Tag: CD3

Sen. Smith, Rep. Phillips to Host Mental Health Event Monday August 19

Monday in Coon Rapids:  U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Rep. Dean Phillips Will Hold a Mental Health Listening Session at Mercy Hospital

Event to include experts from the health care, law enforcement, school, and non-profit sectors who care for Minnesotans affected by mental illness

COON RAPIDS, MN – On Monday, August 19th, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips will convene a free and open-to-the-publiclistening session on mental health issues at 9:30 AM in the auditorium of Mercy Hospital. Smith and Phillips will hear personal stories from individuals directly affected by mental illness and moderate a solutions-focused conversation with local experts before taking questions from constituents.

In May, Phillips and Smith teamed up to introduce a bill that would support family mental health services. Smith has also introduced the Mental Health Services for Students Act, which would provide funding for comprehensive mental health services in schools. Both legislators are committed to protecting and expanding resources for mental health care under the Affordable Care Act.

WHAT: Listening Session on Mental Health

WHO:

U.S. Senator Tina Smith
U.S. Representative Dean Phillips (MN-03)
Dr. Paul Goering, Vice President-Mental Health, Allina Health
Scott Boerboom, Chief, Minnetonka Police Department
Sandra Lewandowski, Superintendent, Intermediate School District 287
Dr. Richard Oni, Behavioral Health Consultant, Village Wellness Center
Sue Abderholden, Executive Director, NAMI Minnesota

WHEN: Monday, August 19, 2019, 9:30 – 10:30 AM

WHERE:  Mercy Hospital – Auditorium, 4050 Coon Rapids Blvd NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55433

Rep. Dean Phillips Statement on Israel Barring Entry to Reps. Omar, Tlaib

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement in response to Israel denying entry to Reps. Ilhan Omar (MN-05) and Rashida Tlaib (MI-13).

“I am appalled by Israel’s decision to bar entry to sitting members of the United States Congress. This action sets a damaging precedent for a free and democratic nation and our most important ally in the region. It will harm Israel’s standing among Americans and the entire free world, and sacrifices an opportunity to build bridges of understanding. I urge Israel’s leaders to reverse this dangerous decision immediately.” 

Rep. Phillips’s Congressional District is adjacent to Rep. Omar’s. Phillips, a Jewish American, is a consistent voice of support for the Jewish state of Israel.

Hundreds rally against gun violence; Gov. Tim Walz calls Minnesota Republicans ‘island of resistance’ in debate

The crowd in St. Paul cheered calls to action by the governor as well as U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, others.

Gov. Tim Walz branded Minnesota Republicans on Wednesday as an “island of resistance” to increased gun safety in the state.

Speaking to reporters at the State Capitol, Walz said that GOP leaders in Florida, Ohio and other states have supported versions of expanded background checks and “red flag” laws. But there have been few cracks in the GOP’s longstanding opposition to new gun restrictions in Minnesota.

“There has been one island of resistance, and that is the Minnesota Republican Senate, on having a conversation,” Walz said.

View the complete August 8 article by Liz Sawyer and Jessie Van Berkel on The Star Tribune website here.

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