Last week, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith as well as Representative Angie Craig announced plans for a new program to fix the gaps that COVID-19 has revealed in the U.S. food supply chain. Approximately $1 billion in funding will be released to support farmers and facilitate the repair of the supply chain. This will be made available via the American Rescue Plan (ARP); the trio of officials had helped the ARP pass earlier in 2020.
Standing up for farmers, workers, and families has been a large part of Amy Klobuchar’s platform throughout her career. After beginning her career in law, Klobuchar felt driven to enter politics after her own negative experience as a new mother. After giving birth to her daughter, she and her new baby were forced to leave the hospital after 24 hours, which became a dangerous situation as her daughter was born with a disorder that wouldn’t allow her to swallow.
Feeling like she hadn’t been heard by hospital staff and was just a body moving through the system, she was inspired to fight for a law that guaranteed new mothers 48 hours in the hospital before being sent home, putting the health and welfare of family above health insurance rules.
Klobuchar was elected to the Senate in 2006. She was the first woman from the state of Minnesota to be elected to the Senate, and she was reelected in 2012 and 2018. In 2019, she announced her candidacy for U.S. president, but she dropped out of the race in support of President Joe Biden in March of 2020. She participated in the early vetting process as a potential running mate for Biden, but removed herself from consideration, saying that Biden should choose a woman of color. Now, she serves as the Chair of the Senate Rules Committee..
Klobuchar is pro-choice, supports the Affordable Care Act and LGBTQ issues, and she called for an investigation into Donald Trump’s ties to Russia in 2017. She has been a democratic powerhouse throughout her career, and has notably passed more legislation than any other senator.