Tag: Dean Phillips

Rep. Dean Phillips is trying to keep the faith that bipartisanship will heal America

U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips says he believes bipartisanship will heal America. But like any believer, he struggles with his faith.

The first real test came in December. Three of his Republican colleagues in the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus signed onto a lawsuit challenging the 2020 presidential election results in four swing states despite no evidence of widespread fraud or irregularities.

“I really thought about my ability to continue sitting at the table together,” Phillips said. “I don’t take exception to opposing opinions, I take exception to corrupted principles.” Continue reading.

Rep. Phillips: Why I Voted to Impeach Donald Trump

Neighbors,

Yesterday, the House voted to impeach Donald Trump.

This was an absolutely necessary action, and I’ll tell you why: There is no unity or healing without accountability. 

Far too many of my GOP colleagues are spending more time decrying this impeachment vote than they are condemning insurrectionists and seditionists. They are putting political theater ahead of protecting our democracy. And they are utterly failing to demand that President Trump dissuade those planning violence in his honor and his name. 

Continue reading “Rep. Phillips: Why I Voted to Impeach Donald Trump”

Rep. Dean Phillips (CD3): Choosing Truth, Not Sides

Hi,

My oath to the Constitution, and the resounding feedback I’ve received from Minnesotans like you, was on my mind today as I voted to impeach President Trump for his role in inciting violence against a co-equal branch of our government – a solemn but necessary end to a horrifying week.  

Before I headed to the floor to cast my vote, I connected with members of the Minnesota press about the attack against our democracy, the unifying power of truth and accountability, and the ongoing threats still facing Congress. I invite you to watch our discussion here:

Sedition is divisive, insurrection is divisive, accountability is unifying

Continue reading “Rep. Dean Phillips (CD3): Choosing Truth, Not Sides”

Rep. Phillips Moves to Hold Members of Congress Who Incited Violence Accountable

Backing censure resolution, Phillips says: “To my Republican colleagues calling for unity and healing; neither are possible without accountability. Separate yourselves from seditionists. Condemn insurrectionists.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As Congress reconvenes to reckon with the first breach of the United States Capitol since 1814, Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) announced he is supporting a resolution censuring Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-05) for inciting violence against his fellow members of Congress. Phillips is a co-sponsor of the measure authored by Reps. Tom Malinowski (NJ-7) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), which details Brooks’s involvement in the events leading up to the attack on Capitol Hill.

On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, Brooks addressed the crowd, including numerous members of known extremist and anti-government groups, that would soon try to seize the Capitol and prevent the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate from discharging their Constitutional duties to count Electoral College votes in certification of the 2020 presidential election. After denouncing Republican and Democratic members of Congress who were planning to affirm the presidential election, he urged participants to “start taking down names and kicking ass.” Armed with metal rods, bats, and firearms, many rally goers then marched to the Capitol, forcibly and unlawfully entered, hoisted Confederate battle flags, put national security at risk, and assaulted police officers. The violence led to the murder of United States Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick and four other deaths, dozens of injuries, and caused physical damage to U.S. Capitol property. After inciting these acts of insurrection, Brooks made the following statement: “I make no apology for doing my absolute best to inspire patriotic Americans.”

“Indeed, Mr. Brooks, we’ve taken down names,” said Phillips. “The names of each of you who’ve inspired insurrection, promoted disinformation, and incited violence. You will be held to account. To my Republican colleagues calling for unity and healing; neither are possible without accountability. Separate yourselves from seditionists. Condemn insurrectionists. Demand that the President dissuade those planning violence in his name. The future of our country is in your hands.”

Find the text of the Brooks censure resolution here. Censure resolutions against additional members of Congress are expected this week.

Tonight, Phillips will vote in favor of a resolution urging Vice President Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment.

Phillips is also a co-sponsor of the Article of Impeachment introduced by Reps. David Cicilline (RI-01), Ted Lieu (CA-33), and Jamie Raskin (MD-08). With more than 210 co-sponsors, the House will move to impeach the President on Wednesday in the absence of action from the Vice President and Cabinet.

Upholding His Constitutional Oath and the Will of American Voters, Phillips Will Vote to Affirm Electoral College Results

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) will uphold his oath to the Constitution and the will of American voters by affirming the Electoral College results of the 2020 presidential election.  

“What has been a routine procedure for the better part of our nation’s history is suddenly being politicized in ways that set a very dangerous precedent,” said Phillips. “The role of Congress is to count the electoral votes as submitted by the states, and that’s exactly what I and most of my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, intend to do. For we recognize that this is not about a preserving a president, rather preserving the presidency and the very system of government that has made the United States of America the oldest continuous democracy in the world.”

As Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), and other principled Republicans in Congress have affirmed this week, our founders were very intentional about entrusting the administration of federal elections to the states, the election of the president through the Electoral College, and the adjudication of election disputes to the courts.

After Inspiring Bipartisan Breakthrough on COVID Relief, Phillips Casts Leadership Vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) maintained his previously-announcedsupport for Speaker Pelosi after a bipartisan COVID-19 relief package was signed into law this week. Phillips released this statement following the leadership vote:

“In a conversation with Speaker Pelosi in November, I reiterated that my support for her leadership bid would not be contingent on a plum committee assignment or personal priorities, but rather on the passage of emergency relief for American families, workers, and small businesses,” said Phillips. “After making it my personal mission for more than four months, I am proud to have helped inspire bipartisan breakthrough and relieved that we delivered meaningful aid to Americans in need over the holidays. The work is far from over, and I will partner with Democrats, Republicans, and independents in Congress to ensure we meet future moments. As I begin my second term, our nation is in serious need of repair and we must begin the healing in our neighborhoods and in the halls of Congress.”

ICYMI: All Things Considered, National Public Radio, December 17, 2020

Continue reading “After Inspiring Bipartisan Breakthrough on COVID Relief, Phillips Casts Leadership Vote”

Phillips, Problem Solvers Lead Break-Through Compromise to Deliver Needed Aid to American Families and Small Businesses


Rep. Phillips calls for more aid for firefighters, police, first responders and state and local governments ahead of a long winter

WASHINGTON, DC. – Today, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) praised the passage of a bipartisan emergency relief package to help American families and small businesses struggling during the most devastating public health emergency in modern American history. 

Last week, Phillips and Problem Solvers Caucus (PSC) members from the House of Representatives joined a bipartisan group of Senators – including Mitt Romney (R-UT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) – to release a framework for the compromise passed today. This is the culmination of months of work, led by the PSC Co-Chairs, Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Tom Reed (R-NY), along with Reps. Dean Phillips and Dusty Johnson (R-SD), who released a “March to Common Ground” framework in September and have pushed leaders from both parties to cast partisan politics aside and come together for the American people.

Continue reading “Phillips, Problem Solvers Lead Break-Through Compromise to Deliver Needed Aid to American Families and Small Businesses”

D.C. Memo: Dean of the Problem Solvers

This week: House Republicans back a last-ditch election lawsuit; Omar softens her tone while Phillips toughens his.

Welcome to this week’s edition of the D.C. Memo. This week: House Republicans back a last-ditch election lawsuit; Omar softens her tone while Phillips toughens his. But first, a brief plea: MinnPost is a nonprofit news organization that relies on support from our readers for a big portion of our budget. If you value the D.C. Memo, or even if it’s just a hate-read for you, please consider becoming a member now.Alright, here we go!

Mitch, please

Senate Majority Mitch McConnell, about to become the most powerful Republican in Washington, acknowledged Joseph R. Biden’s win in the presidential election — more than a month after votes were cast. McConnell congratulated Biden Tuesday, a day after Electoral College voters cast their votes affirming the election results.

Late last week, before the Electoral College had certified the vote, Minnesota’s GOP delegation in the House of Representatives got behind a quixotic Texas lawsuit intended to upend the election. Reps. Jim Hagedorn and Peter Stauber joined Tom Emmer in backing an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit, which sought to invalidate 62 of Biden’s Electoral College votes in four swing states. In a prepared statement, Hagedorn, who represents the rural First District, said, “Election laws across several states were amended or suspended in the closing months of the 2020 election by acts of state officials and courts, not state legislatures.” He said the U.S. Supreme Court should consider the case “to ensure that all U.S. citizens are treated fairly and the election was conducted in accordance with state laws.” Alas, the measure, which was signed by a total of 126 House Republicans, was thrown out by the Supreme Court.

For Rep. Dean Phillips, COVID-19 relief talks in Washington have been a balancing act

The freshman Democrat has said he’ll withhold his support for Pelosi without a relief package deal. 

Minnesota Democratic congressman Dean Phillips has thrust himself into the ongoing negotiations in Washington over a federal COVID-19 stimulus package, working with a group of lawmakers in both chambers to craft their own plan in the absence of a final deal from leaders.

Members of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of 50 lawmakers, say they’ve kept momentum going for a deal by proposing alternatives, including a $908 billion package they split into two parts this week to make passage easier in a divided Congress.

But Phillips’ work as part of the group has put the freshman from Minnesota’s suburban Third District in an awkward position. At times he’s had to defend his conservative colleagues in the caucus on national TV, while privately putting the pressure on his own Democratic leadership in the House to strike a deal. Continue reading.

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.