Human Services\u2019 National Public Health Strategy to Prevent and Control Vector-Borne Diseases in People. This would support ongoing federal efforts to advance research, improve diagnostics and strengthen coordination on vector-borne diseases.\n\nReauthorize the Regional Centers of Excellence in Vector-Borne Disease for five years. These centers support critical research, surveillance and public health efforts to address tick-borne diseases and other vector-borne threats.\n\nReauthorize CDC grants to state health departments to strengthen vector-borne disease prevention and response efforts. These grants would support surveillance, early detection and diagnosis, treatment efforts, public education, and partnerships to address Lyme disease and other vector-borne diseases.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-17T09:52:05Z", "2026-09-17T09:53:00Z"], ["https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-mccollum-votes-present-motion-table-trump-impeachment", "Congresswoman McCollum Votes Present on Motion to Table Trump Impeachment", "2026-09-15", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Betty McCollum", "M001143", "mccollum.house.gov", "mccollum", "https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Betty McCollum, Dean of the Minnesota Congressional Delegation, issued the following statement after voting present on the motion to table an impeachment resolution introduced by Congressman Al Green (D-TX).\n\n\u201cImpeaching a president elected by the American people is the most consequential action that Congress can take to defend the Constitution and protect the American people from a president who has betrayed his oath and engaged in illegal conduct. Today, I voted present because this resolution to impeach President Trump does not meet the high standard required by this responsibility. During the 116th Congress, the House followed a deliberate and methodical process to make the case to the American people of Trump\u2019s high crimes and misdemeanors. I voted to impeach Trump twice, presiding over the impeachment for inciting an insurrection on January 6th, 2021. I believed he was unfit to serve in office then, as I still do now.\n\n\u201cThe House of Representatives has a duty under the Constitution to hold a president accountable for illegal conduct. This obligation begins with a transparent process of Congressional hearings, investigations, and subpoenas. However, the Republican majority controlling this Congress will not allow that work to move forward. A premature and poorly reasoned resolution like this hurts our ability to hold President Trump accountable. I will continue to hold Mr. Trump accountable in a manner that is fully transparent and clearly documents his malfeasance as the President of the United States.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-16T09:43:13Z", "2026-09-16T09:44:22Z"], ["https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/representatives-mccollum-and-van-epps-introduce-bipartisan-critical-materials", "Representatives McCollum and Van Epps Introduce Bipartisan Critical Materials Future Act", "2026-09-15", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Betty McCollum", "M001143", "mccollum.house.gov", "mccollum", "https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014Today, Congresswoman Betty McCollum and Congressman Matt Van Epps (R-TN), introduced the Critical Materials Future Act. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would establish a pilot program at the Department of Energy to financially support domestic critical material processing projects.\n\n\u201cSecuring a domestic critical mineral supply chain is essential for manufacturing clean energy technologies,\u201d said Rep. McCollum. \u201cFor far too long, critical minerals extracted from our public lands have been shipped overseas for processing to be sold on the global market or bought back by American companies. That is not good stewardship of our natural resources, nor is it a good national security strategy. The Critical Materials Future Act will ensure that when we extract these resources, we also have the capacity to process them here at home.\u201d\n\n\"Continuing to rely on foreign sources for our critical mineral supply is gambling with both our economic and national security. Today, China leads global processing of key critical minerals, refining more than 90% of graphite and nearly all gallium, which are essential to semiconductors and batteries. China also refines more than 90% of rare earth elements used in magnets for advanced defense technologies,\u201d said Rep. Van Epps. \u201cIt is far past time for the United States to end this dangerous dependence. We can do this by paving the way for more critical mineral processing right here at home. That\u2019s why I\u2019m proud to co-lead the Critical Materials Future Act alongside Congresswoman McCollum. This bipartisan legislation establishes a pilot program to support companies committed to building critical mineral processing operations here in the United States. By strengthening our domestic supply chains, this legislation will reduce our dependence on foreign adversaries and move us one step closer to rebuilding the American defense industrial base.\"\n\nThe U.S. critical minerals list contains 50 minerals \u2013 including graphite, nickel, and cobalt \u2013 that are essential to our economy, infrastructure, and military capability. Critical minerals are used in smartphones, electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, and more.\n\nIn December 2024, China announced that it would immediately block the export of three critical minerals \u2014 gallium, germanium, and antimony \u2014 to the U.S. China currently controls 90% of the global processing capacity for rare earth elements and over 80% of the processing for other critical minerals like cobalt, gallium, and graphite. Experts have become increasingly concerned with U.S. dependence on China for critical materials, arguing it poses a significant risk to national security.\n\nThe Critical Materials Future Act supports critical material processing projects in the United States by granting the Secretary of Energy the authority and funding to deploy innovative financial mechanisms, such as contracts for differences and advanced market commitments, within this sector.\n\nThe bill also requires the Secretary of Energy to conduct a comprehensive study on the impact of these financial tools on market dynamics and processing projects within the critical materials sector, and to provide recommendations for expanding their use to strengthen America's processing capabilities.\n\nThe Senate companion, S. 596, was introduced by Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) with Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Todd Young (R-IN), and referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.\n\nIn the 118th Congress, Congresswoman McCollum introduced H.R. 5021, the Securing American Critical Minerals Act, a bill to prohibit the sale or transfer of critical minerals to our adversaries.\n\nThe full text of the Critical Materials Future Act can be found here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-16T09:43:13Z", "2026-09-16T09:44:22Z"], ["https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases/omar-scott-casar-introduce-legislation-protect-workers-hard-earned-wages", "Omar, Scott, Casar Introduce Legislation to Protect Workers\u2019 Hard-Earned Wages from Medical Debt Collection", "2026-09-14", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Ilhan Omar", "O000173", "omar.house.gov", "omar", "https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2014 Today, House Committee on Education and Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. \u201cBobby\u201d Scott (VA-03), Subcommittee on Workforce Protections Ranking Member Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05), and Vice Ranking Member Rep. Greg Casar (TX-35), introduced the Protecting Workers\u2019 Wages from Medical Debt Act. This bill would prohibit workers\u2019 wages from being garnished to pay for medical debt.\n\nRight now, approximately 100 million Americans are trapped with $220 billion in medical debt. Looming unpaid medical bills can devastate working families, whether they have health insurance or not. Unfortunately, the medical debt crisis has become more dire as millions of Americans are being stripped of their health care due to President Trump and Congressional Republicans\u2019 disastrous \u201cBig, Ugly Bill.\u201d\n\nOver the last several years, new reports of hospitals and debt collectors suing patients for outstanding bills and forcibly cutting their wages to repay the debt have highlighted the predatory nature of wage garnishments.\n\nCurrently, federal law allows up to 25 percent of a worker\u2019s take-home pay to be garnished each workweek. Over 30 states have taken action to better protect consumers and have added additional protections to prevent workers\u2019 wages from being unnecessarily garnished. However, when workers are struggling, these constraints are not enough.\n\nThe Protecting Workers\u2019 Wages from Medical Debt Act protects workers, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet, by prohibiting wages from being garnished for the payment of medical debt. Specifically, the bill:\n\nBans any amount of a worker\u2019s wage from being subject to garnishment for medical debt, and\n\nProhibits any state or court from issuing or enforcing a wage garnishment order for medical debt.\n\n\u201cIn the richest country in the world, medical debt should not be a threat to working people\u2019s livelihood. The American people should not have to slash spending on necessities to pay for life-saving care and no one should be denied future health care because of unpaid medical bills. Unfortunately, that is the reality many Americans are facing right now,\u201d said Ranking Member Scott. \u201cI am proud to work with Reps. Omar and Casar on this commonsense legislation, which will ensure families are not thrown into further hardship simply because they got sick and needed care.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn 45 states, some workers have a portion of their take-home pay forcibly cut to pay off medical debt,\u201d said Subcommittee on Workforce Protections Ranking Member Omar. \u201cI'm partnering with Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) to ban this practice and ensure no worker is thrown into further financial hardship over often-predatory debt.\u201d\n\n\u201cNobody should lose their wages because they got sick,\u201d said Vice Ranking Member Greg Casar (D-TX). \u201cTrump and Republicans ripped health care away from millions of Americans to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. Now families who get sick are being hit with bills they can't pay, and in most states a hospital or debt collector can take a cut of their paycheck before they ever see it. This needs to end, and our bill would stop it.\u201d\n\nThe Protecting Workers\u2019 Wages from Medical Debt Act is endorsed by: American Federation of Teachers (AFT); Center for Health and Democracy; Families USA; Public Citizen; and Service Employees International Union (SEIU).\n\nTo read a fact sheet on the Protecting Workers\u2019 Wages from Medical Debt Act, click here.\n\nTo read the bill text on the Protecting Workers\u2019 Wages from Medical Debt Act, click here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-15T09:50:21Z", "2026-09-15T09:52:05Z"], ["https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-mccollum-reflects-25th-anniversary-september-11-2001", "Congresswoman McCollum Reflects on the 25th Anniversary of September 11, 2001", "2026-09-11", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Betty McCollum", "M001143", "mccollum.house.gov", "mccollum", "https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Congresswoman Betty McCollum, Dean of the Minnesota congressional delegation, released the following statement reflecting on the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001. The Congresswoman, who was in Washington that day, is the only member of Minnesota\u2019s 2001 delegation still serving today.\n\n\u201cSeptember 11, 2001: A beautiful blue morning sky being shattered by the horror of two airplanes steered into the World Trade Center towers. Evacuating with my staff from my Longworth House office building. Black smoke rising from the Pentagon across the Potomac River. Seeing a fourth plane crashed into a Pennsylvania field. Along with you, these tragic images are seared in my memory, despite the passage of 25 years.\n\nThese scenes have become part of the American psyche, even for those who were not yet born to witness them firsthand. They still fill us with fear, anger, grief, and sadness. In a moment, nearly 3,000 Americans\u2019 lives were ripped away from us. Loved ones who were left behind have endured 25 years without grandfathers, mothers, husbands, sisters, and sons. The pain of their loss does not go away.\n\nToday as a nation, we once again come together to mourn with the families. We remember the steadfast flight attendants, resolute pilots, and selfless passengers, including our fellow Minnesotan, Tom Burnett Jr., who helped lead the effort to retake the cockpit of United Flight 93 from hijackers, and prevented it from hitting its intended target in Washington, D.C.\n\nAnd of course, we will never forget the courageous First Responders rushed toward toppling buildings, who risked their lives in hope of saving others. We remember the thousands who have faced illness and death from exposure to toxic dust and smoke during the months of recovery. We still feel the loss, the very sad sense of tragedy and hurt that touched us all. For all of us, September 11, 2001 remains a day that changed us and changed our country.\n\nBut let us not forget the spirit of unity that was forged in those ashes. We put aside differences and came together as Americans -- far more powerful, resilient, and righteous than the perpetrators of the attack. Our nation emerged stronger.\n\nThe anniversary of September 11, 2001 is now a National Day of Service and Remembrance. We come together to give back to our communities across America. This year, volunteers in Saint Paul and cities across the country to help pack 18,000,000 meals that will feed Americans who depend on food assistance.\n\nThe 25th anniversary falls during the 250th year of our American journey. From the beginning, America has been tested by events and adversaries, both foreign and domestic. The future of our country is up to each of us. Our nation endures because of the power of individuals uniting to create a more perfect union.\n\nDuring the long, difficult years since that beautiful, terrible morning, the most important lesson I can draw upon is the profound blessing I feel to be an American and to share this country, our values, and our freedoms with my fellow citizens. There are no guarantees that our future will be free from challenges. But if we continue to build from the unity we shared after 9/11, our nation will not only endure, we will be stronger.\u201d", 1, "2026-09-12T09:02:30Z", "2026-09-12T09:03:27Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=768E8C6D-69B4-4B80-BBD6-6199EE7D1769", "Klobuchar, Smith Urge USPS to Reopen Glenville Post Office", "2026-09-11", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "MINNESOTA \u2013 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) are calling on the United States Postal Service (USPS) Minnesota-North Dakota District Manager to reopen the Post Office in Glenville, Minnesota. The Glenville Post Office closed after a vehicle struck the building on June 28, 2026. Since then, the Postal Service has not resumed operations or announced a reopening day.\n\n\u201cMinnesotans depend on the Postal Service every day,\u201d wrote the Senators. \u201cWe urge you and the local postmaster to restore retail postal services to the Glenville community as quickly as possible and communicate clearly with the City of Glenville and postal customers about your timeline and progress in reopening the post office.\u201d\n\nThe full letter is available here and below.\n\nDear District Manager Bye: We write to share concerns that we have received from Minnesota constituents regarding the continued closure of the Glenville Post Office at 220 W. Main Street in Glenville, Minnesota. We urge you and the local postmaster to restore retail postal services to the Glenville community as quickly as possible and communicate clearly with the City of Glenville and postal customers about your timeline and progress in reopening the post office.\n\nThe Glenville Post Office closed after a vehicle struck the building on June 28, 2026. More than ten weeks later, the Postal Service has not restored operations at this post office location and our constituents have informed me that the Postal Service has not announced a reopening date or communicated a plan to restore retail postal operations to local residents.\n\nMany Glenville residents depend on their local Post Office every day. Local residents rely on PO boxes to retrieve their mail including prescriptions, Social Security benefits, paychecks, and bills. Post office closures make purchasing stamps, shipping packages, and accessing other retail services less accessible, which can especially impact small business operations that rely on the Postal Service to reach their customers. These postal customers must instead travel to a neighboring community\u2019s post office, which is particularly burdensome for seniors and customers that lack transportation.\n\nPlease provide the following information:\n\nWhat steps is the Postal Service taking to reopen the Glenville Post Office?\n\nWhat is the expected timeline for restoring post office retail operations in Glenville?\n\nHow will the Postal Service ensure clear and frequent communication with Glenville postal customers and City of Glenville officials about the post office\u2019s closure and all efforts to reopen the post office going forward?\n\nMinnesotans depend on the Postal Service every day. We urge you to work with the local postmaster to promptly reopen the Glenville Post Office as soon as possible and keep residents and city officials informed throughout the process.\n\nThank you for your attention to this important matter.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-12T09:02:30Z", "2026-09-12T09:03:27Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=CF880F61-55BC-4135-8CB7-0CC35EDFEBE2", "Klobuchar Statement on the 25th Anniversary of 9/11", "2026-09-11", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "MINNESOTA \u2013 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) issued the following statement on the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks:\n\n\u201cThis year we mark 25 years since the 9/11 attacks, when nearly 3,000 innocent Americans were killed in an unspeakable act of evil.\n\nWe remember all the lives taken and we grieve with the families and friends who lost loved ones in New York, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. We also honor the courage of the first responders who risked their lives to save others, as well as the countless other acts of heroism and sacrifice we witnessed that day.\n\nWe remember the Minnesotans we lost that day: Tom Burnett Jr. from Bloomington, Gordon Aamoth Jr. from Wayzata, Gary Koecheler from St. Paul, and Max Beilke from Alexandria.\n\nTom, along with his fellow passengers on Flight 93, bravely gave his life to save others. Gordon was a 32-year-old former captain of his high school football team who had a bright future ahead of him, and Gary was a Vietnam War veteran who had been awarded the Bronze Star. They both worked in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Max died in the Pentagon after dedicating his entire life to our country, serving in Korea and Vietnam, and advocating on behalf of veterans and their families at the Pentagon.\n\nLet us always remember all whose lives were taken on that September day 25 years ago and those whose lives were cut short in the years that followed. We honor their memories by cherishing the values we share as Americans.\n\nLet us carry forward the spirit of courage, generosity, and shared purpose that our country showed in the days that followed. We will never forget.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-12T09:02:30Z", "2026-09-12T09:03:27Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=C6310B57-297B-445D-AE16-311B14BA8429", "Klobuchar, Colleagues Statement on the President\u2019s Trade War with Canada", "2026-09-09", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) released the following statement in response to the President\u2019s continued imposition of new tariffs on Canada:\n\n\u201cThe states we represent rely on Canada as a key trading partner and our primary export market. We have deep ties with our neighbors to the north, and we share one of the world\u2019s most enduring defense partnerships. We have built two powerful nations over many decades by working together, growing our economies together, and securing our homelands together. Our countries have achieved great things by working closely together, and we still can.\n\nInstead of working with our neighbors, President Trump is doubling down on a pointless trade war with Canada. His tariffs will squeeze our states\u2019 small businesses and farmers harder and drive costs up for working families. They will raise the cost of the lumber, plywood, and construction equipment we need to build new housing. They will hurt our workers and businesses who manufacture autos, aircraft, and machinery. They will drive up the prices consumers pay for everyday basics like milk, clothing, and paper products.\n\nPresident Trump\u2019s tariffs have already cost American families as much as $5,000 in some states, and his senseless trade war with Canada will only grow that number. While American families and businesses suffer from Trump\u2019s trade wars, partners around the world, including Canada, are increasingly looking to diversify away from the United States and deepen trade ties with other countries including China. Congressional Republicans need to stand up to the president and do their part to give families and businesses on both sides of the border relief from this insanity.\u201d\n\nKlobuchar is a lead sponsor on legislation to revoke the newest global tariffs and 50 percent tariffs on Canada.\n\nKlobuchar, along with Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), introduced the Trade Review Act, legislation to require that any new tariffs receive congressional review and approval within 60 days.\n\nIn October 2025, bipartisan legislation led by Senators Klobuchar, Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Mark Warner (D-VA) passed the Senate 50-46 to repeal President Trump\u2019s International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs on Canada. Earlier this year, similar legislation was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.\n\nKlobuchar serves as co-chair of the Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group together with Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND). The group was established in 1959 as a forum for U.S. members of Congress and Canadian parliamentarians to have an ongoing dialogue on major issues of mutual concern.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-10T09:25:58Z", "2026-09-10T09:27:09Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=02026ACD-560A-4784-A148-453FF74250A2", "Klobuchar Statement as Canadian Retaliatory Tariffs Take Effect", "2026-09-08", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "MINNESOTA \u2013 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), co-chair of the Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group, released the following statement as Canada\u2019s retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods take effect today.\n\nKlobuchar is a lead sponsor on legislation to revoke the newest global tariffs and 50 percent tariffs on Canada.\n\n\u201cThe Administration\u2019s 50 percent tariffs on Canadian goods, along with Canada\u2019s retaliatory tariffs that took effect today, will only make it harder for Minnesota businesses and farmers to compete and will further drive up prices for families.\n\nI\u2019ve opposed these tariffs from the beginning and I was a lead sponsor of bipartisan legislation to overturn the tariffs on Canada that passed the Senate.\n\nCanada is Minnesota\u2019s top trading partner. The Administration must end its trade war with one of our closest allies. I\u2019ll continue to stand up for the U.S.-Canada relationship and Minnesota\u2019s economy.\u201d\n\nKlobuchar, along with Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), introduced the Trade Review Act, legislation to require that any new tariffs receive congressional review and approval within 60 days.\n\nIn October 2025, bipartisan legislation led by Senators Klobuchar, Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Mark Warner (D-VA) passed the Senate 50-46 to repeal President Trump\u2019s International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs on Canada. Earlier this year, similar legislation was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.\n\nKlobuchar serves as co-chair of the Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group together with Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND). The group was established in 1959 as a forum for U.S. members of Congress and Canadian parliamentarians to have an ongoing dialogue on major issues of mutual concern.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-09T09:27:09Z", "2026-09-09T09:29:04Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=5945974A-8AA6-4453-B1E9-05C9410F7151", "At Klobuchar\u2019s Urging, Forest Service Retains Minnesota Research Facilities", "2026-09-08", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, released the following statement after the U.S. Forest Service announced that forest research facilities in Ely, Grand Rapids, and St. Paul will remain open after an initial announcement that the Ely and Grand Rapids facilities would be evaluated for closure.\n\n\u201cI repeatedly pressed the U.S. Forest Service to protect Minnesota\u2019s three Forest Service research facilities, and I am glad they will remain open. These facilities support local economies, perform world-class research, and help protect our natural resources both in Minnesota and across the country,\u201d said Klobuchar. \u201cI continue to be concerned that the U.S. Forest Service\u2019s reorganization will undermine critical research.\u201d\n\nThe Forest Service has stated that it will close 23 research facilities across the country.\n\nAfter the initial list of proposed facility closures was published in March, Klobuchar led 36 colleagues in directly raising concerns about Forest Service office closures. She also joined 16 colleagues in urging the Forest Service to improve transparency and consider the benefits of research services provided to surrounding communities and what research services would be lost with facility closures. Klobuchar also raised the importance of the Grand Rapids and Ely research facilities with Chief of the Forest Service Tom Schultz during the Senate Agriculture Committee\u2019s oversight hearing.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-09T09:27:09Z", "2026-09-09T09:29:04Z"], ["https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-craig-nunn-introduce-bill-withhold-retirement-benefits-members-congress", "Reps. Craig, Nunn Introduce Bill to Withhold Retirement Benefits from Members of Congress Who Violate their Oath of Office", "2026-09-04", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Angie Craig", "C001119", "craig.house.gov", "craig", "https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, U.S. Representatives Angie Craig (D-MN-02), Zach Nunn (IA-03) Chris Pappas (D-NH-01) and Young Kim (R-CA-40) introduced legislation to prevent Members of Congress who engage in misconduct from receiving taxpayer-funded retirement benefits. Their Congressional Pension Accountability Act would close loopholes that currently allow Members of Congress who have committed serious ethics violations to continue receiving a pension.\n\nUnder current law, pension forfeiture is largely limited to Members who were convicted of crimes but does not apply to those who resign after the House Ethics Committee determines they committed an ethics violation. This bill would change that and ensure that the law applies consistently across all federal retirement systems available to Members of Congress, including the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s past time we start holding Members of Congress accountable for violating their oath of office,\u201d said Rep. Craig. \u201cMinnesota taxpayers shouldn\u2019t be paying disgraced Members of Congress even after they leave office. It\u2019s just common sense. I\u2019m proud to be partnering with Rep. Nunn on a bill that will help clean up Washington and restore trust in our government.\u201d\n\nSince Rep. Craig came to Congress, she has been working to fix a broken Washington and hold Members of Congress accountable. She has repeatedly led legislation to ban Members of Congress from trading stocks and was one of seven Members who launched the End Corruption Now agenda in Congress \u2013 a package of six bills that would put power back in the hands of the American people.\n\nLast year, she reintroduced her NO STOCK Resolution, which would require every sitting member of the U.S. House of Representatives to immediately sell their individual stocks and refrain from future stock ownership while in Congress. And earlier this Congress, she reintroduced her Halt Unchecked Member Benefits with Lobbying Elimination (HUMBLE) Act \u2013 a broader package of reforms that would prevent Members of Congress from using their position to enrich themselves.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-05T08:49:07Z", "2026-09-05T08:50:44Z"], ["https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-betty-mccollum-votes-temporary-funding-measure-keep-federal", "Congresswoman Betty McCollum Votes for Temporary Funding Measure to Keep Federal Government Open", "2026-09-04", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Betty McCollum", "M001143", "mccollum.house.gov", "mccollum", "https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D, MN-04), the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement on Tuesday upon passage of a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through December 11:\n\n\u201cI voted for this bipartisan continuing resolution to keep the federal government operating through December 11th because Americans deserve certainty that the government services they rely on will be there for them. President Trump\u2019s disastrous tariffs on allies like Canada and his unlawful war in Iran are continuing to drive up costs for the American people. Americans cannot afford a government shutdown on top of President Trump\u2019s failure to address the rising cost of living. Senate Republican leadership has also let Americans down by failing to release and advance any of their Fiscal Year 2027 Appropriations bills. The House has done its job and advanced all twelve Appropriations bills through committee. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to complete their Appropriations work and then come to the negotiating table so that we can deliver a bipartisan funding package that truly invests in the needs of the American people.\u201d\n\nView the text of the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027.", 1, "2026-09-05T08:49:07Z", "2026-09-05T08:50:44Z"], ["https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-craig-introduces-bill-lower-cost-insulin", "Rep. Craig Introduces Bill to Lower Cost of Insulin", "2026-09-03", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Angie Craig", "C001119", "craig.house.gov", "craig", "https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig (MN-02) introduced legislation alongside Representatives Diana DeGette (CO-01), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), Kim Schrier (WA-08) and Rob Bresnahan (PA-08) to lower the cost of insulin for insured Americans and expand access to resources for uninsured Americans living with diabetes.\n\nTheir Improving Needed Safeguards for Users of Lifesaving InsulinNow (INSULIN) Act would build on the progress made through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) by extending the $35 per month cap on insulin for seniors to all insured individuals. The bill also establishes an insulin resource center and hotline to connect uninsured diabetes patients with diabetes resources and programs.\n\n\u201cThrough the Inflation Reduction Act, we made great strides toward lowering the cost of prescription drugs by capping the cost of insulin for our nation\u2019s seniors,\u201d Rep. Craig said. \u201cNow, it\u2019s time to extend that benefit to all Americans. I\u2019m proud to be joining my colleagues in introducing this critical bill that will ensure no Minnesotan has to choose between putting food on the table and picking up lifesaving medication.\u201d\n\nSince entering Congress, Rep. Craig has been a leader in the fight to lower prescription drug prices with a specific focus on insulin. In 2022, the provision of Rep. Craig\u2019s bill that capped insulin copays at $35/month for Medicare recipients was signed into law as part of the IRA. Earlier this Congress, she introduced theAffordable Insulin Now Act to help Americans with private insurance afford insulin.\n\nLast Congress, Rep. Craig also introduced the Emergency Access to Insulin Act to help Americans without health insurance afford insulin. This bill would expand emergency insulin access, lower costs for those without health insurance and take additional steps to hold drug companies accountable for price gouging Americans.\n\nDuring IRA negotiations, Rep. Craig stood with House progressives, refusing to support the bill until it included provisions to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. She is also cosponsor of the Lowering Drug Costs for American Families Act, which would expand Medicare drug price negotiation to lower the price of additional prescription drugs.\n\nYou can read the full text of the bill HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-04T09:19:37Z", "2026-09-04T09:20:58Z"], ["https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases/workforce-protections-ranking-member-omar-remarks-hearing-president-trumps", "Workforce Protections Ranking Member Omar Remarks at Hearing on President Trump\u2019s Deregulatory Agenda at the Department of Labor", "2026-09-02", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Ilhan Omar", "O000173", "omar.house.gov", "omar", "https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Ranking Member Ilhan Omar (MN-05) delivered the following opening statement at today\u2019s Workforce Protections Subcommittee hearing entitled, \u201cLess Red Tape, More Opportunity: Unleashing American Workers and Job Creators.\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for joining us today.\n\n\u201cMy Republican colleagues love to talk about getting rid of red tape, but let\u2019s look at what they actually want to get rid of: it is the light at a construction site; it is the respirator a worker wears to protect themselves from asbestos exposure; it is an inspector looking at a mine and simply asking a coal operator whether the roof is going to hold.\n\n\u201cEvery one of these commonsense rules is on the books because a worker was hurt or killed on the job. And this country decided it would not let it happen again.\n\n\u201cBut now the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans are trying to repeal them.\n\n\u201cThey have also fired staff across the Department of Labor and weakened important safety agencies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.\n\n\u201cThe attacks on workplace protections have made it harder to hold bad employ[ers] accountable, and harder for workers to trust that someone has their back.\n\n\u201cNow, 2025 was a very good year for President Trump personally.\n\n\u201cAccording to his own federal disclosure forms, Trump received 2.2 billion dollars in income after returning to the White House.\n\n\u201cLet me put that in perspective: the median American worker would have to work over forty-three thousand years to earn what President Trump made in a single year in office. Forty-three thousand years.\n\n\u201cWhile working families were falling further behind on their bills, the man in the Oval Office is cashing in. And Congressional Republicans are just looking the other way.\n\n\u201cWorse, they actually added red tape of their own to the very programs all of these families need to survive.\n\n\u201cIn the year since this Republican Congress passed the \u2018Big Ugly Bill,\u2019 more than eight million Americans have lost their health coverage and more than four million lost food assistance.\n\n\u201cRepublicans know they don\u2019t have a good economic record to run on. But let\u2019s be clear about the plan they are offering to the American people: it is more red tape [and] hardship for you, and less of it for their corporate beneficiaries.\n\n\u201cInstead of crafting an agenda that helps working people with the cost of living, Committee Republicans have consistently chosen to take the wrong priorities.\n\n\u201cThey have chosen to make labor cheap.\n\n\u201cThat is what their bills would do: making it easier for an employer to treat a worker like an independent contractor instead of a full-time employee; letting employers off the hook for wage theft; and making overtime cheaper and worth less for the workers putting in the time.\n\n\u201cAnd they have chosen to make jobs more dangerous.\n\n\u201cJust last month, Committee Republicans voted to block OSHA from ever issuing any standard [protecting] workers from extreme heat \u2013 in one of the hottest summers in our country\u2019s history.\n\n\u201cJust as troubling is what they have chosen not to do. This Committee has held zero hearings on issues that working people in my district and across the country care about most: not one hearing on raising the minimum wage; not one hearing on addressing the violence in the workplace; and not one hearing on our child labor laws, even as this Administration announced a plan to weaken them for 14-year-olds.\n\n\u201cMr. Chair, every worker in America deserves to come home safe at the end of the day. That should be one of the most basic obligations we have to our constituents.\n\n\u201cWorking families are not asking for much. They are asking for a fair shot, an honest wage, and a safe workplace.\n\n\u201cBut this Congress, and this Administration, are failing to meet the moment.\n\n\u201cStripping away labor protections will not unleash anything good.\n\n\u201cIt will just move the cost of doing business onto the bodies and livelihoods of working-class people who do the real work that powers this economy.\n\n\u201cWorking Americans deserve a government that works for them, not corporate interests.\n\n\u201cThank you, and I yield back.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-03T09:29:33Z", "2026-09-03T09:31:32Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=161222C7-63DC-4BD2-9BFF-EDDE73DAD661", "Klobuchar: Hemp Ban Delay Passes Congress, Heads to President\u2019s Desk", "2026-09-01", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) announced that the House passed the Senate\u2019s bipartisan bill that includes her provision to delay the federal hemp ban, based on the bipartisan Hemp Planting Predictability Act she introduced with Senator Rand Paul (R-KY).\n\nThe bill will delay the looming federal hemp ban through December 11, 2026, and bans synthetic hemp derivatives. The bill now heads to the President\u2019s desk.\n\nLast month, the Senate rejected an effort to strip the delay of the hemp ban from the bill by a vote of 61-32. Klobuchar worked through the night and got the support of Senators from both parties to delay the ban.\n\n\u201cThis is good news for Minnesota\u2019s farmers, brewers, small businesses, and customers,\u201d Klobuchar said. \u201cCongress has now passed a bipartisan bill that includes a key provision based on my legislation to delay the federal hemp ban, which I opposed last November. The President should sign this bipartisan bill into law immediately. This delay will give Minnesota hemp\u2019s producers, retailers, and customers certainty, and give Congress more time to get to a long-term fix.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-02T09:19:58Z", "2026-09-02T09:20:51Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=82D37F43-7018-4F92-8F1E-DEFACABFB5F6", "Klobuchar: Federal Funding Will Be Provided For Annunciation Community", "2026-09-01", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "MINNESOTA \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) was informed by the Department of Justice that the funding she and others had requested for the Annunciation Catholic School community has been awarded. This funding from the Office for Victims of Crime will provide resources for mental health and support services to those impacted by last year\u2019s tragic shooting, as well as for school modifications, substitute teachers, and medical needs.\n\nKlobuchar urged and received a commitment from Attorney General Blanche during his confirmation hearing to work with her to make federal funding available to support the Annunciation community.\n\n\u201cThe Annunciation community has shown incredible strength and resilience in the face of unimaginable tragedy, and they deserve the resources to help them heal,\u201d said Klobuchar. \u201cThese federal funds will now be available to support the students, families, and educators impacted by this horrific shooting.\u201d\n\nThe federal funding will provide approximately $2.6 million to the Annunciation community.", 1, "2026-09-02T09:19:58Z", "2026-09-02T09:20:51Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=57132442-AA86-47F0-89BE-5122F878CBF0", "Klobuchar Statement on EPA Announcement on Biofuel Blending Exemptions", "2026-08-31", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "MINNESOTA \u2014 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the following statement after the EPA announced a plan to grant new small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard for the 2025 compliance year.\n\n\"Farmers are already facing the headwinds of the President\u2019s tariffs, rising input costs from the war in Iran, and dwindling international markets, and now the Administration is choosing to damage another critical market for American farmers. I led bipartisan efforts to secure strong blending levels through both Republican and Democratic administrations and this announcement walks back that progress. I will continue to fight for stronger blending levels and a reallocation that helps Minnesota farmers.\"\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-01T09:48:49Z", "2026-09-01T09:49:51Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/smith-klobuchar-celebrate-groundbreaking-of-blatnik-bridge-replacement/", "Smith, Klobuchar Celebrate Groundbreaking of Blatnik Bridge Replacement", "2026-08-31", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "Sens. Smith & Klobuchar secured federal funding to reconstruct the bridge connecting Duluth and Superior, WI\n\nDULUTH, MN \u2014 U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (both D-MN) celebrated the groundbreaking of the Blatnik Bridge replacement project, after they secured federal funding for the bridge from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and successfully pressed the administration to release the funding so construction on the project could begin.\n\nThe Blatnik Bridge powers the regional economy with 33,000 vehicles crossing every day and $3.7 billion in goods transferred annually across the bridge between the Twin Ports. The reconstructed bridge is expected to be complete in 2031.\n\n\u201cThe Twin Ports are economic engines for the region, and that\u2019s only possible because the Blatnik Bridge is there to move people and cargo between Duluth and Superior,\u201d said Smith. \u201cThis new and improved bridge will pay dividends for the Northland and our entire state. I\u2019m grateful not only to the union workers who will build this bridge, but to everyone in the region who will put up with some construction delays while this incredible feat of engineering is completed.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor over 60 years, the Blatnik Bridge has connected commuters, businesses, and communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin, but it is in serious need of a replacement,\u201d said Klobuchar. \u201cA safe and reliable Blatnik Bridge is critical for Minnesota\u2019s economic future and for people across our entire region. We fought to secure this funding and then fought to make sure it was released, and now we are finally breaking ground on the new bridge our region needs. This project will improve safety and reliability and help keep our communities and economy moving for generations to come.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-01T09:48:49Z", "2026-09-01T09:49:51Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=F6DB3973-FFE9-42FE-BAB6-AE76C893CD2C", "Klobuchar, Smith Celebrate Groundbreaking of Blatnik Bridge Replacement", "2026-08-31", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "MINNESOTA \u2014 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) celebrated the groundbreaking of the Blatnik Bridge replacement project, after they secured federal funding for the bridge from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and successfully pressed the administration to release the funding so construction on the project could begin.\n\nThe Blatnik Bridge powers the regional economy with 33,000 vehicles crossing every day and $3.7 billion in goods transferred annually across the bridge between the Twin Ports. The reconstructed bridge is expected to be complete in 2031.\n\n\u201cFor over 60 years, the Blatnik Bridge has connected commuters, businesses, and communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin, but it is in serious need of a replacement,\u201d said Klobuchar. \u201cA safe and reliable Blatnik Bridge is critical for Minnesota\u2019s economic future and for people across our entire region. We fought to secure this funding and then fought to make sure it was released, and now we are finally breaking ground on the new bridge our region needs. This project will improve safety and reliability and help keep our communities and economy moving for generations to come.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Twin Ports are economic engines for the region, and that\u2019s only possible because the Blatnik Bridge is there to move people and cargo between Duluth and Superior,\u201d said Sen. Smith. \u201cThis new and improved bridge will pay dividends for the Northland and our entire state. I\u2019m grateful not only to the union workers who will build this bridge, but to everyone in the region who will put up with some construction delays while this incredible feat of engineering is completed.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-02T09:19:58Z", "2026-09-02T09:20:51Z"], ["https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-omar-statement-one-year-anniversary-annunciation-catholic-school-shooting", "Rep. Omar Statement on One Year Anniversary of the Annunciation Catholic School Shooting", "2026-08-27", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Ilhan Omar", "O000173", "omar.house.gov", "omar", "https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "MINNEAPOLIS \u2013 Today, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) released the following statement to commemorate the one year anniversary of the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in her district.\n\n\"Today, our community gathers to remember Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski, honor the survivors, and stand with every child, family, educator, parishioner, and first responder whose life was forever changed by the tragedy at Annunciation one year ago.\n\n\"Fletcher and Harper were targeted while doing something so innocent: sitting in prayer at the first all-school Mass of the school year. As a mother, I cannot imagine the heartbreak their families have endured. As a Minneapolis resident and your representative, my heart remains utterly shattered. I refuse to accept that this is the reality our children must grow up in.\n\n\"Annunciation Church has been a fixture of our Southside community for more than 100 years. My district office is just 10 minutes away, and members of my staff have deep ties to this church. They have celebrated weddings, baptisms, and first communions there. This tragedy struck not only a school and a parish, but a community that we hold close to our hearts.\n\n\"At the heart of today is a simple belief: one meaningful way we can remember is by showing up for others and moving our feet. Through acts of service and generosity, we can carry forward the love, courage, and care that have surrounded the Annunciation community over the past year. But remembrance must also be coupled with action.\n\n\"Gun violence is the number one killer of children and teens. Our leaders at every level of government have an obligation to confront this crisis and keep our children safe. As a legislator, I continue to be ashamed by the lack of political will to act, even after Columbine, Parkland, Uvalde, and far too many other tragedies. We must do whatever is within our power to protect our kids.\n\n\"It should not be controversial to pass commonsense lifesaving measures, including banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Our elected leaders should care more about the safety of our children than protecting access to weapons of war.\n\n\"We owe it to Fletcher and Harper, to the survivors, and to every single child who deserves to feel safe at school and in a house of worship to do everything in our power to prevent this from ever happening again.\"\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-27T16:10:01Z", "2026-08-27T16:10:50Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=8DC13D8C-0D89-408E-9DC2-20BE476B8702", "Klobuchar Statement on Meta Settlement", "2026-08-26", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "MINNESOTA \u2013 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the following statement on today\u2019s Meta settlement:\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s landmark settlement between Meta and a coalition of states, including Minnesota, is a critical step toward protecting children online.\n\nMeta has finally agreed to put in place critical reforms to its platform like time limits on social media and restrictions on push notifications, and it will pay $17 billion for the harm it caused.\n\nI\u2019ve been taking on social media companies for years \u2014 from passing the bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act to stop the spread of sexually explicit deepfakes on social media to fighting to open the courtroom doors to parents harmed by Meta\u2019s constant push to make money no matter the harm.\n\nParents shouldn\u2019t have to fight Big Tech alone. We need rules of the road to hold tech companies accountable and protect kids. Congress needs to pass strong kids\u2019 safety rules and make these platforms responsible for the products they build so they stop blaming parents. It\u2019s not the parents. It\u2019s the products.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-04T09:19:37Z", "2026-09-04T09:20:58Z"], ["https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-betty-mccollum-highlight-high-costs-reduced-coverage-minnesotans", "Congresswoman Betty McCollum to Highlight High Costs, Reduced Coverage for Minnesotans at Gillette Children\u2019s Health Care Discussion", "2026-08-25", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Betty McCollum", "M001143", "mccollum.house.gov", "mccollum", "https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "SAINT PAUL, Minn. \u2014 Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D, MN-04) will host a health care roundtable at Gillette Children\u2019s on Wednesday, bringing together patients, providers, and state health care leaders to highlight the high cost of care and reduced coverage Minnesotans are experiencing as a result of the Republican budget law known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.\n\nWHO: Congresswoman Betty McCollum; Gillette Children\u2019s President & CEO Barbara Joers; Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, Minnesota Medical Association President Dr. Lisa Mattson, Minnesota Hospital Association Director of State Government Relations Danny Ackert, MNsure CEO Libby Caulum, Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging Executive Director Dawn Simonson, State Medicaid Director & Minnesota Department of Human Services Temporary Commissioner John Connolly, an SEIU health care worker, and a Gillette Children\u2019s patient and parent.\n\nWHAT: Health Care Roundtable\n\nWHERE: Gillette Children\u2019s, 200 University Ave E, Saint Paul, MN 55101\n\nWHEN: Wednesday, August 26th at 10:30-11:30 AM", 1, "2026-08-26T05:33:32Z", "2026-08-26T05:34:56Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=24870B36-1145-44A5-9652-8BF90921A11C", "Klobuchar Statement on New Tariffs on Canada", "2026-08-24", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "Klobuchar heads up bipartisan Canada-U.S. group in the Senate and was one of the leaders of the bill to overturn tariffs against Canada.\n\nMINNESOTA \u2013 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), co-chair of the Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group, released the following statement on the Administration\u2019s new tariffs on Canadian goods and Canada\u2019s retaliatory tariffs.\n\n\u201cOnce again, the President\u2019s tariffs are raising costs and increasing uncertainty for families, farmers, workers, and small businesses.\n\nI was one of the lead sponsors of the bill to overturn the tariffs on Canada that successfully passed the U.S. Senate. Canada is Minnesota\u2019s top trading partner and our economies and communities are deeply connected. We have always been able to work through our differences and find solutions that benefit both countries. But instead this Administration has chosen to escalate a trade war with one of our closest allies. The new 50 percent tariffs on Canadian goods, followed by Canada\u2019s decision to retaliate, will only make it harder for Minnesota businesses and farmers to compete and will further drive up prices.\n\nI have opposed these tariffs from the beginning, and I will continue to stand up for the U.S.-Canada relationship to protect Minnesota\u2019s economy and the strong trade ties that benefit both sides of the border.\u201d\n\nKlobuchar, along with Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), introduced the Trade Review Act, legislation to require that any new tariffs receive congressional review and approval within 60 days.\n\nEarlier this year, legislation to repeal President Trump\u2019s International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs on Canada was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. In October 2025, similar bipartisan legislation led by Senators Klobuchar, Kaine, Paul, and Warner passed the Senate 50-46.\n\nKlobuchar serves as co-chair of the Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group together with Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND). The group was established in 1959 as a forum for U.S. members of Congress and Canadian parliamentarians to have an ongoing dialogue on major issues of mutual concern.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-25T05:31:37Z", "2026-08-25T05:33:09Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=6A2F68BF-CF02-4A22-A85C-4E85A29BD29C", "Klobuchar, Rounds Introduce Bipartisan RANCH Act to Rebuild Domestic Cattle Herd", "2026-08-20", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) have introduced the bipartisan Rebuilding America\u2019s National Cow Herd (RANCH) Act. The RANCH Act will incentivize voluntary conversion of marginal cropland to grazing land to encourage cattle herd recovery as the United States beef cattle herd has contracted to its smallest size in over 70 years.\n\n\u201cWith the U.S. cattle herd at its smallest size in over 70 years, many farmers and ranchers need new opportunities to stay afloat,\u201d said Klobuchar. \u201cThe bipartisan RANCH Act will help farmers looking to start a cow-calf herd or expand their existing herd while also providing wildlife habitat on the land. In the long-term, this plan can rebuild the domestic cattle herd and help drive down beef costs.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnyone who has spent time around cattle understands one simple truth: no grass means no cattle,\u201d said Rounds. \u201cWith ranchers facing drought, high input costs and a shortage of grazing land, America\u2019s beef cow herd is at its smallest size in over 70 years. The RANCH Act would create a voluntary Ranchland Program that helps producers restore eligible marginal cropland into grasslands for grazing. Producers can use their land in a way that makes the most sense for each individual operation, giving those who know their land best the tools needed to succeed.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Minnesota State Cattlemen\u2019s Association is grateful for Senator Amy Klobuchar\u2019s and Senator Mike Rounds\u2019 support of the RANCH Act, which would establish a new voluntary grazing land restoration program to support and enhance grazing lands across the country,\u201d said Jake Thompson, President of the Minnesota State Cattlemen\u2019s Association. \u201cGrazing is an incredible tool for land management, and it is great to see a program that offers cost-share and signing incentive payments to offset financial costs for the producers.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell-managed, restored grazing lands provide important habitat for wildlife while supporting ranchers, farmers, and rural economies,\u201d said Aviva Glaser, Associate Vice President of Agriculture and Grasslands Conservation for the National Wildlife Federation. \u201cThank you to Senators Rounds and Klobuchar for introducing the RANCH Act, which provides opportunities for producers to restore marginal cropland to grasslands for grazing. By restoring these lands for grazing, this bill can help rebuild the U.S. cow herd while delivering a win for wildlife, ranchers, and rural communities alike.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe RANCH Act is a smart investment in America\u2019s working lands at a critical time for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities,\u201d said Andrew Schmidt, Director of Government Affairs for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. \u201cGiving producers the tools to convert marginal cropland to grazing land can help ranchers grow their operations, bring more grass back to the landscape, and increase the habitat that pheasants, quail, and other wildlife depend on. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever thank Senators Rounds and Klobuchar for their leadership on this important legislation.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe RANCH Act meets a critical need for America's ranchers and grasslands, particularly in the Great Plains,\u201d said Alexis Bonogofsky, Vice President of the Great Plains Program at the World Wildlife Fund. \u201cIt would create a dedicated program to restore grasslands for grazing and enable effective grazing management plans, which are essential to the productivity of both ranchers and grassland ecosystems. While the scale of marginal lands that need to be restored far exceeds the 20 million acres this program would support, this is a significant and welcome step forward.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe RANCH ACT is the sort of legislation and idea that we have long worked on and hoped for to find new ways to incentivize creation of working forage to support ranchers, cow calf operations and cover for nesting ducks and other species,\u201d said John L. Devney, Chief Policy Officer at Delta Waterfowl. \u201cWe sincerely appreciate Senator Rounds and Senator Klobuchar for advancing this important idea.\u201d\n\n\u201cHealthy grazing lands are essential to a healthy landscape,\u201d said Ryan Taylor, Director of Public Policy at Ducks Unlimited. \u201cThe RANCH Act recognizes the conservation value of these working lands while helping address the need for additional livestock grazing. This legislation helps ranchers restore marginal cropland to perennial cover and managed grazing. Ducks Unlimited supports voluntary, rancher-driven solutions that improve habitat, soil health, and water quality while keeping ranchers on the land for generations to come.\u201d", 1, "2026-08-21T05:30:57Z", "2026-08-21T05:32:22Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/smith-klobuchar-finstad-urge-trump-administration-to-approve-minnesotas-request-for-disaster-declaration/", "Smith, Klobuchar, Finstad Urge Trump Administration to Approve Minnesota\u2019s Request for Disaster Declaration", "2026-08-20", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (both D-MN) and U.S. Representative Brad Finstad (R-MN) urged the Trump Administration to approve Minnesota\u2019s request for a Major Disaster Declaration to help communities in southeastern Minnesota that are working to recover from severe weather and flooding. If this disaster declaration is approved, the federal government will be able to provide disaster assistance for various recovery efforts.\n\n\u201cWe write to you in strong support of the state of Minnesota\u2019s request for a Major Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance under the Stafford Act to assist our constituents recovering from severe storms and flash flooding. These natural disasters have caused significant damage, and we ask that you quickly grant approval for federal disaster assistance,\u201d said the lawmakers.\n\nThe lawmakers continued, \u201cTime and time again, Minnesotans have stepped up to support their neighbors after natural disasters. When flood waters rise and homes are damaged, volunteers and neighbors are quick to fill sandbags, clean up debris, and lend a hand to those in need. Impacted communities will repair the damage and rebuild following these disasters, but rapid federal assistance will speed up this recovery effort. We strongly support Minnesota\u2019s request for a Major Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance and ask that you grant its approval without delay.\u201d\n\nFull text of the letter is available HERE and below:\n\nDear Mr. President:\n\nWe write to you in strong support of the state of Minnesota\u2019s request for a Major Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance under the Stafford Act to assist our constituents recovering from severe storms and flash flooding. These natural disasters have caused significant damage, and we ask that you quickly grant approval for federal disaster assistance.\n\nIn early July, southeastern Minnesota experienced severe weather events that caused flooding across the region. Heavy precipitation qualified as a rare \u201cmega-rain\u201d in some areas, with approximately 75 percent of Fillmore County and more than half of Houston County receiving more than 6 inches of rain. The severe storms and resulting flooding caused significant damage to homes in the affected area. Each home that received major damage had a submerged furnace or boiler, many of which will need repair or replacement ahead of Minnesota\u2019s fall and winter seasons. Some homes have been condemned or determined to be uninhabitable due to structural issues resulting from the disaster.\n\nJoint federal and state emergency management teams have conducted preliminary damage assessments and have determined that the losses meet the threshold for federal assistance under the Stafford Act through a Major Disaster Declaration. Governor Walz has submitted an official request for disaster assistance for the period of July 2 to July 8, 2026. The request, dated August 21, 2026, covers Fillmore, Houston, and MowerCounties.\n\nTime and time again, Minnesotans have stepped up to support their neighbors after natural disasters. When flood waters rise and homes are damaged, volunteers and neighbors are quick to fill sandbags, clean up debris, and lend a hand to those in need. Impacted communities will repair the damage and rebuild following these disasters, but rapid federal assistance will speed up this recovery effort.\n\nWe strongly support Minnesota\u2019s request for a Major Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance and ask that you grant its approval without delay.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-22T05:24:59Z", "2026-08-22T05:26:16Z"], ["https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-betty-mccollum-commends-governor-walzs-executive-order-banning", "Congresswoman Betty McCollum Commends Governor Walz\u2019s Executive Order Banning Mining Near the Boundary Waters", "2026-08-19", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Betty McCollum", "M001143", "mccollum.house.gov", "mccollum", "https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "SAINT PAUL, Minn. \u2014 Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D), the Dean of the Minnesota Congressional Delegation, issued the following statement on Tuesday in response to Governor Tim Walz\u2019s executive order banning mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA):\n\n\u201cI commend Governor Walz\u2019s bold leadership in issuing this executive order that protects the pristine waters of the Boundary Waters and its watershed, and honors our Tribal treaty obligations for generations to come. Now Congress needs to act to pass my legislation, the Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act (H.R. 588) to provide a permanent federal protection for this national treasure. The Boundary Waters holds 20% of all the fresh water in the U.S. National Forest System \u2014 water so clean you can drink it. The danger of copper mining to our clean water is clear and overwhelming: 100% of copper mines have failed, leading to polluted water. The wildfires that have raged in the BWCA this summer remind us just how vulnerable this area is. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve worked for two decades to defend this special place, our nation\u2019s most-visited wilderness, just as we protect our nation\u2019s most coveted national parks \u2014Yosemite, Zion, Acadia, and Glacier.\u201d", 1, "2026-08-20T05:28:41Z", "2026-08-20T05:29:58Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smiths-statement-on-minnesota-state-governments-executive-actions-to-prevent-copper-nickel-mining-in-the-watershed-of-the-boundary-waters-canoe-area-wilderness/", "U.S. Senator Tina Smith\u2019s Statement on Minnesota State Government\u2019s Executive Actions to Prevent Copper-Nickel Mining in the Watershed of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness", "2026-08-18", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "MINNEAPOLIS, MN \u2013 U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement after the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced it will take aggressive executive action to stop a copper-sulfide mine within the watershed of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA):\n\n\u201cMinnesotans strongly support protecting the Boundary Waters. We are a mining state, but not this mine in this place. The Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress ignored the science and overturned protections for the Boundary Waters, but the fight continues here at home,\u201d said Senator Smith. \u201cI strongly support Minnesota using all our regulatory powers to stop this mine. I also support the legislature taking action to stop this mine. At the end of the day, this is about a foreign company mining our metals, shipping them to China, almost certainly polluting the BWCA in the process, and then selling them back to us for their profit and our loss. I\u2019m glad Minnesota is standing up to protect this precious place.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-19T05:29:02Z", "2026-08-19T05:30:24Z"], ["https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/representatives-mccollum-and-thompson-reintroduce-resolution-recognize", "Representatives McCollum and Thompson Reintroduce Resolution to Recognize National Nonprofit Day", "2026-08-17", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Betty McCollum", "M001143", "mccollum.house.gov", "mccollum", "https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN) and Congressman Glenn \u201cGT\u201d Thompson (R-PA) introduced a bipartisan resolution on Monday to designate August 17 as National Nonprofit Day, recognizing the 1.3 million nonprofit organizations and 12 million nonprofit employees in the U.S. who serve local, national, and international needs.\n\n\u201cNonprofits are the backbone of our communities and our economy,\u201d said Congresswoman McCollum. \u201cThey employ more than 12 million Americans \u2014 including 370,000 Minnesotans \u2014 and deliver the services families rely on every day, from food shelves to after-school programs to elder care. By officially recognizing National Nonprofit Day, we honor the people who show up for their neighbors and make sure this sector has the support it needs to keep doing that work.\u201d\n\n\u201cPennsylvania\u2019s nonprofit organizations make up more than 15% of the Commonwealth\u2019s workforce, which translates into positive investments in our communities,\u201d Rep. Thompson said. \u201cWe have joined together to designate August 17 as National Nonprofit Day in order to honor the generosity and service of these great organizations.\u201d\n\nIn addition to introducing this resolution recognizing National Nonprofit Day, Congresswoman McCollum has long worked in partnership with nonprofit organizations to strengthen the sector and its relationship with the federal government through the Nonprofit SEAT Act. The legislation is designed to facilitate mechanisms for nonprofits to have a more direct voice in policy decisions that affect their work and the communities they serve.", 1, "2026-08-18T05:27:41Z", "2026-08-18T05:29:06Z"], ["https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-mccollum-statement-servicemembers-aboard-uss-abraham-lincoln", "Congresswoman McCollum Statement on Servicemembers Aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln", "2026-08-14", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Betty McCollum", "M001143", "mccollum.house.gov", "mccollum", "https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "SAINT PAUL, Minn. \u2014 Congresswoman Betty McCollum, the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement on Friday amid reports of poor living conditions on board the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln because of the extended deployment of American servicemembers in the Arabian Sea.\n\n\u201cI have been demanding answers from the Pentagon for weeks about the conditions not only on the U.S.S. Lincoln, but also the U.S.S. Ford,\u201d said Ranking Member McCollum. \u201cOnce again, this week, I requested information from the Pentagon about the conditions aboard the U.S.S. Lincoln including how a food shortage, substandard sanitation, and no port time has led to low morale and a mental health crisis for some service members.\n\n\u201cSecretary Hegseth\u2019s leadership of the Department of Defense has been nonexistent, and President Trump\u2019s rudderless foreign policy has set our nation back severely. President Trump\u2019s reckless decision to withdraw from the JCPOA, negotiated by President Obama, had an immediate destabilizing effect on the Middle East. In his second term, President Trump has managed to turn a bad situation into a dangerous one by starting a war without a strategy and declaring victory prematurely. Servicemembers have died. The Trump Administration has spent billions of dollars. The strait of Hormuz was once open; it is now effectively closed by Iran. This is not a success story. It is a failure of leadership.\n\n\u201cI am grateful for the service of all the women and men aboard the U.S.S. Lincoln, as well as all American servicemembers deployed in the Middle East and around the world, whether at sea or on land. Our great men and women in uniform make our nation proud.\u201d", 1, "2026-08-15T05:23:20Z", "2026-08-15T05:24:50Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=144695EB-E5A4-414B-8634-A6D35BC6645D", "Sens. Klobuchar, Schiff Introduce Comprehensive Cybersecurity Bill in Wake of Recent Cyberattacks on Water Infrastructure", "2026-08-13", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) introduced the Water Cyber Shield Act to improve cybersecurity in America\u2019s water infrastructure in the wake of recent cyberattacks against water utilities.\n\nThe legislation would strengthen federal oversight by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), provide critical funding for local utilities, and safeguard drinking water and wastewater systems from cyberattacks.\n\n\u201cThe recent cyberattacks on Minnesota have highlighted the urgent need to improve the security of our water systems and critical infrastructure,\u201d said Klobuchar. \u201cOur legislation will direct the EPA to assess water infrastructure cybersecurity and identify vulnerabilities, and help municipal water systems defend against cyber threats. Protecting our critical infrastructure and the safety of Minnesotans is a top priority.\u201d\n\n\u201cEvery American depends on safe, reliable drinking water, yet recent events have exposed just how vulnerable our water systems remain to cyberattacks by foreign adversaries and criminal entities,\u201d said Schiff. \u201cThese threats are not hypothetical\u2014they are happening right now. This legislation gives EPA the tools it needs to protect this critical infrastructure while providing the resources that local water and wastewater systems need to strengthen their cybersecurity without passing the cost on to ratepayers.\u201d\n\nThe new bill comes as federal officials warned in April of an alarming increase in cyberattacks against water utilities. In the last few weeks, coordinated attacks targeted more than 30 community water systems in Minnesota, underscoring the vulnerability of local infrastructure and the potential for the contamination of clean drinking water.\n\nThe Water Cyber Shield Act would:\n\nAuthorize the EPA to conduct cybersecurity assessments and require corrective actions when significant vulnerabilities are identified.\n\nAuthorize an additional $300 million each year for the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds dedicated to cybersecurity improvements.\n\nRequire large drinking water and wastewater systems to assess cybersecurity risks as part of their existing risk and resilience planning.\n\nDirect the EPA to establish tiered cybersecurity standards developed in consultation with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), states, and water sector stakeholders.\n\nExtend federal cyber incident reporting requirements to state and locally owned water and wastewater systems that were previously exempt.\n\nProtect sensitive cybersecurity information submitted by utilities from public disclosure.\n\nProvide pathways for states with sufficient capacity to assume primary enforcement responsibility while allowing EPA to lead where needed.\n\nSmaller water systems and those with less capacity would receive additional flexibility and be prioritized for federal financial assistance, while EPA would be required to work closely with water utilities through a new technical advisory committee to develop practical cybersecurity standards.\n\nFollowing the cyberattacks on Minnesota municipal water facilities, Klobuchar received a briefing from U.S. National Cyber Director and Minnesota native Sean Cairncross and spoke to several mayors whose communities have been impacted.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-14T06:13:05Z", "2026-08-14T06:14:08Z"], ["https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-ilhan-omar-demands-answers-about-presence-undercover-hsi-agent", "Congresswoman Ilhan Omar Demands Answers About the Presence of an Undercover HSI Agent Outside her Town Hall Meeting", "2026-08-10", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Ilhan Omar", "O000173", "omar.house.gov", "omar", "https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "MINNEAPOLIS \u2013 Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) sent an oversight letter to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) demanding a response as to why an undercover HSI agent was stationed outside of her monthly town hall meeting in Richfield. Following nationwide concerns about the Trump Administration\u2019s use of ICE and DHS to intimidate Americans who oppose their political agenda, this action raises serious concerns about the purpose of HSI\u2019s presence at the Congresswoman\u2019s public event.\n\nIt also raises concerns about practices at HSI and ICE more broadly. It calls into question the level of training agents are receiving before being sent out into the field, given the agent claimed to have been conducting an undercover criminal operation with no prior coordination with local law enforcement near the Congresswoman\u2019s event. Importantly, it indicates that HSI is continuing to use mismatched license plates on vehicles, in violation of state law and in contradiction to earlier commitments HSI made to Rep. Omar.\n\n\u201cHSI's actions yesterday evening put an entire community at risk,\u201d said Rep. Omar. \u201cInstead of monitoring the area for those who might wish harm to me and my constituents, Richfield Police were required to devote time to investigating why an HSI agent was outside of a Congressional event in a vehicle with mismatched plates. It also raises serious and uncomfortable questions about the purpose of HSI's presence outside of my event. At best, your agent was unable to assess that the parking lot of a community center hosting a Congressional event wasn\u2019t the best place to conduct a drug operation. At worst, it emphasizes many Americans\u2019 growing concern that the Trump administration uses ICE to surveil political opponents and may interfere with our democracy.\u201d\n\nCongresswoman Omar is demanding answers to the following questions:\n\nPlease explain why an agent was detailed to Richfield Community Center on the evening of Thursday, August 6, 2026.\n\nPlease explain when and how the HSI agent and her supervisors became aware I was hosting a town hall at this location and what action that knowledge prompted.\n\nPlease provide an overview of the training the agent had completed prior to her assignment at this location, as well as how long she has served as an HSI agent.\n\nRichfield Police Department reported that they had received no advance communication of an undercover operation from HSI that would have allowed them to ensure the safety of the officer and the community, as well as support HSI's broader work to combat drug trafficking. Please explain what steps you take to coordinate undercover criminal operations with local law enforcement, and why in this instance there was no prior coordination with Richfield Police Department.\n\nPlease share details of any meetings or events I have hosted in my official capacity as a Member of Congress that HSI agents may have been assigned to observe and why. Please share whether HSI agents have observed any other activity being undertaken in an official capacity by any other local, state, or federal officials in Minnesota this year.\n\nYou can find the full text of the oversight letter here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-11T05:54:29Z", "2026-08-11T05:56:25Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smiths-bipartisan-legislation-to-combat-lyme-disease-and-other-tick-borne-illnesses-passes-the-senate-unanimously/", "U.S. Senator Tina Smith\u2019s Bipartisan Legislation to Combat Lyme Disease and Other Tick-Borne Illnesses Passes the Senate Unanimously", "2026-08-10", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "Most recent data shows Minnesota saw 3,551 cases in 2024 alone\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Tina Smith announced the bipartisan Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act passed the Senate unanimously. The bill will expand research, testing and treatment for Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.\n\n\u201cMinnesota is proud to have more than 10,000 lakes and thousands of rivers for us to enjoy, and we\u2019re always especially eager to get outside after a long winter,\u201d said Sen. Smith. \u201cUnfortunately, the number of Lyme disease cases in the state\u2014and states across the country\u2014is on the rise. This bill would step up regional efforts at researching, testing and treating Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. We must cut down on tick-borne illnesses and for the sake of Americans\u2019 health and well-being, we need to keep moving this bill forward.\u201d\n\nThe bill, co-led by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), was named in honor of former Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC), who passed away on October 28, 2019, due to complications from the tick-borne disease Powassan virus.\n\nOver the past two decades, Minnesota has experienced a significant rise in tick-borne diseases. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, Lyme disease remains the state\u2019s most commonly reported tick-borne illness, with 3,551 probable cases reported in 2024. In the same year, Minnesota also reported hundreds of cases of other tickborne diseases: 627 cases of anaplasmosis, 89 cases of babesiosis and 14 cases of Powassan virus disease.\n\nUsing a three-pronged approach, The Kay Hagan Tick Act will:\n\nContinue implementation and updates of the Department of Health and Human Services\u2019 National Public Health Strategy to Prevent and Control Vector-Borne Diseases in People. This would support ongoing federal efforts to advance research, improve diagnostics, and strengthen coordination on vector-borne diseases.\n\nReauthorize the Regional Centers of Excellence in Vector-Borne Disease for five years. These centers support critical research, surveillance and public health efforts to address tick-borne diseases and other vector-borne threats.\n\nReauthorize CDC grants to state health departments to strengthen vector-borne disease prevention and response efforts. These grants would support surveillance, early detection and diagnosis, treatment efforts, public education, and partnerships to address Lyme disease and other vector-borne diseases.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-11T05:54:29Z", "2026-08-11T05:56:25Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smiths-statement-on-voting-against-the-confirmation-of-attorney-general-todd-blanche/", "U.S. Senator Tina Smith\u2019s Statement on Voting Against the Confirmation of Attorney General Todd Blanche", "2026-08-08", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement after voting against the confirmation of the President\u2019s nominee to be the next Attorney General, Todd Blanche:\n\n\u201cTodd Blanche has clearly demonstrated that he lacks the integrity to be Attorney General. He demonstrated it when he defended the President\u2019s attempts to overturn the 2020 election, when he defended the President\u2019s hush money payments, and he demonstrated it when he committed to enacting a national ban on distributing medication abortion,\u201d said Senator Smith. \u201cIt\u2019s disappointing, though not surprising, to see Republicans cave to the President once again and confirm a nominee who they know will continue weaponizing the Department of Justice against the President\u2019s political enemies.\u201d\n\nSmith had criticized Blanche earlier this week for threatening to invoke the Comstock Act, an antiquated anti-vice law from before women had the right to vote, to ban the distribution of medication abortion in every single state regardless of state level abortion protections, including Minnesota.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-09T05:47:57Z", "2026-08-09T05:49:40Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=34A3205B-E8EF-4DA3-B9F6-EDAADBC73011", "Klobuchar: Senate Passes Delay of Hemp Ban, Giving Time to Find Long-Term Solution and Not Ban Hemp in Minnesota", "2026-08-08", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) announced that the Senate passed a bipartisan bill that includes her provision to delay the federal hemp ban, based on the bipartisan Hemp Planting Predictability Act she introduced with Senator Rand Paul (R-KY).\n\nThe Senate also rejected an effort to strip the delay of the hemp ban from the bill by a vote of 61-32. Klobuchar worked through the night and got the support of Senators from both parties for her measure.\n\nThe bill will delay the looming federal hemp ban through December 11, 2026, and bans synthetic hemp derivatives. The legislation now needs to pass the House of Representatives.\n\n\u201cThis is good news for Minnesota\u2019s farmers, brewers, small businesses, and customers,\u201d said Klobuchar. \u201cThe Senate has passed a bipartisan bill with a key provision based on my legislation to delay the ill-conceived federal hemp ban, which I opposed last year. This delay provides more time to find a long-term solution, like the sensible safety rules we have in Minnesota, rather than allowing a federal ban to wipe out a thriving industry. I will keep working to make sure Minnesota continues to have a safe and strong hemp industry.\u201d", 1, "2026-08-10T06:13:07Z", "2026-08-10T06:14:46Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=7491FB0D-6663-4359-AEE3-04D8F655744D", "Klobuchar, Gillibrand Introduce Bill to Build More Accessible, Affordable Housing", "2026-08-07", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "The legislation would increase the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and expand development of accessible housing for seniors and people with disabilities\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ranking Member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, introduced the Visitable Inclusive Tax Credits for Accessible Living (VITAL) Act to strengthen the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) to expand the supply of affordable, accessible housing for older adults and people with disabilities. U.S. Representatives Dwight Evans (D-PA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced companion legislation in the House.\n\n\u201cFor far too many Americans living with disabilities and older adults with mobility issues, safe housing is out of reach due to a lack of affordable and accessible options,\u201d said Klobuchar. \u201cThis legislation would increase the number of new homes that are located in walkable or wheelchair-friendly communities to increase access to housing for all.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs our aging population continues to grow, it is critical that we invest in affordable housing units with accessible features,\u201d said Gillibrand. \u201cThe VITAL Act would help ensure that affordable housing meets the mobility and accessibility needs of New York seniors and people with disabilities, allowing them to age comfortably in the communities of their choice. As the top Democrat on the Senate Aging Committee, I am proud to lead this bill, and I encourage my colleagues to support it.\u201d\n\n\u201cAbout 26 percent of people in the United States have a disability, yet less than 6 percent of the national housing supply is designed to be accessible at even a basic level. This bill would change that by expanding low-income housing tax credits to make affordable housing more accessible for seniors and people with disabilities. The need for accessible housing will only continue to grow as America\u2019s senior population grows! I want to thank Congressman Fitzpatrick and Senators Klobuchar and Gillibrand for partnering on this much-needed bill,\u201d said Evans.\n\n\u201cAs we work to increase housing supply and make homes more affordable, we must also build with the needs of our seniors and Americans with disabilities in mind. The VITAL Act uses the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to promote accessible, adaptable homes in communities connected to transportation and essential services. This legislation reflects the kind of housing policy I will always champion\u2014one that strengthens independence, expands opportunity, and helps every person live with dignity,\u201d said Fitzpatrick.\n\nAlong with Klobuchar and Gillibrand, the VITAL Act was cosponsored by Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Peter Welch (D-VT).\n\nThe LIHTC is a federal program providing tax credits to developers who build new housing for low-income renters. The VITAL Act would increase state LIHTC allocations, provide an enhanced tax credit for qualifying affordable housing developments that include accessible units for people with disabilities in walkable communities, and incentivize state housing finance agencies to prioritize the development of more accessible housing.\n\nThe VITAL Act is endorsed by The Kelsey, LeadingAge, Pathways to Housing PA, TriageCancer, National Low Income Housing Coalition, Liberty Housing Development Corporation, National Council on Independent Living, National Disability Rights Network, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, The Arc of the United States, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, Justice in Aging, National Housing Law Project, National Council on Aging, National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs, Muscular Dystrophy Association, National NeighborWorks Association, Paralyzed Veterans of America, TASH, ANCOR, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, The Amputee Coalition, Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, YIMBY Action, Disability Empowerment Center of Lancaster PA, American Foundation of the Blind, America Walks, National Homelessness Law Center, Caring Across Generations, National Association of the Deaf, Community Solutions, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), American Council of the Blind, HDC MidAtlantic, New Disabled South, and Autism Speaks.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-08T05:41:38Z", "2026-08-08T05:43:24Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smith-votes-to-impose-harsh-sanctions-on-russia-for-invasion-of-ukraine/", "U.S. Senator Tina Smith Votes to Impose Harsh Sanctions on Russia for Invasion of Ukraine", "2026-08-07", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHIGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement after voting to impose harsh sanctions on Russia for its illegal invasion of Ukraine, which passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support (86-11):\n\n\u201cThe United States must stand up for democracy and against Putin\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions we passed today are a powerful tool to cut off the funding for Russia\u2019s war machine, even though the President should have imposed them himself much earlier. Combined with Ukraine\u2019s recent successes on the battlefield, these new sanctions will help us force Putin to bring an end to this terrible war,\u201d said Senator Smith.\n\nThe bill now heads to the House of Representatives.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-11T05:54:29Z", "2026-08-11T05:56:25Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smiths-statement-on-farm-bill-markup/", "U.S. Senator Tina Smith\u2019s Statement on Agriculture Committee\u2019s Markup of Long-Delayed Farm Bill", "2026-08-06", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "Sen. Smith and colleagues offered dozens of amendments to strengthen the Farm Bill, which ultimately failed to gain bipartisan support\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement after the Senate Agriculture Committee failed to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill:\n\n\u201cPatience is a virtue, it\u2019s just not my virtue. I\u2019m disappointed that we could not come to agreement on the Senate Farm Bill today, but we will keep working to find a path forward. It\u2019s crucial that we pass a bipartisan Farm Bill that meets the needs of farmers, ranchers and rural America, including year-round E15,\u201d said Sen. Smith.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m glad that several of my provisions are included in this bill. However, it is not possible to pass a Farm Bill that fails to fix the deep cuts to SNAP that are taking food off the table for millions of Americans, including at least 1.5 million children. Democrats have offered a commonsense solution that would delay the giant cost shift to county taxpayers, which would end up costing Minnesota taxpayers $140 million, for two years,\u201d she continued.\n\n\u201cWhile the Republican have not accepted this so far, we will keep working. I\u2019m grateful for the relentless efforts of Ranking Member Klobuchar to improve this Farm Bill and find a bipartisan solution. Amid shrinking markets, tariffs and skyrocketing costs for fuel and fertilizer caused by Trump\u2019s war in Iran, farmers need Congress to get the job done,\u201d she concluded.\n\nSen. Smith, along with her Democratic colleagues, were clear that they could not support a Farm Bill that did not delay the cost-shift of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by at least two years. Without this delay, counties would be forced to increase property taxes to cover the costs of administering the program, which most Minnesotans could not afford. Senate Republicans went forward with a markup in full knowledge that without a provision addressing SNAP, the bill would fail.\n\nDemocrats offered an amendment to delay the SNAP cost shift by two years, but it was blocked by Republicans. Sen. Smith pushed for multiple amendments to the legislation that would have improved its chances of passing, including amendments that would:\n\nAllow for year-round sale of E-15\n\nExpand Tribal self-determination authority for the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations\n\nEstablish self-determination authority for Tribal meat processing\n\nRestore canceled Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants, which is particularly important for recipients who spent money preparing their operation for projects that the federal government had already committed to\n\nProhibit prediction markets from offering sports betting and casino-like games that violate state and Tribal regulations\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-07T06:11:19Z", "2026-08-07T06:12:42Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smiths-statement-on-leaked-audio-confirming-attorney-general-nominee-todd-blanche-plans-to-restrict-medication-abortion-access-nationwide-including-in-states-with-abortion-protect/", "U.S. Senator Tina Smith\u2019s Statement on Leaked Audio Confirming Attorney General Nominee Todd Blanche Plans to Restrict Medication Abortion Access Nationwide, Including in States with Abortion Protections", "2026-08-04", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement after breaking news from POLITICO that Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche is working with federal agencies \u201cso that the Dobbs decision becomes permanent in every single state\u201d by banning the mailing of medication abortion, such as mifepristone:\n\n\u201cDismantling Roe v. Wade was never Republicans\u2019 endgame, and we\u2019ve always known they\u2019ve wanted to go further. They grew quieter about their next moves after the fierce public backlash in the wake of the Dobbs decision, but we knew the Trump Administration wouldn\u2019t rest until every woman in America was subject to an abortion ban, including in states where abortion rights are protected by state law,\u201d says Smith.\n\n\u201cTodd Blanche made clear in these secret calls with anti-choice activists that he wants to resurrect the Comstock Act \u2013 an antiquated anti-vice law from before women had the right to vote \u2013 to ban sending medication abortion in the mail. Republicans will likely do what they always do and confirm Blanche as Attorney General despite all of this, and once again, women across America will pay the price,\u201d she continued.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re going to fight back in the courts, and when we take back power, we need to be ready to pass my Stop Comstock Act to make sure no administration can abuse this zombie law ever again,\u201d Smith concluded.\n\nSmith\u2019s Stop Comstock Act would repeal language in the Comstock Laws that could be used by an anti-abortion administration to ban the mailing of mifepristone and other drugs used in medication abortions, instruments and equipment used in abortions, and educational material related to sexual health. Medication abortion is how nearly 60% of abortions take place in this country today. It is the most common form of abortion in the United States. Smith is the only sitting U.S. Senator to have worked for Planned Parenthood, where she served as an executive for Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-05T07:37:37Z", "2026-08-05T07:38:44Z"], ["https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-craig-presses-trump-administration-lack-responsiveness-dept-ed-continued", "Rep. Craig Presses Trump Administration on Lack of Responsiveness from Dept. of Ed, Continued Confusion Surrounding Student Loan Repayments, Civil Rights Complaints", "2026-08-03", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Angie Craig", "C001119", "craig.house.gov", "craig", "https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "EAGAN, MN \u2013 Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig pressed the Trump Administration on their continued lack of responsiveness to inquiries directed to the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) and the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) following the Department of Education\u2019s (DoEd) decision to gut department staff and offload its responsibilities to other federal agencies.\n\nIn a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Education Undersecretary Nicholas Kent and Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey, Rep. Craig cited a significant increase in constituent cases with FSA and OCR since President Trump took office, and expressed concern with the low number of cases that have been positively resolved. She also demanded answers from the Administration about why her office has experienced delays in communication, from FSA and OCR when submitting inquiries on behalf of her constituents.\n\n\u201cSince the start of your tenures, I have seen an increase in DoEd inquiries, with 50 constituents seeking my office\u2019s assistance with FSA or OCR services,\u201d Rep. Craig wrote. \u201cOnly five of these cases (just 10%) received a positive resolution from FSA. 16 of these cases involve delays in student loan application statuses, buybacks and transfers, and 20% of all cases lacked any communication from DoEd or their student loan servicer.\u201d\n\n\u201cIronically, your mission to dismantle DoEd and \u2018Make Education Great Again\u2019 has resulted in more bureaucratic red tape, an increase in unsolved or unanswered cases and wasted taxpayer dollars, all with the goal of fulfilling a political agenda that does not serve my constituents,\u201d Rep. Craig continued.\n\n\u201cGiven the strong bipartisan opposition to your illegal actions and your continued failure to assist my constituents, I must remind you of your oaths of office and moral obligations of your public service, as well as Congress\u2019 constitutional authority to call for your removal from office if deemed necessary,\u201d Rep. Craig wrote. \u201cI demand you support your remaining nonpartisan staff in their work to provide estimated PSLF processing and buyback timelines, directly respond to borrower and caseworker inquiries in a timely manner and provide proper public notice regarding PSLF Program buyback delays.\u201d\n\nRep. Craig has fought Republican efforts to dismantle the Department of Education from day one. This Congress, she co-sponsored the Department of Education Protection Act, which would prohibit Congressional funds from being used to fire agency workers or drastically alter the Education Department. She also led a joint resolution opposing cuts to the Department of Education and condemning any Congressional or Executive action that attempts to dismantle the Department.\n\nYou can read the full text of her letterhere.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-04T07:35:49Z", "2026-08-04T07:37:27Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=E49714F1-7975-4D00-9C4B-5CE5087BC9F0", "Klobuchar: Hemp Ban Delay Included in Senate Budget Bill", "2026-08-03", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) announced that the Senate\u2019s bipartisan government funding bill includes a provision to delay the federal hemp ban, based on the bipartisan Hemp Planting Predictability Act she introduced with Senators Paul (R-KY) and Merkley (D-OR) and negotiated with the strong support of Sen. Sheehy (R-MT).\n\nThe Senate\u2019s bill would fund the federal government and delay the looming federal hemp ban through December 11, 2026, giving Minnesota hemp farmers, brewers, and small businesses additional time to plan for the future and giving Congress more time to pursue a long-term solution rather than allowing a federal crackdown to shut down a thriving, multi-billion-dollar American industry. In order to best protect public health and safety, the bipartisan Senate budget bill also bans synthetic hemp derivatives.\n\n\u201cBrewers, farmers, small businesses, and customers in Minnesota have made clear that the federal ban on hemp products will be devastating,\u201d Klobuchar said. \u201cThe new government funding bill in the Senate includes a key provision based on my bipartisan bill to delay the federal hemp ban, which I opposed last November, so other states can put more sensible safety rules in place like we have in Minnesota. This delay was immediately necessary to give Minnesota hemp producers and customers certainty, while giving Congress more time to get to a long-term fix.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-04T07:35:49Z", "2026-08-04T07:37:27Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/u-s-senator-tina-smiths-statement-on-proposed-delay-of-national-ban-on-hemp-derived-thc-products/", "U.S. Senator Tina Smith\u2019s Statement on Proposed Delay of National Ban on Hemp-Derived THC Products", "2026-08-03", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "MINNEAPOLIS, MN \u2013 U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement after language delaying a national ban on most hemp-derived THC products, including THC beverages, was included in a must-pass budget resolution set to be voted on in the Senate this week. The ban was set to take place in November and would now be delayed until December, buying lawmakers more time to negotiate.\n\n\u201cAdults should be allowed to have a THC beverage if they so choose. Minnesota has created one of the strongest, most carefully regulated systems in the country to allow the sale of hemp products. The initial ban set to take place was ill-advised and would have hurt both hemp farmers and Minnesota breweries alike,\u201d said Senator Smith. \u201cI\u2019m grateful Senator Klobuchar and I were able to secure bipartisan language to delay this ban to December 11. While helpful to hemp farmers, brewers, and consumers, we still need to work towards a long-term solution that will allow for the industry to move forward.\u201d\n\nKlobuchar and Smith partnered with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to initially try and stop the ban from becoming law. The Senators pushed for language delaying the ban to be included in a continuing budget resolution to fund the government until December, which will be voted on later this week. The delay is supported by the Minnesota Craft Brewers Association.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-04T07:35:49Z", "2026-08-04T07:37:27Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=ACF79BA8-1772-4C09-A954-6396D7C09443", "Klobuchar Statement on Cyberattacks on Minnesota Water Systems", "2026-07-31", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the following statement after receiving a briefing on the cyberattacks on Minnesota municipal water systems.\n\n\u201cToday I spoke with U.S. National Cyber Director and Minnesota native Sean Cairncross about the recent cyberattacks impacting Minnesota municipal water facilities. Director Cairncross confirmed that at this point there are no effects on services.\n\n\u201cI have also talked to several mayors whose communities have been impacted by the attacks. I want to thank federal, state, and local law enforcement, including the FBI, for their work on the investigation of the cyberattacks against Minnesota\u2019s water infrastructure.\n\n\u201cWhile the investigation is still ongoing, the FBI and EPA are warning utilities that hackers are trying to disrupt critical water infrastructure, and that the hackers targeted specific brands of control systems used by municipal water utilities.\n\n\u201cDirector Cairncross and I discussed updated technology, recognizing that resources are an issue for so many communities, not just in Minnesota but across the country.\n\n\u201cI will continue to advocate for strong federal, state, and local coordination to immediately investigate and stop cyberattacks as well as for updated technology to secure our critical infrastructure from cyber threats.\u201d", 1, "2026-08-01T07:27:26Z", "2026-08-01T07:28:22Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/sen-smith-working-to-keep-rural-hospitals-open/", "Sens. Smith, Moran Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Rural Hospitals", "2026-07-31", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) Jerry Moran (R-KS) this week introduced the Rural Emergency Hospital Designation Improvement Act (REH 2.0), bipartisan legislation to expand access to federal resources for rural hospitals through the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) Medicare designation. This legislation would allow more Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) and rural hospitals at risk of closure to sustain health care services in rural communities, and it would make technical improvements to the designation. The legislation is cosponsored by Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Katie Britt (R-AL), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) and Roger Marshall, M.D., (R-KS).\n\n\u201cRural hospitals are vital for families in small towns and rural communities. These hospitals not only provide care close to home, they\u2019re also economic engines for their region,\u201d said Sen. Smith. \u201cBut many rural hospitals face increasingly dire financial strain and workforce shortages, forcing them to cut services or even close down altogether. This important legislation is just one tool in the toolbox to help rural hospitals on the verge of closure keep their doors open. Make no mistake, much more is needed to ensure the health and wellness of rural hospitals and families.\n\n\u201cI have visited every hospital in Kansas numerous times, and these conversations help guide my efforts to make certain health care providers across our state have the support they need to provide critical services to patients in their communities,\u201d said Sen. Moran. \u201cDuring these visits, providers shared with me their recommendations for strengthening the Rural Emergency Hospital designation so it can better support the struggling facilities it was originally intended to serve. The legislation I am introducing with Senator Tina Smith is the direct result of what we have heard from rural hospitals and health care providers in our states, and it makes needed improvements to the program to help make certain patients can continue to access critical health care services in their communities for years to come.\u201d\n\nThe REH Designation Improvement Act is also supported by the National Rural Health Association.\n\nThe provisions in the REH Designation Improvement Act are the result of numerous conversations Sens. Smith and Moran held with rural health care providers and CEOs of hospitals that are eligible for the REH designation. REH is a Medicare provider designation that offers certain rural hospitals the opportunity to convert and continue operating with limited services rather than closing.\n\nThe Rural Emergency Hospital Designation Improvement Act would:\n\nAllow previously closed rural hospitals to re-open and apply for the Rural Emergency Hospital designation if they can demonstrate they met all eligibility requirements between Jan. 1, 2015, and Dec. 27, 2020.\n\nDirect the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create a waiver program for facilities operating similarly to an REH in order to convert to an REH.\n\nAllow REH facilities to maintain or create a unit for inpatient psychiatric care, obstetric care and allow for limited inpatient rehabilitation services.\n\nRequire the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide additional funding for laboratory services.\n\nClarify that REH facilities are eligible for Small Rural Hospital Improvement grants.\n\nDirect the Secretary of HHS to allow an REH to be eligible as a National Health Service Corp site.\n\nAuthorize REH facilities to transfer patients from acute care to a Skilled Nursing Facility without leaving the hospital, in accordance with the Social Security Act.\n\nAllow an REH facility to revert back to a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) to regain necessary provider status, only if the facility was designated a necessary provider prior to converting to REH.\n\nClarify state Medicaid agencies can pay REH facilities as hospitals.\n\nFull text of the legislation can be found HERE.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-08-05T07:37:37Z", "2026-08-05T07:38:44Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=EE4FFF01-7E03-4E4E-92F5-306069426BCA", "Klobuchar Statement on Cyberattacks on Minnesota Municipal Water Systems", "2026-07-30", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the following statement on the cyberattacks on Minnesota municipal water systems.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve requested a briefing from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency on the ongoing investigation and the potential involvement of foreign actors. I\u2019m also in communication with state officials to help make sure they have the resources they need. Protecting our critical infrastructure and the safety of Minnesotans remains a top priority.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-31T07:49:23Z", "2026-07-31T07:50:48Z"], ["https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-mccollum-statement-suspected-iranian-involvement-attack", "Congresswoman McCollum Statement on Suspected Iranian Involvement in Attack on Minnesota\u2019s Water Infrastructure", "2026-07-30", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Betty McCollum", "M001143", "mccollum.house.gov", "mccollum", "https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Betty McCollum, the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement on Thursday in response to reporting from the New York Times indicating that investigators suspect that Iranian hackers were behind the cyberattacks on dozens of Minnesota\u2019s municipal water systems earlier this week:\n\n\u201cThis incident demonstrates that Minnesota\u2019s municipalities, businesses, and residents must be prepared not only to ward off cybersecurity threats from cybercriminals, but also from terrorist organizations and nation-states,\u201d said Congresswoman McCollum. \u201cIt also shows the urgent need for the federal government to advance critical cybersecurity measures to protect small businesses, large enterprises, and local governments by providing state-of-the-art defensive measures to defend against malicious attacks by bad actors who intend to sow chaos and extract ransom. I have worked closely with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in partnership with Metro State University to ensure that our communities are prepared to protect themselves from these attacks, and I will continue to aggressively pursue funding and resources to support defensive measures for Minnesota\u2019s businesses and municipalities.\u201d\n\n\u201cCybersecurity is inseparable from public safety. Although no contamination or public health impacts have been reported, this attack demonstrates the risks posed when malicious actors gain access to the operational technology that supports essential water and wastewater services,\u201d said Faisal Kaleem, Director and Professor of Cybersecurity, Metro State University. \u201cMinnesota\u2019s communities need trained cybersecurity professionals, secure systems, affordable continuous monitoring, and strong partnerships among federal, state, local, and educational institutions. Metro State University is committed to helping build that resilience through education, workforce development, and partnerships that strengthen the critical infrastructure Minnesotans depend on every day.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs these attacks become increasingly common, leaders at every level of government are working tirelessly with academic and industry partners for our common defense in the cyber domain, improving information sharing, coordination and cyber talent development to detect and defend against elevated attacks,\" said Army Maj. Gen. Stefanie Horvath, Minnesota National Guard\u2019s Assistant Adjutant General. \"A united approach is just as important in the cyber domain as it is in the physical domain to defend against attacks.\u201d\n\nCongresswoman McCollum has worked to provide federal resources for cybersecurity initiatives since 2021, when she served as the Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. She believes that Minnesota must continue to work to take advantage of the opportunities provided by this federal funding. These attacks show the necessity of developing a strong workforce that includes cybersecurity professionals who will be able to support efforts to prevent and defend against cyberattacks.\n\nCongresswoman McCollum has also worked closely with Metro State University in Saint Paul, which continues to be a key leader in this effort, and she has supported the expansion of Metro State\u2019s cybersecurity education programs through Community Project Funding. Metro State University has also led the way in partnering with the Minnesota National Guard on cyber training initiatives, providing a model for how Minnesota\u2019s public and private sectors can work with the cybersecurity professionals in the National Guard to defend our communities. Congresswoman McCollum will continue to support these efforts through her work in Congress to supply them with the resources required to protect Minnesotans.", 1, "2026-08-01T07:27:26Z", "2026-08-01T07:28:22Z"], ["https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-craig-hosts-unsung-heroes-recognition-event-honor-cd2-labor-unions", "Rep. Craig Hosts Unsung Heroes Recognition Event to Honor CD2 Labor Unions", "2026-07-29", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Angie Craig", "C001119", "craig.house.gov", "craig", "https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "BURNSVILLE, MN \u2013 Yesterday, U.S. Representative Angie Craig hosted her inaugural Unsung Heroes Recognition Event in Burnsville to honor union workers in Minnesota\u2019s Second District. Rep. Craig was joined by Minnesota labor leaders to highlight their collective support for working class wins.\n\n\u201cLabor is the backbone of Minnesota\u2019s economy, but right now it\u2019s under attack,\u201d said Rep. Craig. \u201cFrom terminating union contracts to blocking the right to organize, the Trump Administration has made union-busting a primary part of its agenda. That\u2019s why I'm honored to host this event \u2013 to double down on my support for Minnesota labor and make sure their hard work doesn\u2019t go unnoticed.\u201d\n\nRep. Craig was joined by Bernie Burnham, President, Minnesota AFL-CIO; Kim Nelson, Political Director, Northern Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters; Amanda Heiser, Northern Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters; John Burcaw, Director, Finishing Trades Institute; Laura Asklein, Political Organizer, AFSCME; Max Hall, External Relations and Planning Director, AFSCME; Rick Bartz, Business Manager and Financial Secretary, IBEW Local 949 and Denise White, President, AFGE Local 1969.\n\nTogether, they recognized local union members for the following:\n\nDemonstrating a commitment to service and community engagement.\n\nDemonstrating tremendous leadership skills.\n\nDevoting 15+ years of service.\n\nGoing above and beyond every day and showing tremendous pride in their work.\n\nBeing assets to their unions, dedicating themselves to outstanding organizing and continuously going above and beyond in the recruiting process.\n\nRep. Craig has stood with Minnesota\u2019s labor unions and been a champion of organized labor since day one. She helped introduce the PRO Act, which protects workers\u2019 right to organize and collectively bargain for higher wages, better benefits and safer working conditions.\n\nAnd she has penned her own legislation, like the Supporting Apprenticeship Colleges Act, which would help increase enrollment in registered apprenticeship programs.\n\nRep. Craig also helped introduce the Faster Labor Contracts Act, which requires employers to begin negotiations with a newly certified union within 10 days of receiving a request, and the No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act, which blocks large corporations who union bust from collecting tax breaks.\n\nFinally, she is a cosponsor of the Tax Fairness for Workers Act, which would create an \u201cabove-the-line\u201d tax deduction for union dues and expenses.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-30T07:32:48Z", "2026-07-30T07:34:08Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=B9E37348-DE2C-42E4-9915-7169EC303ED8", "Klobuchar Joins Colleagues in Introducing Legislation to Create and Expand Grant and Loan Programs to Monitor Air Pollution from Wildfires", "2026-07-29", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) joined her colleagues in introducing the Wildfire Air Quality Sensor Expansion Act of 2026 to help state, local, and Tribal government agencies monitor worsening air pollution caused by wildfires and make more informed public health decisions.\n\nThe legislation would direct the Environmental Protection Agency to create and expand new and existing grant and loan programs allowing agencies to purchase and operate portable air sensors \u2013 low-cost technology that can measure and detect harmful pollutants caused by wildfire smoke. Increasing access to air quality information will help leaders make better decisions for public health and wildfire response.\n\n\u201cIn Minnesota, smoke from the recent wildfires in the Superior National Forest created hazy and unhealthy air quality conditions throughout the state,\u201d said Klobuchar. \u201cI\u2019m supporting this legislation to help areas impacted by wildfires measure air pollutants and keep our communities healthy and safe.\u201d\n\nAlong with Klobuchar, the legislation was introduced by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-30T07:32:48Z", "2026-07-30T07:34:08Z"], ["https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-angie-craig-helps-introduce-legislation-protect-tps-fight-trumps-attacks", "Rep. Angie Craig Helps Introduce Legislation to Protect TPS, Fight Trump\u2019s Attacks on Immigrants", "2026-07-27", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Angie Craig", "C001119", "craig.house.gov", "craig", "https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "EAGAN, MN \u2013 U.S. Representative Angie Craig recently joined Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-25) in introducing legislation to protect Temporary Protected Statuses (TPS) and fight President Trump\u2019s continued attacks on our nation\u2019s immigrants.\n\nThe Temporary Protected Status Review Act would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to follow a clear, evidence-based process before terminating TPS and allow Congress to reverse TPS terminations under the Congressional Review Act.\n\nRep. Craig\u2019s bill comes after last month\u2019s Supreme Court decision in Mullin v. Doe, which ruled that the Administration\u2019s termination of TPS for Haitians and Syrians cannot be reviewed by the courts. As a result, 1.3 million TPS recipients who fled violence, natural disasters or brutal political repression are at risk of losing their legal status and work authorization and could potentially face detention, family separation or deportation back to their home countries.\n\n\u201cThe Trump Administration has repeatedly targeted TPS and used those who have come to our country to flee some of the most horrific situations as political pawns,\u201d said Rep. Craig. \u201cReversing TPS actively endangers the lives of TPS holders forced to return to the violence they fled. I\u2019m proud help introduce this critical legislation to protect Minnesota\u2019s TPS holders, take back control from this out-of-control president and combat his administration\u2019s continued attacks on our immigrant neighbors.\u201d\n\nRep. Craig has repeatedly spoken out against President Trump's attacks on TPS, especially on behalf of Minnesota\u2019s Somali community, for whom TPS was cancelled earlier this year.\n\nIn April, Rep. Craig and her Democratic colleagues successfully forced a vote on legislation requiring the Trump Administration to reinstate TPS for Haitians. Earlier this year, she joined a group of 26 Senators and 157 House Members in filing an amicus brief challenging the Trump Administration\u2019s illegal termination of TPS protections for Haiti and Syria in Trump v. Miot. Ultimately, the Supreme Court\u2019s conservative-majority ruled TPS terminations could proceed lawfully.\n\nRep. Craig is also an original cosponsor and longtime supporter of the American Dream and Promise Act, which would protect TPS holders and provide them with a path to lawful permanent residence.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-28T07:37:32Z", "2026-07-28T07:38:50Z"], ["https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-betty-mccollum-introduces-bipartisan-disability-pride-month", "CONGRESSWOMAN BETTY McCOLLUM INTRODUCES BIPARTISAN DISABILITY PRIDE MONTH RESOLUTION", "2026-07-27", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Betty McCollum", "M001143", "mccollum.house.gov", "mccollum", "https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D, MN-04), along with Rep. Glenn \u201cGT\u201d Thompson (R, PA-15), re-introduced a bipartisan resolution today recognizing July as Disability Pride Month. This resolution highlights the importance of inclusion and increased accessibility for the disability community. The introduction of this resolution coincides with the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) being signed into law, and serves as a reminder of the many accomplishments and contributions Americans with disabilities make to our country.\n\n\u201cEvery July, we celebrate the resilience, talent, and leadership of Americans with disabilities,\u201d said Congresswoman McCollum. \u201cYet the federal government still hasn\u2019t formally recognized Disability Pride Month. This resolution is a reminder that recognition matters \u2014 and that we still have work to do to break down barriers, expand accessibility, and ensure disability rights are fully realized in law and in practice.\u201d\n\nThis resolution was inspired by the advocacy of Gillette Children\u2019s Hospital of Saint Paul, Minnesota and twenty national and state organizations, and was originally introduced by Congresswoman McCollum in 2022.\n\n\u201cDisability Pride Month, celebrated every July, is an opportunity for us to celebrate the amazing contributions of individuals living with disabilities,\u201d Rep. Thompson said. \u201cPrior to serving in Congress, I spent 28 years as a therapist, rehabilitation services manager, and licensed nursing home administrator. I know firsthand the positive impacts those living with disabilities have in their communities, and I am proud to champion their accomplishments.\u201d\n\nThe resolution is co-sponsored by Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA), Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD), Rep. Henry C. \u201cHank\u201d Johnson Jr. (D-GA), Rep. Timothy M. Kennedy (D-NY), Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Rep. Christian D. Menefee (D-TX), Rep. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Rep. Emily Randall (D-WA), Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA), Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ).", 1, "2026-07-28T07:37:32Z", "2026-07-28T07:38:50Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/klobuchar-smith-urge-usps-to-protect-mail-service-during-wildfires-impacting-northern-minnesota/", "Klobuchar, Smith Urge USPS to Protect Mail Service During Wildfires Impacting Northern Minnesota", "2026-07-27", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) are urging the United States Postal Service (USPS) Postmaster General to provide Minnesota with the necessary resources and support for postal operations impacted by wildfires.\n\n\u201cWe have heard from constituents who are concerned about mail delays resulting from the wildfires, and their ability to receive mail in the instance that they must evacuate,\u201d wrote the Senators. \u201cWe urge you to ensure that Minnesota post offices receive the resources and support needed to maintain reliable service and communicate effectively with residents.\u201d\n\nThe full letter is available here and below.\n\nDear Postmaster General Steiner:\n\nWe are writing regarding serious mail service concerns in Northeast Minnesota due to ongoing wildfires. We have heard from constituents who are concerned about mail delays resulting from the wildfires, and their ability to receive mail in the instance that they must evacuate. We urge you to ensure that Minnesota post offices receive the resources and support needed to maintain reliable service and communicate effectively with residents.\n\nMinnesotans depend on the Postal Service for essential needs like medications, Social Security benefits, business mail, and paycheck that they rely on for their health and livelihoods. We appreciate the hard work of our postal workers who serve their communities and deliver the mail through extreme conditions and road closures.\n\nTo that end, we request answers to the following questions:\n\nWhat is the U.S. Postal Service doing to address delivery issues affecting Minnesota communities affected by wildfires?\n\nDo postal operations in Northeast Minnesota have sufficient resources to ensure reliable delivery?\n\nHow is the Postal Service communicating service impacts to customers, including those who have evacuated and need access to medications and other important deliveries?\n\nMinnesotans depend on the Postal Service every day. We urge you to do everything you can to address these postal operations concerns, and ensure Minnesota post offices are able to reliably and safely serve Minnesotans during this emergency.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-28T07:37:32Z", "2026-07-28T07:38:50Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=F7315D3E-85DA-4076-9870-32CF92819077", "Klobuchar, Smith Urge USPS to Protect Mail Service During Wildfires Impacting Northern Minnesota", "2026-07-24", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) are urging the United States Postal Service (USPS) Postmaster General to provide Minnesota with the necessary resources and support for postal operations impacted by wildfires.\n\n\u201cWe have heard from constituents who are concerned about mail delays resulting from the wildfires, and their ability to receive mail in the instance that they must evacuate,\u201d wrote the Senators. \u201cWe urge you to ensure that Minnesota post offices receive the resources and support needed to maintain reliable service and communicate effectively with residents.\u201d\n\nThe full letter is available here and below.\n\nDear Postmaster General Steiner:\n\nWe are writing regarding serious mail service concerns in Northeast Minnesota due to ongoing wildfires. We have heard from constituents who are concerned about mail delays resulting from the wildfires, and their ability to receive mail in the instance that they must evacuate. We urge you to ensure that Minnesota post offices receive the resources and support needed to maintain reliable service and communicate effectively with residents.\n\nMinnesotans depend on the Postal Service for essential needs like medications, Social Security benefits, business mail, and paycheck that they rely on for their health and livelihoods. We appreciate the hard work of our postal workers who serve their communities and deliver the mail through extreme conditions and road closures.\n\nTo that end, we request answers to the following questions:\n\nWhat is the U.S. Postal Service doing to address delivery issues affecting Minnesota communities affected by wildfires?\n\nDo postal operations in Northeast Minnesota have sufficient resources to ensure reliable delivery?\n\nHow is the Postal Service communicating service impacts to customers, including those who have evacuated and need access to medications and other important deliveries?\n\nMinnesotans depend on the Postal Service every day. We urge you to do everything you can to address these postal operations concerns, and ensure Minnesota post offices are able to reliably and safely serve Minnesotans during this emergency.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-25T07:13:44Z", "2026-07-25T07:15:09Z"], ["https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-craig-statement-vote-against-republicans-anti-democratic-reconciliation", "Rep. Craig Statement on Vote Against Republicans\u2019 Anti-Democratic Reconciliation Bill", "2026-07-23", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Angie Craig", "C001119", "craig.house.gov", "craig", "https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig released the following statement on her vote against House Republicans\u2019 disastrous and blatantly anti-democratic budget reconciliation package that does nothing to lower costs for Minnesotans.\n\n\u201cToday, Congressional Republicans jammed through their third disastrous budget bill this Congress \u2014 a plan that includes an additional $73 billion in defense and surveillance spending and $10 billion to implement President Trump\u2019s election-rigging legislation.\n\n\u201cAt a time when folks across this country are reeling from the impacts of President Trump\u2019s short-sighted economic policies and his illegal war in Iran, the last thing we should be doing is allocating more money to an administration that clearly prioritizes the President\u2019s own political and foreign policy objectives over the livelihoods of the American people.\n\n\u201cI am disappointed in my Republican colleagues for yet again bending to President Trump by enabling his dangerous efforts to rig our nation\u2019s elections. This budget plan is a threat to our democracy, our national security and to every Minnesotan already struggling to make ends meet.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-24T07:30:11Z", "2026-07-24T07:31:13Z"], ["https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/mccollum-statement-passage-iran-war-powers-resolution", "McCollum Statement on Passage of Iran War Powers Resolution", "2026-07-23", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Betty McCollum", "M001143", "mccollum.house.gov", "mccollum", "https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "For the second time, the House of Representatives has rebuked President Trump and voted in a bipartisan fashion to end his unlawful war with Iran. The American people want this war to end now, and I stand with them.", 1, "2026-07-24T07:30:11Z", "2026-07-24T07:31:13Z"], ["https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-omar-leads-progressive-members-congress-statement-condemning-trump-state", "Rep. Omar Leads Progressive Members of Congress in Statement Condemning Trump State Department\u2019s McCarthyite Attack on Americans\u2019 Free Speech Rights and Collective Punishment of Cubans", "2026-07-23", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Ilhan Omar", "O000173", "omar.house.gov", "omar", "https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON - Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Peace & Security Taskforce Chair Rep. Ilhan Omar and 10 other CPC members\u2014Representatives Greg Casar, Maxine Dexter, Jes\u00fas \"Chuy\" Garc\u00eda, Jonathan L. Jackson, Jim McGovern, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mark Pocan, Delia C. Ramirez, Rashida Tlaib, and Nydia M. Vel\u00e1zquez\u2014issued the following statement in response to the Trump State Department's release of the 100-page report, Cuba: Capital of 21st-Century Communism:\n\n\u201cTrump appears hellbent on taking America back 70 years to the height of Cold War McCarthyism, when hawkish foreign policy was paired with unsubstantiated accusations of communist subversion and political repression against dissidents at home.\n\n\u201cTrump has repeatedly threatened to take over Cuba and has deployed U.S. military ships to seize fuel vessels attempting to arrive on the island. And yet, in an Orwellian move, this administration now claims it is Cuba carrying out the \u2018assault\u2019 against the United States, by turning \u2018Americans into instruments of their own nation's undoing.\u2019\n\n\u201cWe condemn this report\u2019s attack on Americans\u2019 constitutional rights to free speech and assembly. We denounce this administration\u2019s irresponsible attacks against civil society organizations, activists, journalists, labor leaders, Members of Congress, elected officials, and private individuals based on their advocacy for peaceful foreign policy and social justice at home.\n\n\u201cAnd we stand firmly against this report and other efforts by the Trump Administration to weaponize the federal government against dissent, which is a patriotic tradition. We commit to using our full oversight power as Members of Congress and elected officials to stop the persecution of Trump\u2019s perceived political enemies.\n\n\u201cTrump and Secretary Rubio are intensifying decades of economic war against the very people they say they want to help\u2014all while attacking Americans who oppose the policy. The U.S. blockade deliberately deprives the entire island\u2019s population of adequate food, fuel, and medicine. It is past time for Trump to obey the Constitution and end the dangerous, cruel and illegal naval blockade causing collective punishment against Cuba.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-24T07:30:11Z", "2026-07-24T07:31:13Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=5E4B8A1E-3DCC-421E-A4CA-8FD9C036EBF3", "Klobuchar Statement on Sentencing in Attack Targeting Minnesota Lawmakers", "2026-07-23", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "MINNEAPOLIS \u2013 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the following statement on the sentencing in the attack targeting Minnesota lawmakers.\n\n\u201cThe murderer of Melissa and Mark Hortman was sentenced today to prison for the rest of his life. We're grateful that John and Yvette Hoffman\u2014who courageously survived multiple gun shot wounds\u2014are still with us and our hearts are with Colin and Sophie Hortman and everyone whose lives were forever changed by this tragedy.\n\nNothing can undo the pain as heard in the victims\u2019 statements today. Yet Melissa and Mark's legacy of service, kindness, and always showing up for others will be forever with us.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-24T07:30:11Z", "2026-07-24T07:31:13Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=3D5564AD-BDAA-4E1E-A241-91DF19E8DC40", "Klobuchar: USDA Reversing Course on Prevented-Plant Buy-Up Crop Insurance", "2026-07-23", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 After pushing the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, announced that U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins agreed to reverse a planned elimination of producers\u2019 access to prevented-plant buy-up crop insurance.\n\nPrevented-plant buy-up crop insurance allows farmers to buy higher crop insurance coverage in case increasingly frequent extreme weather prevents them from planting crops.\n\n\u201cBack in January, Senators Boozman, Hoeven, and I led 16 of our colleagues in encouraging USDA to reverse course on their planned elimination of prevented-plant crop insurance buy-up coverage,\u201d Klobuchar said. \u201cWith this week\u2019s announcement, farmers will be able to resume buying this important coverage option. With extreme weather making crop yields less predictable and tariffs and the war with Iran raising input costs, prevented-plant crop insurance is essential to helping producers stay afloat when disaster strikes at planting time.\u201d\n\nSenators Klobuchar (D-MN), Boozman (R-AR), and Hoeven (R-ND) led a January letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins urging the department to reinstate additional crop insurance coverage for acres prevented from being planted.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-25T07:13:44Z", "2026-07-25T07:15:09Z"], ["https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-angie-craig-introduces-comprehensive-regulatory-framework-hemp", "Rep. Angie Craig Introduces Comprehensive Regulatory Framework for Hemp", "2026-07-22", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Angie Craig", "C001119", "craig.house.gov", "craig", "https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, U.S. Representative and Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee Angie Craig (D-MN-02) introduced legislation alongside Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY-06) to create a comprehensive regulatory framework for hemp and hemp-derived THC products, ensuring hemp remains safe and available for Minnesota\u2019s farmers, processors, brewers, retailers and consumers.\n\nRep. Craig\u2019s Lawful Hemp Protection Act comes after House Republicans effectively repealed a 2018 law that allowed Minnesota and other states to legally produce hemp and sell hemp-derived products, such as hemp beverages and textiles. Since 2018, the hemp industry has grown into a roughly $300 million a year industry and provided a new income stream for local farmers, brewers and small businesses. As of 2023, the Minnesota hemp industry supported over 3,400 jobs. The state is home to 132 licensed grow operations, 96 processors and over 2,000 retailers. If Congress does not act by November 12, 2026, Minnesota\u2019s legal hemp industry will effectively be shut down.\n\n\u201cMinnesota became the model for responsible hemp regulation when it established a regulatory framework that complied with federal law and enabled local farmers and businesses to thrive,\u201d said Rep. Craig. \u201cMy commonsense legislation will give regulatory clarity to Minnesota farmers, brewers and small business owners and provide an alternative to short-sighted federal policies that threaten Minnesota jobs and consumer choice. I am proud to have worked with Rep. Barr on a solution that protects our farmers and small businesses while also keeping our kids and communities safe.\u201d\n\n\u201cKentucky farmers helped build America\u2019s hemp industry and they deserve certainty,\u201d said Rep. Andy Barr. \u201cThe Lawful Hemp Protection Act protects Kentucky agriculture, safeguards consumers, and establishes a commonsense regulatory framework that allows this important industry to continue to grow while ensuring products are safe and kept out of the hands of children. Kentucky has demonstrated that hemp can be successfully regulated while supporting farmers and protecting consumers. This legislation builds on that success by creating a national framework that rewards responsible producers, eliminates bad actors and ensures consumers have confidence in the products they purchase.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are dangerously close to one of Minnesota\u2019s most promising small business industries being shut down,\u201d said Bob Galligan, director of government and industry relations for the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild. \u201cMinnesotans proved that responsible regulation can lift businesses, strengthen economies and protect consumers. We now need Congress to do its job. We\u2019re grateful for Rep. Craig for her continuous support and for now forging a path that reflects what our state has already shown: prohibition doesn\u2019t work, but thoughtful, practical regulation does.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe entire Minnesota hemp industry thanks both Reps. Angie Craig and Andy Barr for their leadership in bringing sensible regulation to this industry that is so important to so many,\u201d said Kyle Markinovich, the founder and CEO of Northern Diversified Solutions in Burnsville, MN. \u201cThe farmers, brands, distributors, retailers, patients, and consumers are so grateful this amazing success story will continue to grow and thrive. As Minnesotans, we are particularly grateful to Rep. Craig who continues to serve hemp farmers and businesses so well in the Congress.\u201d\n\n\u201cReps. Andy Barr and Angie Craig deserve tremendous credit for stepping forward with a serious, science-based and bipartisan solution at exactly the moment the hemp industry needs it most,\u201d said Jonathan Miller, general counsel of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable. \u201cTheir leadership on the Lawful Hemp Protection Act reflects a clear-eyed recognition that prohibition is the wrong path, and that American farmers, small businesses, manufacturers, retailers and consumers deserve a workable federal framework built on responsible regulation. We are grateful for their willingness to engage stakeholders across the industry throughout the drafting process, and we look forward to continuing to work with them and their colleagues in Congress to advance a long-term federal solution.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-23T07:31:02Z", "2026-07-23T07:32:26Z"], ["https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-craig-statement-ahead-vote-against-national-defense-authorization-act", "Rep. Craig Statement Ahead of Vote Against the National Defense Authorization Act", "2026-07-22", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Angie Craig", "C001119", "craig.house.gov", "craig", "https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig released the following statement ahead of her vote against the Republican-led National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).\n\n\u201cWhile I appreciate that there are many important provisions in this legislation that I wholeheartedly support, like a pay raise for our troops and expanded support for military families, I simply cannot vote to authorize $1.15 trillion to President Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth while they continue to seek supplemental funding for their dangerous and costly war in Iran.\n\n\u201cI am also deeply concerned that this bill abandons our country's LGBTQ+ veterans and servicemembers, who have put their lives on the line to defend our freedoms. These provisions do not make our country safer, and in fact, they deter Americans willing and able to serve our country. Bottom line: this legislation does nothing to rein in Trump's executive power, end this war and take our troops out of harm\u2019s way.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am grateful to my House Democratic colleagues who worked tirelessly to secure critical provisions that push for transparency and accountability from the Defense Department, authorize health care coverage for IVF and other reproductive technologies for military families and protect collective bargaining rights. These are provisions I support, but not at the expense of more American lives lost in the Middle East, skyrocketing prices for Minnesotans and a target on the backs of our LGBTQ+ servicemembers.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-23T07:31:02Z", "2026-07-23T07:32:26Z"], ["https://morrison.house.gov/media/press-releases/us-rep-kelly-morrison-grills-sba-how-trumps-new-50-tariffs-canada-will-affect", "U.S. Rep. Kelly Morrison Grills SBA on How Trump\u2019s New 50% Tariffs on Canada Will Affect Small Businesses", "2026-07-22", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Kelly Morrison", "M001234", "morrison.house.gov", "morrison", "https://morrison.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, after President Trump announced a new 50% tariff on Canadian imports, U.S. Representative Kelly Morrison (MN-03), a member of the House Small Business Committee, confronted Small Business Administration (SBA) Associate Administrator Paul Fitzpatrick on how these new sweeping tariffs will impact American small businesses.\n\nCanada is one of our nation\u2019s closest allies and Minnesota\u2019s largest trading partner. Minnesota imports more than $14 billion from Canada and exports more than $5 billion in goods to Canadaeach year. Trump\u2019s new tariffs not only threaten the imports that many Minnesotan small businesses rely on, but raise the risk of retaliatory tariffs from Canada.\n\nThis year, the Small Business Administration proposed eliminating 15 out of 16 federal entrepreneurial development programs, including the program that helps small businesses expand to international markets. This proposal, combined with the President\u2019s new tariffs, pose a huge threat to Minnesota small businesses that rely on our trading partner to the north and have already been hit hard by tariffs over the last year.\n\nRepresentative Morrison asked SBA Associate Administrator Fitzpatrick to explain how small businesses will now be able to navigate trade with Canada given these changes. The Associate Administrator could not provide a clear plan on how to protect small businesses.\n\nRep. Morrison, a member of the House Small Business Committee, has spent her first term in Congress fiercely advocating for small businesses, including by:\n\nMeeting with Minnesotan small businesses to understand how tariffs are affecting them\n\nFighting to immediately exempt small businesses from tariffs\n\nPressing Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler to exempt small businesses from tariffs\n\nDemanding the Trump Administration rescind tariffs on Canada\n\nUrging Speaker Mike Johnson to call the House to vote to end Trump\u2019s tariff war\n\nIntroducing and passing the Rural Small Business Resilience Act to help rural small businesses recover from natural disasters\n\nStrengthening research and development opportunities for small businesses\n\nWatch Rep. Morrison\u2019s full exchange with Associate Administrator Fitzpatrick HERE.\n\nImage\n\nRead a transcript of Rep. Morrison\u2019s testimony below:\n\nRep. Morrison: Thank you, Chairman Williams and Ranking Member Vel\u00e1zquez, for holding this hearing. Thank you, Associate Administrator Fitzpatrick, for being here today.\n\nNot to beat a dead horse, but this is an issue that the small business community is really struggling with.\n\nThe number one thing that I'm hearing about from small business owners in my district is the difficulty of navigating the uncertainty created by the President's tariffs.\n\nMany small business owners are facing shrinking profit margins, disrupted supply chains, and severe planning uncertainty because of these tariffs, jeopardizing the future of their businesses.\n\nThe President's Fiscal Year 2027 Budget proposes eliminating 15 of the 16 entrepreneurial development programs, including the STEP program, which we've discussed some this morning, which assists small businesses in entering or expanding into international markets.\n\nOne of the consequences of the President's tariffs have been retaliatory tariffs against the United States from other countries, causing even more uncertainty for small businesses interested in participating in foreign trade.\n\nThroughout last year, as the President placed tariffs on Canadian cars, aluminum, steel, and lumber, Canada responded with retaliatory tariffs against the United States, restricting exports to our neighbors to the north for Minnesotan small businesses.\n\nNow we wait to see how Canada will respond following the President's new 50% tariff on Canadian goods.\n\nGiven the administration's interest in increasing U.S. exports and supposedly balancing trade deficits, I have to question the decision to eliminate the STEP program at a time when small businesses need more assistance navigating trade uncertainty, not less. So, how is the Office of Entrepreneurial Development helping small businesses in the international marketplace navigate retaliatory tariffs?\n\nAssociate Administrator Fitzpatrick: Congresswoman, thank you for the question. As I've said, we support the administration's policies fighting for fair trade, which is fighting for small businesses. We have seen, as we go around the country, businesses that are adding shifts; they're getting contracts now before. I met with a business in Wisconsin that normally \u2014\n\nRep. Morrison: I'm sorry to interrupt you, but how does your office plan to continue to help small businesses increase their exports? How are you planning to help small businesses increase their exports amidst retaliatory tariffs if the STEP program goes away?\n\nAssociate Administrator Fitzpatrick: Congresswoman, thank you for the question. We have limited resources, and we support, we will follow the law. We will disburse the funds as Congress appropriates them to us, and so if they go to the STEP program, we will certainly manage that program.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-23T07:31:02Z", "2026-07-23T07:32:26Z"], ["https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases/omar-pocan-co-chairs-defense-spending-reduction-caucus-slam-trumps-immoral", "Omar, Pocan, Co-Chairs of the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus Slam Trump's Immoral Defense Budget", "2026-07-22", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Ilhan Omar", "O000173", "omar.house.gov", "omar", "https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), co-chairs of the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus, released the following statement on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):\n\n\u201cToday, we voted NO on the National Defense Authorization Act because Congress cannot continue to write blank checks for endless wars. While millions of Americans are struggling to afford basic necessities, Congress is choosing to authorize over $1 trillion for the Pentagon, once again funneling billions of taxpayer dollars to defense contractors instead of investing in the needs of working people. The American people are sick and tired of funding atrocities abroad and want this war with Iran to end. Yet year after year, the Pentagon fails its audit with virtually no accountability, while Congress continues to increase military spending. We should be investing in affordable housing, healthcare, education, and good-paying jobs\u2014not bankrolling defense contractors.\n\n\u201cThis bill also includes provisions that continue to fund and partner with Israel to develop weapons to further their campaign of terror. At a time when Americans are demanding an end to funding Netanyahu\u2019s genocidal regime, Congress should not be quietly deepening our military entanglement.\n\n\u201cFor all of these reasons, we voted NO on this reckless defense bill.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-23T07:31:02Z", "2026-07-23T07:32:26Z"], ["https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-mccollum-votes-against-national-defense-authorization-act", "Congresswoman McCollum Votes Against National Defense Authorization Act", "2026-07-22", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Betty McCollum", "M001143", "mccollum.house.gov", "mccollum", "https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Betty McCollum, the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement on Wednesday evening upon voting against the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):\n\n\u201cOur service members and their families deserve a bipartisan NDAA that respects everyone\u2019s service to our nation and does not contain right-wing culture war policy provisions. Unfortunately, that is not the type of NDAA House Republicans have advanced. In fact, Republicans are so desperate to pass the SAVE America Act \u2014 their bill that would make it more difficult for Americans to vote \u2014 that they attached it to this bill. This Republican NDAA also does nothing to rein in President Trump\u2019s ongoing misuse of the military \u2014 chief among them, the president\u2019s war of choice with Iran, which has never been authorized by Congress. I am also deeply concerned that this bill authorizes over a trillion dollars in funding for the Pentagon at a time when Republicans in Congress continue to make deep cuts to healthcare, education, nutrition assistance, and other programs that Americans depend on.\u201d", 1, "2026-07-24T07:30:11Z", "2026-07-24T07:31:13Z"], ["https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-angie-craig-demands-doj-and-sec-investigate-trumps-insider-trading", "Rep. Angie Craig Demands DOJ and SEC Investigate Trump's Insider Trading Subscription Service, \u201cTruth API\u201d", "2026-07-21", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Angie Craig", "C001119", "craig.house.gov", "craig", "https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig demanded that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigate President Trump\u2019s media company, \u201cTrump Media & Technology Group\u201d (\u201cTMTG\u201d), for its latest plan to unveil a $100,000 insider trading subscription service.\n\nIn a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, Rep. Craig pressed the Administration on its inaction following the announcement of \u201cTruth API\u201d \u2013 a blatant insider trading scheme that would enable the President to rake in personal profits by offering Wall Street billionaires inside information on the President\u2019s social media platform, Truth Social.\n\n\u201cI am deeply disturbed by your agencies\u2019 inaction on the $100,000 per-month insider trading subscription service unveiled by the President\u2019s social media company, Truth Social,\u201d Rep. Craig wrote. \u201cThis is another blatant giveaway to billionaires so that the President can make a quick buck at the expense of ordinary Americans.\u201d\n\n\u201cReuters reports that for high-frequency traders, a head start of just a few milliseconds can translate into hundreds of thousands of dollars on a single large trade,\u201d she continued. \u201cEvery one of those dollars comes at the direct expense of the average investor who does not have $100,000 a month to spare to bribe President Trump.\u201d\n\nRep. Craig highlighted that President Trump owns approximately 41 percent of TMTG through his revocable trust, so every dollar of revenue going to Truth API will go directly into the President\u2019s pocket.\n\n\u201cA $100,000-a-month subscription may look like a drop in the bucket next to a $400 million plane from Qatar, but what is being sold here is worse than the price tag: it is a standing structural advantage over the American public in our own markets, handed to President Trump\u2019s billionaire buddies on Wall Street,\u201d Rep. Craig concluded.\n\nRep. Craig has led the charge to hold the President and his family members accountable for using the White House to enrich themselves. In January, she introduced her Presidential Conflict of Interest Accountability Act to prevent the President and Vice President from financially benefitting from their positions and take on President Trump\u2019s clear conflicts of interest.\n\nThe bill would require the President and the Vice President to submit a disclosure of financial interests to Congress and the Director of Government Ethics no later than 30 days after assuming office. Under this legislation, the President and Vice President and their immediate family members would have to divest of any financial interest posing a potential conflict of interest by transferring it to a blind trust and selling it.\n\nYou can read the full text of the letter here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-22T07:34:13Z", "2026-07-22T07:35:16Z"], ["https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-ilhan-omar-passes-bipartisan-bill-fight-medical-provider-fraud", "Congresswoman Ilhan Omar Passes Bipartisan Bill to Fight Medical Provider Fraud", "2026-07-21", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Ilhan Omar", "O000173", "omar.house.gov", "omar", "https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 The House unanimously passed a bipartisan bill led by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA) to strengthen protections for injured federal workers against fraudulent medical providers and improve government accountability.\n\nThe Putting Patients First by Strengthening Provider Accountability in FECA Act empowers the Department of Labor to suspend FECA payments to medical providers convicted of fraud, protecting both patients and taxpayers. This bill is a targeted fix to a well-documented problem that the Department of Labor Inspector General has been recommending for years.\n\n\"I am thrilled to see the House pass my bill with Rep. Mackenzie to protect injured federal workers from fraudulent medical providers,\" said Rep. Omar.\u201cWhen a federal worker gets injured on the job, we have an obligation to make sure they get the care and benefits they have earned. For too long, gaps in the system have wasted taxpayer dollars while creating financial uncertainty for injured workers and their families. This bill will ensure injured federal workers receive the care they are owed, and the resources meant for their recovery are used responsibly and effectively \u2013 this is exactly what good government looks like.\u201d\n\nYou can find the text of the Putting Patients First by Strengthening Provider Accountability in FECA Acthere.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-22T07:34:13Z", "2026-07-22T07:35:16Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/senators-tina-smith-jerry-moran-re-introduce-legislation-to-lower-cost-of-oral-cancer-treatments/", "Senators\u00a0Tina Smith, Jerry Moran Re-Introduce Legislation to Lower Cost of\u00a0Oral Cancer\u00a0Treatments", "2026-07-20", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to cut costs for cancer patients. Specifically, the bill would ensure cancer patients who are prescribed oral chemotherapy medication can access their drugs at comparable prices to other cancer treatments.\n\nTheir Cancer Drug Parity Act requires health insurers to cover patient-administered (oral) cancer medications at the same cost-sharing level as traditional intravenous (IV) anticancer drug treatments, closing the coverage gap for federally regulated health plans.\n\nOver 2 million Americans are estimated to be diagnosed with cancer each year, and oral medications are a simpler, highly effective treatment option for many patients. According to a Susan G. Komen study released earlier this year, people receiving IV treatment reported a significantly greater negative impact on their daily lives than people receiving oral treatment, including having to take more time off from work. Despite these benefits, oral cancer treatments remain inaccessible to many patients due to unaffordable copays.\n\n\u201cOral treatments for cancer are often less invasive than traditional IV medications and can be taken at home, reducing logistical and occupational barriers to treatment,\u201d said Sen Smith. \u201cHowever, unlike IV treatments, which are covered by a health plan\u2019s medical benefits with moderate to minimal copays, oral medications often have high, unaffordable copays. It can add up to thousands of dollars in costs for patients each year and can cause many to delay or forego necessary care to treat their cancer. Our bill brings parity to these two kinds of treatments and lowers costs for those taking oral cancer drugs.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs cancer research and medical innovation continue to expand treatment options for cancer patients, including with orally administered cancer therapies, patients ought to be able to benefit from these medical advancements,\u201d said Sen. Moran. \u201cThis commonsense legislation would encourage ERISA health insurance plans to expand access to orally administered cancer drugs. This legislation will help millions of patients access the therapies that best meet their needs. Improving access to new treatments, therapies and cures will help save lives.\u201d\n\n\u201cPatients with cancer should have equitable and affordable access to all treatment options, regardless of how they are administered,\u201d said Danielle Doheny, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy for the International Myeloma Foundation who chairs the Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care. \u201cPatients should not have to pay more simply because they take their medication at home rather than receiving an infusion. Insurance coverage should reflect today\u2019s standards of care, not outdated benefit designs. The International Myeloma Foundation, which coordinates the Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care, appreciates Senators Smith and Moran for their continued leadership on the Cancer Drug Parity Act and looks forward to continuing to work with Congress to advance this important legislation.\u201d\n\n\u201cOral therapies are an important cancer care advancement that can reduce the burden of care for some and can be not only the best option, but the only option for others, especially for those living with metastatic breast cancer,\u201d said Molly Guthrie, Vice President of Policy & Advocacy at Susan G. Komen. \u201cUnfortunately, outdated insurance design often takes away patient and provider choice leaving these treatments out of reach for too many. Komen is proud to support the Cancer Drug Parity Act and applauds Senators Smith and Moran for their continued efforts to ensure breast cancer patients can choose the best treatment for them without erroneous barriers.\u201d\n\nMore than 40 states and the District of Columbia have enacted \u201coral parity\u201d laws, which prevent health plans from creating different cost-sharing requirements for oral and IV cancer medicines. These laws have made a significant difference for cancer patients\u2014for example, researchers found that the number of multiple myeloma patients initially charged $0 for oral medications nearly quintupled with the enactment of oral parity laws.\n\nSenators Smith and Moran\u2019s bipartisan Cancer Drug Parity Act would build on this state-level success by:\n\nExpanding oral parity protections to privately-insured patients whose health care is regulated at the federal level.\n\nPreventing insurers from covering oral and self-administered medicines at different cost-sharing rates than IV anti-cancer drug treatment.\n\nImplementing these requirements for health plans that already cover both oral and IV anti-cancer drug treatments.\n\nThis bill is endorsed by over 35 organizations representing cancer patients and the medical community.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-21T07:32:02Z", "2026-07-21T07:33:33Z"], ["https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-angie-craig-pushes-trump-administration-shut-down-notorious-ice-0", "Rep. Angie Craig Pushes Trump Administration to Shut Down Notorious ICE Processing Center Run by Private Prison Operator, CoreCivic", "2026-07-16", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Angie Craig", "C001119", "craig.house.gov", "craig", "https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig joined 108 of her colleagues in pushing the Trump Administration to shut down the notorious Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas run by private prison contractor, CoreCivic. In a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Rep. Craig and her colleagues blasted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and CoreCivic for profiting off the detention of migrant families, including children.\n\nDilley, where five-year old Liam Ramos was held after being picked up by ICE in Columbia Heights, MN, is the only ICE facility in the country dedicated to detaining families with children. Current and former detainees have been outspoken about the unacceptable and dehumanizing conditions at the facility, including food contaminated with worms and mold, a lack of adequate education for school-age children and delayed and denied medical care. Detainees blame both ICE and CoreCivic, a company in which President Trump owns stock.\n\n\u201cFormer and current detained families describe horrific conditions perpetuated by CoreCivic and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that are meant to strip them of their dignity and make them feel hopeless,\u201d the Members wrote. \u201cAmericans have watched ICE\u2019s brutality play out in their communities, but what happens behind the walls of the Dilley detention facility remains out of sight by design. DHS must stop imprisoning families, end this inhumanity, and close the Dilley detention facility.\u201d\n\nThe Members specifically called out CoreCivic for using President Trump\u2019s mass deportation agenda to profit millions of dollars from its contract with ICE.\n\n\u201cPatrick Swindle, President and CEO of CoreCivic, recently boasted that CoreCivic provides the most humane, most efficient, most compliant, and best value to the government,\u201d the Members continued. \u201cHere, \u2018best value\u2019 means maximizing profit through lack of trained personnel, inedible food, and insufficient medical care. CoreCivic cares about their bottom line, not about the people in their care.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo child and family should be imprisoned for seeking safety by legitimately following United States immigration laws,\u201d the Members concluded.\n\nRep. Craig has taken the Trump Administration to task over its reckless and lawless immigration agenda and has fought to bring home Minnesotans wrongfully detained by ICE.\n\nLast month, she successfully secured the release of her constituent, Andrea Pedro-Francisco, who was held in ICE detention while suffering from an untreated ovarian cyst. In May, she traveled to El Paso, TX to visit Pedro-Francisco and conduct oversight of two ICE detention facilities\u2014Camp East Montana and the El Paso Service Processing Center.\n\nEarlier this year, she conducted four oversight visits of the ICE processing center at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis. Following her third visit with Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05), she sent a letter to former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem expressing concern that no detainees were present during their visit despite reports that individuals were being held at Whipple and slamming Noem for previously denying them their constitutional right to conduct unannounced oversight visits. Rep. Craig also introduced articles of impeachment against former Secretary Noem in January before she was ultimately fired in March.\n\nShe has vocally opposed the opening of any new ICE facilities in Minnesota, including a proposed ICE detention center in Shakopee, which she successfully quashed alongside state and local leaders. And this Congress, she helped introduce the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in ICE and CBP Custody Act to establish standards of care for individuals held in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and ICE custody.\n\nYou can read the full text of the letter here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-17T07:15:58Z", "2026-07-17T07:17:05Z"], ["https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-angie-craig-pushes-trump-administration-shut-down-notorious-ice-processing", "Rep. Angie Craig Pushes Trump Administration to Shut Down Notorious ICE Processing Center Run by Private Prison Operator, CoreCivic", "2026-07-16", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Angie Craig", "C001119", "craig.house.gov", "craig", "https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig joined 108 of her colleagues in pushing the Trump Administration to shut down the notorious Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas run by private prison contractor, CoreCivic. In a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Rep. Craig and her colleagues blasted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and CoreCivic for profiting off the detention of migrant families, including children.\n\nDilley, where five-year old Liam Ramos was held after being picked up by ICE in Columbia Heights, MN, is the only ICE facility in the country dedicated to detaining families with children. Current and former detainees have been outspoken about the unacceptable and dehumanizing conditions at the facility, including food contaminated with worms and mold, a lack of adequate education for school-age children and delayed and denied medical care. Detainees blame both ICE and CoreCivic, a company in which President Trump owns stock.\n\n\u201cFormer and current detained families describe horrific conditions perpetuated by CoreCivic and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that are meant to strip them of their dignity and make them feel hopeless,\u201d the Members wrote. \u201cAmericans have watched ICE\u2019s brutality play out in their communities, but what happens behind the walls of the Dilley detention facility remains out of sight by design. DHS must stop imprisoning families, end this inhumanity, and close the Dilley detention facility.\u201d\n\nThe Members specifically called out CoreCivic for using President Trump\u2019s mass deportation agenda to profit millions of dollars from its contract with ICE.\n\n\u201cPatrick Swindle, President and CEO of CoreCivic, recently boasted that CoreCivic provides the most humane, most efficient, most compliant, and best value to the government,\u201d the Members continued. \u201cHere, \u2018best value\u2019 means maximizing profit through lack of trained personnel, inedible food, and insufficient medical care. CoreCivic cares about their bottom line, not about the people in their care.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo child and family should be imprisoned for seeking safety by legitimately following United States immigration laws,\u201d the Members concluded.\n\nRep. Craig has taken the Trump Administration to task over its reckless and lawless immigration agenda and has fought to bring home Minnesotans wrongfully detained by ICE.\n\nLast month, she successfully secured the release of her constituent, Andrea Pedro-Francisco, who was held in ICE detention while suffering from an untreated ovarian cyst. In May, she traveled to El Paso, TX to visit Pedro-Francisco and conduct oversight of two ICE detention facilities\u2014Camp East Montana and the El Paso Service Processing Center.\n\nEarlier this year, she conducted four oversight visits of the ICE processing center at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis. Following her third visit with Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05), she sent a letter to former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem expressing concern that no detainees were present during their visit despite reports that individuals were being held at Whipple and slamming Noem for previously denying them their constitutional right to conduct unannounced oversight visits. Rep. Craig also introduced articles of impeachment against former Secretary Noem in January before she was ultimately fired in March.\n\nShe has vocally opposed the opening of any new ICE facilities in Minnesota, including a proposed ICE detention center in Shakopee, which she successfully quashed alongside state and local leaders. And this Congress, she helped introduce the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in ICE and CBP Custody Act to establish standards of care for individuals held in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and ICE custody.\n\nYou can read the full text of the letter here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-17T07:15:58Z", "2026-07-17T07:17:05Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=71EBCA8D-E8EF-44C0-9546-AEBA6EF26A52", "Klobuchar, Schmitt Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Americans from Anticompetitive Tactics Monopolizing the Online Search Market", "2026-07-16", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Eric Schmitt (R-MO) introduced the bipartisan Securing Enforcement of Americans\u2019 Right to Competition at Home (SEARCH) Act to prevent dominant search engines from blocking smaller competitors and preferencing their search products in other lines of business. The bipartisan legislation would put into law many of the remedies sought by the Justice Department after it won its case against Google for illegally maintaining a monopoly in online search.\n\n\u201cThrough three administrations, the Justice Department has proven in court that Google has stifled competition and created barriers to user choice,\u201d Klobuchar said. \u201cUpstart search engines should be able to compete and innovate, bringing new tools to consumers. That\u2019s why Congress should put the guardrails in place that both the Biden and Trump Administrations have said are necessary to bring competition to online search.\u201d\n\n\u201cBig Tech monopolies are shaping what information Americans see and censoring free speech. A handful of search engines dictate how virtually every American accesses information, meaning the companies controlling those search engines hold massive power over what people see online and control the most basic infrastructure of human speech and freedom of information in the digital sphere,\u201d Schmitt said. \u201cThat is unacceptable. As Missouri\u2019s Attorney General, I sued Google over its illegal online search monopoly and its efforts to crush competitors, as well as fought Big Tech companies\u2019 collusion with left-wing organizations and the administrative state that censored conservatives. Now, I am proud to work with Senator Klobuchar to offer a bipartisan path to protect one of the key tenets of modern American society: free speech online.\u201d\n\nThe SEARCH Act would ban dominant search engines from blocking smaller competitors by paying distributors to make them users\u2019 default choice, a practice federal courts have found violates antitrust laws by illegally maintaining a monopoly. The legislation would also require dominant search engines to share data and syndicate search results to foster competition in a market that has had little for decades, and require search access points to offer users choice screens so users can easily find and switch to alternative search engines.\n\nThe SEARCH Act is enforceable by antitrust enforcers at the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission or state attorneys general.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-17T07:15:58Z", "2026-07-17T07:17:05Z"], ["https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-angie-craig-introduces-legislation-create-public-option-lower-health", "Rep. Angie Craig Introduces Legislation to Create a Public Option, Lower Health Insurance Costs for Minnesotans", "2026-07-15", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Angie Craig", "C001119", "craig.house.gov", "craig", "https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig introduced legislation to create a public option and lower health care costs for Minnesotans struggling to afford sky-high insurance premiums.\n\nRep. Craig\u2019s Medicare-X Choice Act builds on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicare frameworks to create a Medicare Exchange plan that would offer affordable health insurance options to families, individuals and small businesses and increase competition in the health insurance market. The bill would also permanently extend the ACA enhanced premium tax credits that Congressional Republicans allowed to expire at the end of 2025, codify the \u201cfamily glitch\u201d fix and provide funding for a national reinsurance program \u2013 policies that Rep. Craig has long championed.\n\nAmericans are facing skyrocketing insurance premiums following the expiration of the ACA tax credits and the implementation of President Trump and Republicans\u2019 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid last year. As a result, 17,000 Minnesotans have dropped their MNSure coverage \u2013 the health insurance plan they purchased through the state\u2019s ACA marketplace \u2013 this year alone.\n\n\u201cEven before Republicans made historic cuts to Medicaid and stripped the American people of the ACA tax credits they relied on to afford health coverage, it was too expensive to be sick in this country,\u201d said Rep. Craig. \u201cNow, thousands of Minnesotans have lost MNSure coverage and countless others are paying through the roof just to access the basic health care they need. But it doesn\u2019t have to be this way. A public option will offer folks across this country lower premiums for quality care, and that\u2019s why I\u2019m proud to be introducing this common-sense legislation in the house \u2013 to actually lower health care costs and increase competition in the marketplace.\u201d\n\nSince coming to Congress in 2019, Rep. Craig has worked to lower health care costs and make quality care accessible to every Minnesotan.\n\nIn April, she introduced the Patient Refunds for Bad Denials Act to hold health insurance companies accountable for above-average denial rates and refund patients for medical payments that should have been covered by insurance. And in February, she introduced the Patient Debt Relief Act to ease the burden of medical debt on Minnesotans by protecting individuals from predatory debt collection practices and requiring hospitals to offer more manageable repayment options.\n\nIn 2022, the provision of Rep. Craig\u2019s bill that capped insulin copays at $35/month for Medicare recipients was signed into law as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. That same year, Rep. Craig successfully pushed the Biden Administration to close the \u201cfamily glitch\u201d \u2013 a move that lowered health care costs for an estimated 62,000 Minnesotans.\n\nIn 2019, Rep. Craig introduced her first health care bill, the State Health Care Premium Reduction Act, which would provide funding for state reinsurance programs to directly lower premiums, out-of-pocket costs and deductibles, and make the ACA tax credits permanent.\n\nSenators Michael Bennett (D-CO) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) have introduced companion legislation in the Senate. Reps. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Mike Quigley (D-IL-05) are original co-sponsors in the House. Her bill is supported by Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-16T07:21:44Z", "2026-07-16T07:23:13Z"], ["https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-mccollum-votes-present-massie-amendment", "Congresswoman McCollum Votes Present on Massie Amendment", "2026-07-15", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Betty McCollum", "M001143", "mccollum.house.gov", "mccollum", "https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "ASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman McCollum, the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement after voting against the Massie amendment, which would strike all $3.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing to Israel.\n\n\u201cI have long been a vocal opponent of the way the United States provides a blank check to the Netanyahu government. For the last nine years, I have carried a bill to put limits on how all US dollars to Israel may be used, which would ensure that not one penny of taxpayer dollars is used by Israel to violate the human rights of Palestinian children. I am also a cosponsor on legislation like the Block the Bombs Act, which also places limits on US assistance to Israel\n\n\u201cHowever, I cannot support Mr. Massie\u2019s amendment as I have serious concerns that with the way it is so broadly written. As drafted, other foreign assistance\u2014including vital assistance to Palestinians\u2014could be cut off as well. For many of my colleagues in the majority, this amendment is just another way for them to carry out President Trump\u2019s isolationist agenda to limit and, in some cases completely cease, US foreign assistance.\u201d", 1, "2026-07-16T07:21:44Z", "2026-07-16T07:23:13Z"], ["https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases/us-representative-ilhan-omar-introduces-resolution-urging-us-join", "U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar Introduces Resolution Urging U.S. to Join International Criminal Court", "2026-07-15", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Ilhan Omar", "O000173", "omar.house.gov", "omar", "https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) introduced a resolution calling on the United States to become a full member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and revoke sanctions and visa bans on ICC officials.\n\nThe Congresswoman\u2019s resolution comes days after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced his intention to dismantle the ICC, an independent, credible tribunal built to prosecute the worst crimes known to man. This move would be antithetical not only to American values, but to global stability and international law.\n\n\u201cI have seen firsthand that impunity breeds more violence,\u201d said. Rep. Omar. \u201cFailure to address atrocities entrenches divisions, prevents healing, and fuels cycles of insecurity. The ICC is a court of last resort, stepping in only when there is credible evidence of war crimes, genocide, or crimes against humanity and a country is unwilling or unable to prosecute those responsible. It is a crucial tool for justice in places where victims have nowhere else to turn. If we truly believe in human rights and the rule of law, we should strengthen international justice\u2014not undermine it. The United States should lead by example and show that no one is above the law.\"\n\nThe resolution is cosponsored by Representatives Andr\u00e9 Carson (D-IN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Jes\u00fas \"Chuy\" Garc\u00eda (D-IL), and Nydia Vel\u00e1zquez (D-NY).\n\nThe full text of the resolution is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-16T07:21:44Z", "2026-07-16T07:23:13Z"], ["https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-craig-statement-her-vote-against-massie-amendment", "Rep. Craig Statement on Her Vote Against Massie Amendment", "2026-07-15", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Angie Craig", "C001119", "craig.house.gov", "craig", "https://craig.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig released the following statement on her vote against Rep. Thomas Massie\u2019s amendment to the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act regarding funding for Israel.\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s vote was an unserious attempt by Rep. Thomas Massie to implement sweeping and irresponsible changes to America\u2019s foreign policy.\n\n\u201cLet me be clear. Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s reckless policies and the humanitarian crisis he has created in Gaza have damaged Israel\u2019s reputation on the world stage and therefore jeopardized any progress toward weakening Hamas and implementing a necessary two-state solution. Not to mention, President Trump and Netanyahu\u2019s dangerous and illegal war with Iran has driven up costs and put American troops in harm\u2019s way. I firmly believe that the best thing for the U.S.-Israel relationship is for Netanyahu to lose his next election.\n\n\u201cThat said, the U.S.\u2019 longstanding partnership with Israel is critical for maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East and a blanket ban on all foreign aid, including humanitarian programs, would not only endanger the Israeli people, but also American troops and our allies in the region.\n\n\u201cAttempting to litigate these complex foreign policy conversations through an amendment to the national security appropriations bill undermines the importance of our alliance with Israel and threatens to undercut ongoing efforts to restore peace in the Middle East.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-17T07:15:58Z", "2026-07-17T07:17:05Z"], ["https://morrison.house.gov/media/press-releases/us-rep-kelly-morrison-cosponsors-bill-block-iran-war-funding", "U.S. Rep. Kelly Morrison Cosponsors Bill to Block Iran War Funding", "2026-07-14", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Kelly Morrison", "M001234", "morrison.house.gov", "morrison", "https://morrison.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, after Donald Trump escalated his war with Iran, U.S. Representative Kelly Morrison (MN-03) announced her cosponsorship of the No Funds for Iran War Act, which would prohibit any taxpayer dollars from being used for military action against Iran.\n\nNow, the Trump Administration is asking for billions more in taxpayer dollars to fund the war in Iran \u2014 even though the war is increasingly unpopular with the majority of Americans.\n\nThe No Funds for Iran War Act was introduced by Representative Pat Ryan (NY-18), a combat veteran, and cosponsored by 37 House Democrats, including 14 veterans. Representative Morrison is a proud member of the House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee.\n\nUnder Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution, only Congress has the power to declare war. Since launching the first attack on Iran in February of this year, President Trump has neither sought nor received Congressional authorization for this war. Representative Morrison has been staunchly opposed to this illegal war and has voted for every War Powers Resolution to end the war. A member of the House Small Business Committee, Representative Morrison met with Minnesotan small business owners this spring who told her that rising prices due to the war in Iran pose an existential threat to their businesses.\n\n\u201cGrocery prices are rising. Gas prices are rising. Half of Americans can\u2019t afford health insurance. But instead of doing anything to address these problems or make life better for the American people, the President has dragged us into another costly, illegal, and foreign war and refuses to get us out of it,\u201d said Congresswoman Kelly Morrison. \u201cI\u2019m cosponsoring the No Funds for Iran War Act to block the President from spending any more taxpayer dollars on this illegal war that\u2019s deeply unpopular and increasingly reckless. Not one dollar more for this illegal war that the American people don\u2019t want but are being forced to pay for.\u201d\n\nRepresentative Morrison spoke on the House floor this morning, calling out Trump\u2019s reckless actions that have dragged the United States into another costly, foreign war, costing taxpayers billions while doing nothing to make life more affordable for the American people.\n\nWatch Rep. Morrison\u2019s full speech HERE.\n\nImage\n\nRead a transcript of Rep. Morrison\u2019s remarks below:\n\nMadam Speaker, today I rise against the Trump Administration's reckless, costly, and illegal war in Iran.\n\nIn just the last 24 hours, President Trump\u2019s \u201cdeal\u201d has collapsed yet again, tensions have escalated, blockades have been reinstated, and strikes have resumed.\n\nPresident Trump has informed the nation that we are once again at war with Iran \u2013 an illegal war that no one asked for, no one wanted, and yet every American is paying the price for.\n\nDonald Trump is backing the United States into a corner \u2013 and the worst part about it is that he has no plan to get us out.\n\nHis strategy is to bomb first, think later.\n\nHe\u2019s sacrificing our economy\u2026 our security\u2026 our standing in the world \u2013 and for what?\n\n1 in 2 Americans can\u2019t afford health insurance.\n\nFood, housing, and child care costs are astronomical.\n\nInflation is at a three-year high and the cost of gas, groceries, and everything in between is going up.\n\nPresident Trump was elected to office on the promise of lowering costs and ending unwinnable wars overseas.\n\nAnd yet here we are.\n\nAnd now he is demanding that taxpayers pay hundreds of billions of dollars to fund his new endless, costly, illegal war in Iran.\n\nThe American people deserve so much better from their President.\n\nWhen Donald Trump first got us into this war, he said it would last about 4-6 weeks.\n\nWell now it\u2019s been 20.\n\nOver the last five months, the Trump Administration has spent more than $100 billion dollars on their illegal war on the other side of the world.\n\nDo you know what $100 billion could fund here at home?\n\nChild care for 7 million children.\n\nHealth care for 10 million people.\n\nFood assistance for 45 million Americans.\n\nThese aren\u2019t just arbitrary numbers.\n\nTrump\u2019s actions have real impacts. And real costs. On real people\u2019s lives.\n\nAnd let\u2019s not forget, this comes as Trump made the single largest cut to health care and food assistance in our nation\u2019s history last year.\n\nAfter millions of Americans have lost their health insurance and families are struggling to feed their children, President Trump is demanding that taxpayers send hundreds of billions of dollars to fight a foreign war overseas.\n\nOf course President Trump has literally told us time and time again that he does not care about the American people.\n\nWell he may not care \u2013 but the elected officials in this chamber should.\n\nIt is literally our job to do what\u2019s best for our constituents.\n\nWe cannot stand by and watch President Trump drag us into yet another mess \u2013 especially when it\u2019s at the expense of Americans every. Single. Time.\n\nAnd let\u2019s just step back for a moment here and ask the question: why are we even in this war?\n\nThis Administration still can\u2019t give us a good answer. No explanation. No reason. No strategy. No endgame.\n\nAs an American\u2026 as a patriot\u2026 as the wife of an Army combat veteran, I am outraged.\n\nWhen you make the decision to send American soldiers into harm's way, you better have a damn good reason for it and you better know what you\u2019re doing.\n\nWe have neither \u2013 and this Administration continues to recklessly put our troops\u2019 lives on the line without care or cause.\n\nIt\u2019s shameful.\n\nThat\u2019s why I\u2019m joining my colleague and combat veteran Representative Pat Ryan in fighting to end this reckless war and reassert our Congressional authority over war-making powers.\n\nMadam Speaker, we need to pass the No Funds for Iran War Act and stop any taxpayer dollars from being used for military action against Iran.\n\nBoth chambers of Congress, which are Republican-controlled, I might add, have passed War Powers Resolutions to end the Iran War \u2013 but there needs to be more.\n\nPresident Trump thinks he\u2019s above the law \u2013 but he is not.\n\nAnd it is up to the Republican majorities in Congress to stop him.\n\nIt is their Constitutional duty.\n\nTo put the American people, our national security, our economy, above a single president\u2019s self-serving war of choice.\n\nTo my Republican colleagues, I plead: What is your line? When will you put the American people first and stop this war?\n\nWe are not powerless. We can end this war.\n\nI implore my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to listen to the American people, find their courage, and end this war.\n\nMadam Speaker, I yield back.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-15T07:12:08Z", "2026-07-15T07:13:45Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=18259100-D1E6-4AB2-80A7-9CC2365A2309", "Klobuchar Urges Administration to Reinstate Food Safety Staff and Program Funding to Address Cyclospora Parasite Outbreak", "2026-07-14", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is urging the CDC and FDA to reinstate funding and staffing for federal and state food safety programs to fight the currently uncontrolled Cyclosporiasis outbreak happening across the United States. Cyclosporiasis is an illness caused by eating contaminated food or drinking water and can lead to severe dehydration, fatigue, and other health issues. So far, across the country, nearly 2,800 cases and 87 hospitalizations linked to this outbreak have been confirmed.\n\n\u201cI write to urge the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to restore funding and staffing cuts made by the administration to federal and state food safety programs, including the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), Public Health Infrastructure Grants, Preventive Services Block Grant, Food Safety Inspection Service, and Food Emergency Response Network,\u201d wrote Klobuchar. \u201cAs a currently uncontrolled large foodborne outbreak across the country continues, cuts to these programs are impacting our nation\u2019s ability to prevent, detect, and contain foodborne illnesses and protect public health.\u201d\n\n\u201cPreventing foodborne illnesses like Cyclosporiasis and expediently detecting and responding to outbreaks are life-saving and economically essential functions of the FDA, CDC, and state health and agriculture departments working in collaboration and coordination with one another,\u201d Klobuchar continued. \u201cThe recent actions taken by the administration have significantly weakened federal and state defenses and undermined nationwide coordination against foodborne illnesses, particularly when there is no longer a central location for reporting and comparing data across state lines.\u201d\n\nKlobuchar has long led efforts to improve food safety, particularly by reducing harmful heavy metals in baby food and children's products. In 2024, Klobuchar introduced the Baby Food Safety Act of 2024 to limit the levels of harmful heavy metals allowed in commercial food for infants and toddlers. In 2009, Klobuchar led the bipartisan Food Safety Rapid Response Act to strengthen federal, state, and local officials\u2019 ability to detect and investigate food safety outbreaks, which was signed into law as part of the Food Safety and Modernization Act of 2012. Her legislation also established eight food safety centers of excellence, including the Minnesota Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence.\n\nThe full letter is available here and below.\n\nDear Acting Director Bhattacharya and Acting Commissioner Diamatas:\n\nI write to urge the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to restore funding and staffing cuts made by the administration to federal and state food safety programs, including the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), Public Health Infrastructure Grants, Preventive Services Block Grant, Food Safety Inspection Service, and Food Emergency Response Network. As a currently uncontrolled large foodborne outbreak across the country continues, cuts to these programs are impacting our nation\u2019s ability to prevent, detect, and contain foodborne illnesses and protect public health.\n\nLast year the administration made reporting of foodborne illnesses caused by parasite Cyclospora optional when it cut the CDC FoodNet program\u2019s tracking of ten pathogens, including Cyclospora, known to cause foodborne illness, to just two. Similarly in April 2025, the administration suspended the FDA\u2019s Food Emergency Response Network program following the firings of key scientists as part of the administration\u2019s layoffs of federal public health employees. More recently, the administration terminated Congressionally-appropriated Public Health Infrastructure Grants and Preventive Services Block Grants, which pay for state health department staff, laboratory capacity, diagnostics, tracking, and surveillance.\n\nCurrently, a still uncontrolled outbreak of Cyclospora, first detected on May 1, has spread across at least 31 states. As of July 9, two state health departments alone have reported nearly 2,000 combined cases of Cyclosporiasis. This outbreak has resulted in at least 86 hospitalizations so far. While Cyclosporiasis is treatable with antibiotics when diagnosed, it continues to pose a risk of severe dehydration and other health issues that can result in higher health care costs and lost productivity.\n\nPreventing foodborne illnesses like Cyclosporiasis and expediently detecting and responding to outbreaks are life-saving and economically essential functions of the FDA, CDC, and state health and agriculture departments working in collaboration and coordination with one another. The recent actions taken by the administration have significantly weakened federal and state defenses and undermined nationwide coordination against foodborne illnesses, particularly when there is no longer a central location for reporting and comparing data across state lines.\n\nAs Americans look to our public health agencies to keep their families safe and healthy, I urge you to fully restore the FERN, Food Safety Inspection Service, FoodNet, Public Health Infrastructure Grant, and Preventive Services Block Grant programs. I also urge you to continue to work closely with state public health departments to ensure they have the resources and expertise to efficiently detect and respond to foodborne illnesses and take proactive steps to keep our food supply safe.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-15T07:12:08Z", "2026-07-15T07:13:45Z"], ["https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-omar-statement-rubio-icc-announcement", "Rep. Omar Statement on Rubio ICC Announcement", "2026-07-13", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Ilhan Omar", "O000173", "omar.house.gov", "omar", "https://omar.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) released the following statement in response to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's announcement on his intent to dismantle the International Criminal Court:\n\n\u201cSecretary Rubio\u2019s announcement that he will dismantle the International Criminal Court is reckless and dangerous. It undermines the rule of law, weakens global accountability, and turns America's back on the values we claim to champion.\n\n\u201cThe ICC is an independent international court created to ensure that perpetrators of the world's gravest crimes\u2014genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity\u2014cannot escape justice.\n\n\u201cSecretary Rubio claims that the ICC poses \u2018an intolerable threat to U.S. sovereignty\u2019 and that American servicemembers could be prosecuted simply for serving our country. That is simply not true. The ICC is an international court of last resort, intended to prosecute only the most horrific crimes \u2013 war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity \u2013 when countries are unable or unwilling to do so themselves. The best way to avoid ICC scrutiny is simple: don't commit atrocity crimes, and if credible allegations arise, investigate them transparently and hold those responsible accountable.\n\n\u201cThe United States should lead by example, not exempt itself from the standards it expects everyone else to follow. In 2022, I introduced a resolution calling on the United States to join the ICC because I believe America should stand with victims of atrocities, defend human rights, and strengthen the international rule of law. I will reintroduce that resolution in the coming days, and I urge my colleagues who believe in justice and human rights to join me.\n\n\u201cAmerica is strongest when we lead with our values, not when we demand immunity from them. If we respect human rights, uphold the rule of law, and hold ourselves to the same standards we ask of others, we have nothing to fear from the ICC.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-14T07:08:55Z", "2026-07-14T07:10:52Z"], ["https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases/statement-passing-us-senator-lindsey-graham", "Statement on Passing of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham", "2026-07-12", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "MN", "Betty McCollum", "M001143", "mccollum.house.gov", "mccollum", "https://mccollum.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Betty McCollum issued the following statement on Sunday following the death of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina:\n\n\u201cI offer my sincere condolences to Senator Graham\u2019s family, his colleagues, and his many friends. Though Senator Graham and I sat on different sides of the aisle, we found common ground in our shared commitment to our Ukrainian allies and their fight to defend their sovereignty against Russian aggression. As a House co-chair of the International Conservation Caucus, Senator Graham and I worked together in partnership with villages and governments across Africa to protect unique and threatened places both today and for future generations.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-13T08:14:37Z", "2026-07-13T08:15:42Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/rural-housing-supply-legislation-becomes-law/", "U.S. SENATOR TINA SMITH\u2019S BIPARTISAN\u00a0RURAL\u00a0HOUSING SUPPLY LEGISLATION BECOMES LAW", "2026-07-11", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "9,000 homes in rural Minnesota will be saved by Smith\u2019s bill\n\nMINNEAPOLIS, MN \u2013 U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), the top Democrat on the Senate Housing Subcommittee, announced her major bipartisan bill to preserve 400,000 rural homes across the country became law today. Smith\u2019s Rural Housing Service Reform Act was included in a housing supply package that passed the House and Senate with veto-proof majorities. President Trump refused to sign the bill, but because he did not veto the legislation outright it automatically became law after 10 days of Presidential inaction.\n\n\u201cWithout a safe, affordable place to live, nothing in your life works. Not your health, not your job, and not your education,\u201d said Senator Smith. \u201cThe lack of affordable, decent housing in this country has been a major problem for working families for years, but with the 21st Century Road to Housing Act becoming law, we\u2019re choosing a different path: Build more housing and protect the homes we already have from falling into disrepair. I am so proud that language I wrote to reform the Rural Housing Service and save thousands of affordable homes in rural communities is now law.\u201d\n\nSenator Smith\u2019s bipartisan Rural Housing Service Reform Act would preserve up to 400,000 affordable homes in small towns and rural communities across the country, and more than 9,000 units in Minnesota, by making commonsense updates to programs at the USDA\u2019s Rural Housing Service for the first time in decades.\n\nIn addition to Senator Smith\u2019s Rural Housing Service Reform Act, the package included a number of bills Senator Smith cosponsored and supported, including:\n\nWhole-Home Repairs Act: Authorizes a pilot program to help thousands of working families afford essential, costly home repairs through grants and forgivable loans.\n\nChoice in Affordable Housing Act: Expands access to federal government\u2019s largest rental assistance program for affordable housing.\n\nHOME Investment Partnerships Program Reauthorization and Reform Act: Makes critical updates to the largest federal affordable housing block grants to keep pace with the rising cost of living and to make the program more efficient.\n\nPRICE Act: Helps preserve, protect and stabilize manufactured housing communities by permanently reauthorizing HUD\u2019s Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement program.\n\nThe 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act doesn\u2019t just boost housing supply. The legislation also addresses big corporations\u2019 stranglehold on America\u2019s housing market by banning large institutional investors from purchasing certain single-family homes. A full list of legislative items included in the package can be found here.\n\nSenator Smith, alongside Senator Klobuchar (D-MN) and Minnesota housing advocates, pressed for the President to sign the bill in a press conference held in the Twin Cities last week praising the bill and urging the President to sign it. You can view Senator Smith\u2019s remarks here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-14T07:08:55Z", "2026-07-14T07:10:52Z"], ["https://www.smith.senate.gov/smith-klobuchar-secure-infrastructure-improvements-in-anoka-county/", "U.S. Senators Smith, Klobuchar Secure Significant Federal Funding for Infrastructure Improvements in Anoka County", "2026-07-10", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Tina Smith", "S001203", "www.smith.senate.gov", "tinasmith", "https://www.smith.senate.gov/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) announced the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has awarded $18 million for the Minnesota State Highway 65 and Bunker Lake Boulevard Project. The grant, provided through the USDOT\u2019s BUILD program, will be used to construct an interchange at the intersection of Minnesota State Highway 65 and Bunker Lake Boulevard. This project is part of a larger initiative to convert the highway into a freeway with grade-separated interchanges.\n\n\u201cHighway 65 is a critical link between the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota. But we\u2019re seeing drivers intentionally avoiding the intersection at Bunker Lake Boulevard to avoid the traffic and congestion, which only increases congestion on nearby roads. This intersection is outdated and needs an update,\u201d said Senator Smith. \u201cA new interchange will handle more traffic and take the strain off of side-roads, meaning Minnesotans can more easily get to their families, to their work or where they need to go.\u201d\n\n\u201cInvestments in our infrastructure serve as down payments on the long-term economic well-being of our state,\u201d said Senator Klobuchar. \u201cThis federal funding will help make our roads safer and more accessible and allow Minnesotans to more easily reach work, school, and other destinations in Anoka County.\u201d\n\nSenators Smith and Klobuchar have long supported investment in the Highway 65 corridor. In 2023, Senators Smith and Klobuchar announced $20 million in federal funding to improve road safety and accessibility on Highway 65 from 97th Avenue to 117th Avenue. In 2022, Senators Smith and Klobuchar secured $9 million for Highway 65 improvements at 99th Avenue and 109th Avenue intersections, as well as an additional $4 million for the 117th Avenue intersection in 2024.\n\nBUILD grants, previously referred to as RAISE grants, can be used by communities across the country for a wide variety of transportation projects with significant local or regional impact. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Senators Smith and Klobuchar supported and was signed into law in 2021, delivered a 50 percent increase in the amount of available funding for the BUILD grants, as well as resources for improving the state\u2019s roads, bridges, public transportation and water infrastructure.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-14T07:08:55Z", "2026-07-14T07:10:52Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 378, "expanded_columns": [], "expandable_columns": [], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "units": {}, "query": {"sql": "select url, title, date, year, month, party, chamber, state, member_name, bioguide_id, domain, scraper, source, date_source, text, has_text, collected_at, updated_at from releases where \"party\" = :p0 and \"state\" = :p1 and \"year\" = :p2 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "Democrat", "p1": "MN", "p2": "2026"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=MN&year=2026", "results": [{"value": "Democrat", "label": "Democrat", "count": 378, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=MN&year=2026", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "chamber": {"name": "chamber", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=MN&year=2026", "results": [{"value": "House", "label": "House", "count": 212, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=MN&year=2026&chamber=House", "selected": false}, {"value": "Senate", "label": "Senate", "count": 166, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=MN&year=2026&chamber=Senate", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "state": {"name": "state", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=MN&year=2026", "results": [{"value": "MN", "label": "MN", "count": 378, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&year=2026", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "year": {"name": "year", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=MN&year=2026", "results": [{"value": "2026", "label": "2026", "count": 378, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=MN", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}}, "suggested_facets": [], "next": "2026-07-10,https~3A~2F~2Fwww~2Esmith~2Esenate~2Egov~2Fsmith-klobuchar-secure-infrastructure-improvements-in-anoka-county~2F", "next_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Democrat&state=MN&year=2026&_next=2026-07-10%2Chttps~3A~2F~2Fwww~2Esmith~2Esenate~2Egov~2Fsmith-klobuchar-secure-infrastructure-improvements-in-anoka-county~2F&_sort_desc=date", "private": false, "allow_execute_sql": true, "query_ms": 314.7901250049472, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}