Tag: MN03

Dean Phillips Votes ‘No’ to $2.2 Trillion COVID Package: Calls for Bipartisan Compromise

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On October 1, 2020, Rep. Dean Phillips voted against “HEROES 2.0,” the $2.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill offered by Nancy Pelosi and House leadership, joining 17 other Democrats, 189 Republicans and one Independent as the bill passed the House 214 to 207. Phillips released the following statement:

“Having co-led the Problem Solvers Caucus working group that developed the March to Common Ground bipartisan COVID relief framework, my commitment to achieving a solution for Americans remains steadfast. 

In light of divided government, legislation must be designed to pass not just the House, but also the Senate, and be signed into law by the President. And, despite my belief in and support of the content of HEROES 2.0, it was not that bill.

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A March to Common Ground

Hi Neighbors,

This past week, our country lost Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a trailblazer and a role model to many, including myself. I am saddened in ways I never imagined possible. May her memory be a blessing and may her legacy live through all of us.

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Reciting the Mourner’s Kaddish next to Congressman Eric Swalwell and his daughter, with her “I Look Up To Ruth Bader Ginsburg” book in hand, is a moment I’ll never forget

Today, I am checking in to give you an update on the work I am doing in DC:

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Rep. Phillips introduces bill to improve telehealth as pandemic threatens Americans’ Access to Care

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Thursday, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) and Steve Chabot (R-OH) announced they have introduced the bipartisan Telehealth Coverage and Payment Parity Act (H.R. 8308) aimed at improving Americans’ access to health care whenever and wherever they need it. The bipartisan legislation pushes for permanent coverage and payment parity for telehealth services at the federal level.

With the country grappling with the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, safe access to medical providers – especially for the sick and vulnerable – is more important now than it ever has been. Yet much of the innovation in telehealth demonstrated these past months will reverse when the pandemic is over. H.R. 8308 will ensure the country continues telehealth payment parity past the pandemic, increasing Americans access to care. The bill will require payers to cover the same telehealth services as Medicare, establish parity between in-person and telehealth covered services, and eliminate burdensome and unnecessary regulations around location for providers.

“It’s time to build a 21st century health care system that utilizes technology and prevention to keep people well,” said Rep. Phillips. “For many conditions, there is no simply no reason for healthcare to be tied to brick and mortar institutions. Telehealth has allowed us to effectively deliver care during the COVID-19 pandemic, but some of the flexibilities put in place to ensure Americans have access to care will be reversed when the public health emergency expires unless Congress acts to preserve them. I’m on a mission to make our progress permanent.”

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Rep. Phillips Co-Sponsors Landmark Legislation to Lower Costs, Increase Access to Health Care

Legislation will create a public option for Minnesotans to buy into the state’s Medicaid program

WASHINGTON, DC — Yesterday, Rep. Dean Phillips announced he is co-sponsoring the State Public Option Act, landmark health care legislation that will allow Americans to buy into their state’s Medicaid program. Prohibitively high costs continue to deny many Minnesotans access to healthcare every day even as the COVID-19 pandemic threatens our community. A state-based public option would open up healthcare access to thousands of Minnesotans while providing a viable health insurance option for those without employer-provided insurance.

Under this Medicaid Buy-in program, states will set the terms for how the public-option will be implemented. Enrollees will have access to Medicaid’s provider network and benefit set and the state will determine the premiums, deductibles, and other cost-sharing. Cost will be much lower due to smaller administrative overhead. A 2013 Congressional Budget Office estimate of a similar public option found that premiums would be on average 7-8% less than on the individual market.

“Lowering the cost of health care for my constituents and all Americans has been a top priority since I joined Congress in 2019,”said Rep. Phillips, “and this legislation does just that. The State Public Option Act will expand health coverage to thousands of Minnesotans, allow states to become policy innovators, and encourage more people to pursue their dreams with affordable health insurance. A public health insurance option is the next step toward achieving a health care system with truly universal access, as we continue to grapple with a pandemic that has changed so many aspects of our lives. We are all connected — my neighbor’s health is about my health, too.”

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Phillips-led bipartisan group offers COVID framework to break impasse

WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus – 25 Democrats and 25 Republicans – unveiled its “March To Common Ground” framework to help break the gridlock on the latest COVID-19 relief package and encourage negotiators to get back to the table. 

The 50-member bipartisan Caucus, led by policy working group leaders Reps. Dean Phillips (D-MN) and Dusty Johnson (R-SD) along with Problem Solvers Caucus members Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), and Co-Chairs Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Tom Reed (R-NY), came together to develop the framework after extensive listening to constituents and outreach to stakeholders over the past six weeks.

The package addresses key areas of need, including COVID-19 testing, unemployment insurance, direct stimulus, worker and liability protection, small business and non-profit support, food security, schools and child care, housing, election support, and state and local aid.

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Rep. Phillips introduces a bill to ban political use of White House grounds

WASHINGTON, DC— Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) has introduced a bill banning the use of White House grounds for political purposes – the Our Lawn Act.  

For nearly a century, the Hatch Act has existed to provide a clear distinction between public servants and electoral candidates. Both parties have observed and respected this law for decades and have condemned apparent Hatch Act violations.

Unfortunately, this administration has shown, through providing the White House and other federal property as a staging area for the Republican National Convention, that we must continue to work to ensure that officials are not misusing public property and the prestige of office for their own political gain.  These actions misappropriated public resources for the private benefit of the Republican Party and put federal employees in a position where their employers were ordering them to violate the law.

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Chamber of Commerce backs freshmen House Dems, marking shift

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has decided to endorse 23 freshmen House Democrats in this fall’s elections, a bipartisan move by an organization that has long leaned strongly toward Republicans.

The country’s largest business group is also endorsing 29 freshmen House Republicans, said a person familiar with the organization’s decision who described the actions. Even so, the decision has prompted internal divisions, with some state chamber officials criticizing the national group’s decision to back freshmen Democrats in their areas.

The House freshmen the chamber is endorsing include several who face tough reelections, such as Reps. Abby Finkenauer and Cindy Axne of Iowa, Andy Kim of New Jersey, Xochitl Torres Small of New Mexico, Anthony Brindisi of New York, Kendra Horn of Oklahoma, Joe Cunningham of South Carolina and Elaine Luria and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia. Continue reading.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Endorses Dean Phillips for Re-Election

Chamber lauds Phillips as a “friend of business” 

MINNETONKA, MINNESOTA – Today, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce officially endorsed Dean Phillips (D, MN-03) for re-election. A business leader and entrepreneur before running for office in 2018, Phillips refuses all campaign contributions from special interests, PACs, and federal lobbyists, and has emerged as a pragmatic, independent-minded leader on small business issues and government reform in Congress. Recognizing Phillips for his strong support of small business and economic growth, and his commitment to working across the aisle on issues of national importance, the nation’s largest business organization took the rare step of endorsing a freshman Democrat. 

“As one of the few entrepreneurs in Congress, I’m especially grateful to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for their endorsement,” said Phillips. “My thirty years of experience creating, leading, and growing businesses in Minnesota brings a unique perspective to policy-making and illuminates my mission to inspire a new era of collaboration in Congress. I’m grateful to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for recognizing and supporting the need for bipartisanship as we pave the path to prosperity for all Americans.” 

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Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips says Minnetonka campaign office burglarized

A Minnesota congressman says his Minnetonka campaign office was burglarized overnight.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips tweeted the news of the break-in on Sunday, along with a photo of a shattered glass door.

“To the thieves stealing campaign signs from my supporters’ lawns across the district and the criminals who broke into our Minnetonka campaign office overnight, the irony isn’t lost on me,” Phillips wrote. “Your disregard for law and stoking of fear and disorder, only increases my resolve.” Continue reading.

New Bill Seeks to Bring Lobbying Out of the Shadows

The Lobbying Disclosure Reform Act of 2020 would add “strategic lobbying services” to the influence-seeking activities that would have to be publicly reported, among other provisions aimed at strengthening disclosure.

Lobbyists who work to influence the federal government report spending, combined, about $3 billion per year for their efforts. But that figure is just a fraction of what corporations and other interests spend on their lobbying. 

Besides making calls to congressional offices and holding briefings for staffers, lobbying organizations often employ “soft power” tactics to get information favorable to their causes in front of policymakers and influencers. For example, trade groups often plant op-eds built around their talking points on websites like The Hill that are read almost exclusively by D.C. insiders. It’s also common for groups to form astroturf coalitions and call on their audiences to lobby policymakers on their behalf. 

To increase transparency of these activities, freshman Reps. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and Ben Cline (R-Va.) last week introduced a bill—the Lobbying Disclosure Reform Act of 2020—that would require companies, trade groups and other entities that employ lobbyists to begin disclosing information about the “strategic lobbying services” they employ in support of their lobbyists. The bill would require reporting of individuals employed in strategic planning, earned media and press strategy, polling, production of public communications, and encouraging people to take action to support or oppose a legislative or regulatory action through the formation of formal or informal coalitions. Continue reading.