Hi Neighbors,
I’m looking forward to talking with you tonight during my free and open-to-the-public vaccine briefing call at 6:45 PM CT with U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm. We’ll get to as many of your questions about getting vaccinated against COVID-19 as possible, so I hope you’ll join the conversation by calling in at (855) 927-0897, streaming live on my website or on Facebook, or registering here to receive a call. Ahead of our call tonight, I wanted to give you a little more information about the important work my team and I did last week:
Immigration Close to Home
For decades, Liberian refugees have worked, owned homes, raised families, and paid taxes legally in Minnesota through the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) program with no opportunity to become citizens. Our extraordinary Liberian community, along with Republicans and Democrats in Congress, worked so hard to finally secure a pathway to citizenship in 2019. We thought the hardest part of the journey was behind us, but it appears that unacceptable hurdles remain – in 2020, more than 2,300 newly-eligible Liberian DED recipients applied for citizenship, but only 91 were approved.
Click here to watch her story.
Last week, the House passed H.R. 6, the bipartisan Dream and Promise Act, to provide a path to citizenship for Dreamers and DED holders, but, until the Senate passes the bill as well, thousands of lives hang in the balance. In the meantime, I’m continuing to demand accountability and transparency for Minnesota’s Liberian community before time runs out again. Last week I sent a letter to the Biden Administration outlining steps we can take right now to improve the program and ensure that every eligible applicant receives fair treatment.
Meeting with Constituents
Representation begins with listening, and, this past week, I had the pleasure of hearing from constituents who are leading Minnesota towards better health care. My team and I spoke with Hennepin Healthcare leadership about the work they have been doing throughout the pandemic in COVID testing, treatment, and now vaccination. I also had the chance to meet with the Minnesota Hospital Association and health care leaders from across Minnesota to discuss the impacts of COVID-19 and the need to make high quality health care available to every Minnesotan. We discussed opportunities to make progress in the areas of telehealth and prescription drug pricing.
Hennepin Healthcare has been a leader throughout the pandemic
Clean Cars for Minnesota
It’s time for Minnesota to be a leader for climate action and clean energy, both in our region and in our country. Last week, I joined a growing chorus of voices in advocating for the proposed Minnesota Clean Cars rule, which would reduce pollution and ensure that Minnesotans have access to zero-emissions vehicles. The Clean Car rule would tackle the greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions in our state—preserving public health and saving Minnesotan taxpayers billions of dollars in the process. If approved, the Clean Cars rule would go into effect in 2024.
Passing the Violence Against Women Act
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is a landmark law that combats sexual assault and domestic violence. First passed in 1994, VAWA was reauthorized on a bipartisan basis in 200, 2005, and 2013 – until 2018, when it expired because the Senate failed to bring it forward for a vote. The House voted to reauthorize VAWAlast week, and I’m pleased to share that my amendment to ensure that women and children who face domestic violence can leave their abuser without losing their legal, non-immigrant status was included in the bill.
Updates for You
As your Congressman I always want to do my best to share information that relates to you, your family, and our community. From job opportunities in the district to contests in my office, I want to keep you in the loop.
- Opportunity for student artists:
The 2021 Congressional Art Competition has officially begun! High school students in Minnesota’s Third Congressional District are invited to create an original art piece and submit it by Saturday, April 17. The winning artwork will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. Learn more at phillips.house.gov/art - Hiring in MN-03:
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is planning to hire 6,000 full- and part-time Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) across all airports in the coming weeks and months, including Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). If you are interested in applying, you can find information here - Our vaccine briefing call tonight:
Click here to learn how to join the conversation with me, Senator Tina Smith, Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm, and local health experts tonight. If you won’t be able to attend, or you’ll just want to listen to our discussion again, I promise to follow up next week with the recording of our conversation
Keep the faith and keep in touch, 
Dean Phillips
Member of Congress