Tag: 3rd Congressional District

Minnesotans in Congress get troubling look at U.S.-Mexico border

Reps. Dean Phillips and Pete Stauber saw wretched conditions at U.S.-Mexico border.

WASHINGTON, DC – The national immigration debate has turned the southern border into a popular destination for members of Congress, including several Minnesota lawmakers from both parties who report being shocked by what they saw.

“I’d seen the photos and read some accounts,” said Rep. Dean Phillips, a Democrat. “I anticipated I’d see difficult conditions, but what I saw was almost indescribable. I couldn’t believe that, in my own country, that people were being kept in the ways that I saw.”

Phillips’ most recent trip to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas was on July 19, where he and a bipartisan group of House members inspected ports of entry, a Border Patrol station, a centralized processing center and the border itself. It was his second visit in a period of less than two months, following a conversation with Rep. Pete Stauber about his own visit in there in April.

View the complete August 2 article by Patrick Condon on The Star Tribune website here.

The relatable Minnesota freshman taking on Congress

Dean Phillips says his Jewish ancestors’ escape from persecution spurs his battle against hate

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) is a spirits and gelato entrepreneur, a father and now a newly elected congressman. He’s also the descendant of Jewish refugees who fled to the United States to escape pogroms in eastern Europe.

Phillips is most often seen as the relatable millionaire-next-door — a successful businessman from a well-to-do family who is still down-to-earth and accessible. During his 2018 campaign for Minnesota’s third district, Phillips drove around the neighborhood in a restored 1960s milk truck.

His Jewish identity is at the core of his politics, and he’s willing to invoke that when necessary. In March, Phillips demanded an apology from fellow Minnesota Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar after she charged that American supporters of Israel have “allegiance to a foreign country.” A month earlier, responding to another controversial antisemitic comment by Omar, Phillips said that she had “propagated dangerous and destructive stereotypes of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.”

View the complete August 1 article by Laura Kelly on the Jewish Insider website here.

Lessons from ‘Man Up and Dress Up,’ a book Kendall Qualls tried and brilliantly failed to Kickstart

This week, Republican medical technology executive Kendall Qualls of Medina joined the political fray by announcing his congressional campaign. He’s challenging first-term Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips, and if elected, he’d be Minnesota’s first black Republican in Congress.

“I didn’t have a life of privilege,” his campaign website reads. “I grew up in poverty, and success came the old-fashioned way: I had to earn it.” He promised, if elected, to put “partisan game playing” aside and “focus on the issues that matter.”

So far, he hasn’t shared much information on the issues themselves. In interviews, he’s said he supports (and voted for) President Donald Trump and agrees with his policies, but that “his style is not my style.”

View the complete July 31 article by Hannah Jones on The CityPages website here.

Reps. Angie Craig, Dean Phillips Lead Effort To Lower Insulin Costs

Bill would provide emergency insulin and lower costs for Minnesotans

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Reps. Angie Craig (MN-02) and Dean Phillips (MN-03) introduced H.R. 4010, The Emergency Access to Insulin Act. This bill would increase insulin access for underinsured and uninsured patients, make insulin more affordable, and hold big drug companies accountable for jacking up insulin prices and making other life-saving drugs unaffordable for Minnesota families.

The price of insulin has increased by over 600% in recent years, leading Minnesotans to risk their lives by rationing their supplies. This bill, which is the House companion to U.S. Sen. Tina Smith’s Senate bill, would:

  • Provide states with federal grants to set up short-term emergency insulin supplies for uninsured and underinsured patients
  • Help patients find long-term affordable insulin options
  • Penalize big pharmaceutical companies for excessive price increases

“This is not an issue we have the luxury of waiting on. Minnesotans are dying because of the outrageous cost of insulin and other life-saving prescription drugs,” said Rep. Craig. “This bill provides real, immediate solutions to the skyrocketing cost of insulin, while also looking toward long-term fixes by holding big pharmaceutical companies accountable for their bad faith efforts to profit off the backs of working families. I’m proud to partner with my fellow Minnesotans on this critical effort.”

“Over the past two decades, Minnesotans have suffered from a 600% increase in insulin prices,”said Rep. Phillips. “That’s outrageous. Families should not be held hostage by big pharma’s predatory pricing practices. I’m proud to lead this bill with Congresswoman Craig and continue the fight for affordable and accessible health care. We owe it to everyone in our community who relies on this life-saving drug.”

DFL Sends Kendall Qualls’ Political Consultant the Paperwork to Run for Congress Himself

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – After Republican and NRCC recruit Kendall Qualls filed to run for congress in Minnesota’s 3rd district, he refused to answer all questions on his own campaign and directed the press to ask his political consultant, Gregg Peppin, instead. Today, the Minnesota DFL has sent political consultant Gregg Peppin the paperwork necessary to run for congress himself.

“It’s bizarre that Kendall Qualls cannot answer why he’s running for congress,” said DFL Chairman Ken Martin. “Worse still, Kendall Qualls is relying on political consultant Gregg Peppin to explain Qualls’ own candidacy for him. If Qualls is just going to be a mouthpiece for political consultant Gregg Peppin, perhaps Gregg Peppin should be the one running for congress. To facilitate this, the Minnesota DFL has sent political consultant Peppin the paperwork needed to declare a run for congress.”

The Minnesota DFL sent Gregg Peppin the following documents:

  • A letter from DFL Chairman Ken Martin
  • The Federal Elections Commission’s Statement of Candidacy Form
  • The Federal Elections Commission’s Statement of Organization Form
  • The Minnesota Secretary of State’s Affidavit of Candidacy Form

“Mr. Peppin will need to come up with Minnesota’s $300 filing fee himself,” added Martin.

 

Phillips, Problem Solvers Caucus Members Return From Bipartisan Visit to Southern Border

WASHINGTON – Last Friday, members of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus visited McAllen, TX to see facilities and conditions at the southern border. The trip was led by Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) and Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA). Members visited the Donna Holding Facility for family units and unaccompanied children, the Port of Entry in Hidalgo, a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) living and learning center for unaccompanied minors run by the non-profit BCFS, and the McAllen Central Processing Center.

After the visit, the Members sat together to continue the Caucus’s discussions of potential solutions that members of both parties could support. Afterward, the group held a press conference that can be viewed here.

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Click here to view the full press conference that followed the group discussion Continue reading “Phillips, Problem Solvers Caucus Members Return From Bipartisan Visit to Southern Border”

DFL Response to Kendall Qualls’ Run for Congress in CD3

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, Republican Kendall Qualls filed paperwork with the FEC to run for the United States House of Representatives in Minnesota’s 3rd district. Ken Martin, Chairman of the Minnesota DFL, released the following statement in response:

“In 2018, voters in Minnesota’s 3rd congressional district overwhelmingly rejected the Trump-Republican agenda of dividing Americans and attacking our health care. Minnesotans deserve to know whether Kendall Qualls will meaningfully stand up to Trump’s dangerous rhetoric and

ICYMI: Kendall Qualls Can’t Say Why He’s Running for Congress

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Yesterday, Kendall Qualls filed paperwork to run for congress in Minnesota’s 3rd congressional district. In a story published in the Star Tribune, Qualls refused to answer any questions from the press about his run for congress, instead directing all inquiries to political consultant Gregg Peppin.

EXCERPT FROM THE STAR TRIBUNE:

Republican Kendall Qualls declared his intention to seek the suburban House seat in a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission Tuesday.

Qualls declined to comment when reached by phone by the Star Tribune, saying he is referring all inquiries to his political consultant. The consultant did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement in response:

Continue reading “ICYMI: Kendall Qualls Can’t Say Why He’s Running for Congress”

Rep. Phillips Votes to Pass Raise the Wage Act

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) today voted in favor of H.R. 582, the Raise the Wage Act, which passed the House by a vote of 233 to 199. The bill increases the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour gradually over seven years. It also includes a requirement, supported by Phillips, that the Government Accountability Office continue to monitor the impacts of the rising minimum wage, ensuring accountability for Congress and transparency for the American people.

“After Congress failed to act on wages for nearly a decade, I’m proud to be a part of the 116thCongress that is again taking meaningful action to help people who are struggling to get by,” said Phillips. “This bill would ensure that, as we move from $7.25 to $15 per hour, we remain vigilant in observing the impacts on our economy, on workers, and on small businesses. It also included a longer phase-in than originally proposed. For those reasons, I voted yes. Still, the legislation before us today was not perfect. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure any bill that ultimately becomes law is good for both workers and small businesses here and across the country.”

The Raise the Wage Act would deliver a long-overdue pay-raise to millions of working families who are currently experiencing the longest period in history without an increase in the federal minimum wage. As with nearly every other major piece of legislation passed by the House in this Congress, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed to block a vote in the Senate.