Category: Dean Phillips

U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips sees need to help cities lacking state funding

Formula for local aid means nearly 100 Minnesota cities don’t make the list.

U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips says the most common topic that came up on recent visits with municipal officials in his suburban congressional district was the lack of state funding to improve aging infrastructure.

So in an effort to bridge the gap left by cuts in state aid to local governments, Phillips, a Democrat, is sponsoring a bill seeking federal funding for a suburban water treatment center.

Only eight of his district’s 36 cities this year received a cut of the $560 million Local Government Aid (LGA) funding approved by the Legislature. Most of the cities with goose eggs are in western Hennepin County.

View the complete June 4 article by David Chanen on The Star Tribune website here.

Phillips Convenes Veterans, Military Members and Advocates for Community Conversation

MINNETONKA, MINNESOTA – Last Thursday, Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) convened more than 50 veterans, service members, military families and advocates for a community conversation on veterans issues. Phillips and four members of his Veterans Advisory Council led a lively and informational discussion about the challenges Minnesota’s military and veteran communities face and the services that are available to support them. The group also fielded open testimony from attendees.

Full video of the event can be seen HERE.

“This is the first of many conversations to come,” said Phillips. “As a Gold Star Son, veteran and military issues are personally important to me. America seems to always find the means to send young men and women overseas to fight, and it is imperative that we also find the means to support them when they come home. I look forward to carrying these stories to Washington and continuing to work hard for our veterans and service members.” Continue reading “Phillips Convenes Veterans, Military Members and Advocates for Community Conversation”

Phillips, Freshman Dems Call on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to Hold a Vote on Historic Government Reform Bill

The For The People Act, the first bill Rep. Phillips co-sponsored in Congress, reduces the power of special interests and secures our elections from foreign influence

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03)  joined fellow freshman Democrats who helped lead the charge to prioritize and pass the For The People Act to call on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to allow debate and an up or down on the floor of the Senate.

“Leader McConnell stands in the way of ending the era of bought and sold politicians,”said Rep. Phillips. “Refusing to even hold a vote on the For The People Act keeps our government in the pocket of special interests and keeps our elections open to foreign attacks. It’s wrong, it’s dangerous, and it should concern every single American. It’s time for McConnell to put country over party and bring H.R.1 to the floor.”

You can video of the full press conference HERE. Continue reading “Phillips, Freshman Dems Call on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to Hold a Vote on Historic Government Reform Bill”

ICYMI: Phillips Speaks Out in Support of American Dream and Promise Act Before House Passage

Phillips: “I am proud to help lead the Dream and Promise Act to give Liberians, Dreamers and TPS holders a road to citizenship so the American Dream can, at long last, be their reality.”

WASHINGTON, DC –  Last night, the House passed H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, which was co-led by Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03). The bill includes a pathway to citizenship for Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Delayed Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients who meet certain criteria. Before the vote, Phillips spoke on the House Floor in support of the bill and its impacts on Minnesota’s Liberian and immigrant communities.

Click here to watch Rep. Phillips’s remarks

Continue reading “ICYMI: Phillips Speaks Out in Support of American Dream and Promise Act Before House Passage”

American Dream And Promise Act, Led By Rep. Phillips, Passes House

Bill includes pathway to citizenship for DED holders

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, The American Dream and Promise Act, which was co-led by Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03), passed the House of Representatives. The bill includes a pathway to citizenship for Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Delayed Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients who meet certain criteria.

“In Minnesota, we are living proof that immigrants make our communities stronger,”said Phillips. “This bill gives the most hardworking, driven and educated immigrants a chance to fully live the American Dream. They have earned that right. I am especially pleased that it provides a long overdue pathway to citizenship for DED holders in our Liberian community. When President Trump extended DED for one year in March, I promised to work to find a legislative fix that would prevent the need for more extensions. This bill would do just that. It is critical to Minnesota’s future, and I urge the Senate to pass it. I remain committed to pursuing all options to find a legislative fix for DED, in addition to a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, DACA recipients, and those here under Temporary Protected Status.”

The bill gives a pathway to permanent resident status for DED and TPS holders who have been in the United States for three years and do not have any felony convictions or more than one misdemeanor. After five years as a permanent resident, they can apply for citizenship.

Earlier today, Rep. Phillips spoke on the House Floor in support of the bill and its impact on Minnesota’s Liberian and immigrant communities.

In March, Phillips introduced the bipartisan Protect Our Liberian Community Act with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), a bill that would give Liberians a three year reprieve as Congress works toward a permanent solution for their immigration status.

Liberians on DED have lived in the United States for 16 years or more and have demonstrated that they are law-abiding and taxpaying. Many own homes and businesses, are parents of American children, and are hardworking employees for health care employers that are already facing critical workforce shortages.

Against the odds, select committee aims to push Congress into the 21st century

It’s one of the most important committees in Congress, yet it has only temporary office space. It has just two full-time legislative staff members. And it borrows other committees’ rooms to hold hearings.

But against those odds, the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress is pushing ahead with a bipartisan approach that could produce some of the most important work of the 116th Congress. On Thursday, the panel presented its first set of recommendations, on making the House more transparent, and committee members are poised to dig into other, more in­trac­table problems, such as increasing funding to hire and retain a better, more diverse staff and adopting a calendar that allows for real legislative results.

If their colleagues agree to some of these changes, this committee could end up making the place function in a way that produces dividends for years to come.

View the complete May 25 article by Paul Kane on The Washington Post website here.

Minnesota Congressional delegation pens letter supporting homeless vet registry

The Minnesota Congressional delegation sent a letter Thursday, May 23, to Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie highlighting Minnesota’s efforts to address veteran homelessness and urging him to examine if the VA could benefit from implementing similar programs at the federal level.

The delegation includes Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Reps. Jim Hagedorn, R-Minn., Angie Craig, D-Minn., Dean Phillips, D-Minn., Betty McCollum, D-Minn., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Tom Emmer, R-Minn., Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and Pete Stauber, R-Minn.

According to a news release, the Minnesota Homeless Veteran Registry was created in 2014 to identify all known homeless veterans in an effort to ensure they have access to appropriate housing and social services. The registry helps to recognize the underlying factors contributing to veteran homelessness, including mental health issues, substance abuse and economic hardship. In the letter, the members asked Wilkie about the VA’s efforts to address veteran homelessness and urged him to consider implementing Minnesota’s registry program.

View the complete May 24 article from The Brainerd Dispatch on their website here.

ICYMI: Phillips Responds to President Trump’s Cancelled Infrastructure Meeting, Decries “Woeful Lack of Leadership”

Phillips: “Whatever prompted his change of heart today in the Rose Garden. I’m not sure. But if that’s all it took, that’s a woeful lack of leadership, I’m afraid.”

WASHINGTON, DC – Earlier today, Congressman Dean Phillips (MN-03) joined Jake Tapper on CNN to discuss the cancelled infrastructure meeting at the White House, decrying President Trump’s “woeful lack of leadership.”This morning, Phillips announced his completed 36-city tour where infrastructure was raised as a top concern for every city in Minnesota’s 3rd District.

Below is a transcript of the interview:

TAPPER: Joining me now from Capitol Hill is Minnesota Democrat Congressman Dean Phillips. He’s a freshman. He’s on both the House Foreign Affairs and Financial Services Committees. Continue reading “ICYMI: Phillips Responds to President Trump’s Cancelled Infrastructure Meeting, Decries “Woeful Lack of Leadership””

Rep. Phillips Tells Chuck Todd Minnesotans Are Focused On Kitchen Table Issues, Not Impeachment

Phillips: “I just completed a 36-city tour of my district just last week, and I asked people all around my district, what do you want me focusing on? And they said infrastructure, reducing prescription drug pricing, health care.”

WASHINGTON, DC –  Last night, Congressman Dean Phillips (MN-03) appeared on MTP Daily with Chuck Todd to discuss what he’s hearing from Minnesotans on impeachment. Phillips recently concluded a tour of all 36 cities in Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District where infrastructure and health care were listed as top concerns – not impeachment.

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Click here to view Rep. Phillips’s segment

Below is a transcript of the interview:

CHUCK TODD: Now I want to talk to one Democrat who’s not there yet. Joining me now is Minnesota Democratic Congressman Dean Phillips. He won in a swing district, took over a Republican seat, won a Republican seat in 2018. So, Congressman, welcome to the show. Continue reading “Rep. Phillips Tells Chuck Todd Minnesotans Are Focused On Kitchen Table Issues, Not Impeachment”