Category: Dean Phillips

Bipartisan group strikes deal on coronavirus relief package

Liability, state and local aid to be split off, giving leadership some options

The group of Senate and House lawmakers negotiating a $908 billion COVID-19 relief package has reached agreement on business liability waivers and state and local government aid provisions, but those will be broken into a separate bill, according to a source familiar with the plan.

The larger $748 billion piece, which includes unemployment insurance, small-business relief, money for education, vaccine distribution and more, plus the separate bill with $160 billion for state and local governments and the liability protections, will be introduced Monday.

The bifurcated approach gives congressional leaders options as they try to assemble a massive year-end legislative package including a $1.4 trillion collection of a dozen fiscal 2021 appropriations bills. Other items still in play include legislation aimed at cracking down on surprise medical bills modeled on a bipartisan agreement reached Friday, and renewal of expiring tax breaks and health care programs. Continue reading.

Actually, all Minnesota GOPers in Congress signed brief to overturn election result

A clerical error left Reps. Jim Hagedorn and Pete Stauber off the list.

Rep. Tom Emmer wasn’t the only congressional Republican from Minnesota to sign an amicus brief to overturn the election result in favor of President Donald Trump.

Despite Joe Biden beating Trump in the Nov. 3 election, parts of the Republican Party and the Trump campaign have made numerous attempts to overturn the result through the courts, with the potential impact of disenfranchising millions of voters.

The latest attempt has seen the Texas Attorney General file a brief claiming the changes to mail-in and absentee voting in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Michigan were unconstitutional as the changes weren’t made by state legislatures. Continue reading.

Phillips Measure to Support Gold Star Families Included in Defense Bill, Headed to President’s Desk

Eight Phillips Defense Bill amendments pass through Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY2021, including the bipartisan “Cheryl Lankford Memorial to Improve Assistance for Gold Star Spouses and Other Dependents” amendment by Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03). The amendment will help keep bereaved military families from slipping through the cracks and ensure Gold Star dependent children can easily access the benefits they are owed.

“As a Gold Star Son, my gratitude to our servicemembers and their families is immeasurable,” said Phillips. “Gold Star Families have made unimaginable sacrifices, and we must do everything we can to deliver all benefits they are owed. Gold Star Families deserve our respect and support, and I am glad this amendment will soon be signed into law.”

Phillips voted for final passage of  NDAA in the House on December 8, 2020, which included eight of his amendments aimed at modernizing our national security, stabilizing international relationships, and preparing for the next global crisis, and supporting our veterans and their families: 

Continue reading “Phillips Measure to Support Gold Star Families Included in Defense Bill, Headed to President’s Desk”

Bipartisan group seizes spotlight, and more clout

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The clout of a bipartisan group of lawmakers aimed at forging consensus is on the rise. 

With the House expected to have its most narrow Democratic margin of control in decades, members of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus see the group’s influence growing exponentially in the next Congress. And its members are looking to flex their strength in pushing for policies that can pass both chambers. 

The bipartisan group of roughly 50 members, which is co-chaired by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), has played a leading role in moving the needle on COVID-19 relief negotiations after a months-long stalemate. Continue reading.

Minnesotans in Congress hope for last-minute COVID relief deal

WASHINGTON – A bipartisan push in the U.S. Senate for a COVID-19 relief package faces unclear prospects in the waning days of the current Congress, but several Minnesota lawmakers still hope for a last-minute breakthrough.

“You’ve got to start somewhere,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, said of a $908 billion proposal outlined Tuesday by moderate U.S. senators from both parties.

Klobuchar said she would “not come home until we get something done,” echoing colleagues who want Congress to act before the House and Senate break for Christmas. Continue reading.

Phillips, Problem Solvers Caucus Push Bicameral, Bipartisan Emergency COVID-19 Relief Package

With endorsements from President-Elect Biden and others, momentum is building for passage

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Thursday, December 3, 2020, Dean Phillips (D-MN) and other members of the Problem Solvers Caucus stood together to fight for their common-sense bipartisan, bicameral COVID-19 emergency relief package. It is being supported by a rapidly growing group of Senators on both sides of the aisle, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and others to help American families, small businesses, workers, and health care providers during this crisis.

Leaders in both parties have stated support for the Problem Solvers Caucus’ framework as the basis for immediate bipartisan, bicameral legislation. On Wednesday night, President-Elect Joe Biden announced his support for the plan, calling it a needed “down payment” ahead of more proposed aid under his administration next year.

  • A breakdown of the COVID-19 emergency relief framework can be found here.

“Vision without action is just a daydream, and we have had enough daydreaming in Congress. We need to show Americans and our allies across the world that the great experiment of America still works. The clock is ticking, but we can and must pass the Emergency COVID Relief Framework. Failure is not an option when Americans are suffering,” said Rep. Dean Phillips.

Continue reading “Phillips, Problem Solvers Caucus Push Bicameral, Bipartisan Emergency COVID-19 Relief Package”

Rep. Dean Phillips, Problem Solvers Caucus Announce Bipartisan, Bicameral COVID package

Rep. Phillips joined Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Senate leaders to announce a $908 billion emergency relief package

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, House Problem Solvers Caucus members Dean Phillips (D-MN) and Dusty Johnson (R-SD) joined a bipartisan group of Senators in announcing a four-month, bicameral COVID-19 emergency relief framework that will help American students, families, small businesses, workers, and health care providers during this crisis. The Problem Solvers Caucus, 25 Democrats and 25 Republicans, helped develop the bicameral package. 

A breakdown of the COVID-19 emergency relief framework can be found here.

This effort is the culmination of months of leadership from Phillips and the Problem Solvers Caucus, as members have worked to break through partisan gridlock on a COVID relief plan since they unveiled their “March to Common Ground” bipartisan framework in September. 

Reps. Dean Phillips (D-MN), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Fred Upton (R-MI), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), and Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH)  joined Problem Solvers Co-Chairs Tom Reed (R-NY) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) as well as Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mark Warner (D-VA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Jeanne Shaheen (R-NH), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Angus King (I-ME), Mitt Romney (R-UT), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) to announce the COVID-19 emergency relief framework that will help American students, families, businesses, workers, and health care providers during this crisis. The Problem Solvers Caucus, made up of 25 Democrats and 25 Republicans, helped draft and endorsed the package.

Continue reading “Rep. Dean Phillips, Problem Solvers Caucus Announce Bipartisan, Bicameral COVID package”

Dean Phillips Wins Reelection in Minnesota’s Third Congressional District

DEEPHAVEN, MINNESOTA – Today, Dean Phillips won reelection in Minnesota’s Third Congressional District by historic proportions. With more than 243,000 votes cast in his favor, Phillips’s win represents the largest vote count ever earned by a candidate for Congress in MN-03. 

Dean Phillips released the following statement: 

“Tonight, our community chose optimism over fear, conversation over chaos, and decency over division. This is the best job I have ever had, and I am honored to have the opportunity to represent such a civically-engaged district for another two years.

Continue reading “Dean Phillips Wins Reelection in Minnesota’s Third Congressional District”