Tag: Rep. Phillips

Rep. Phillips Co-Sponsors Joint Resolution to Overturn Citizens United by Constitutional Amendment

Phillips leads on sweeping campaign finance reform, calls for a national rejection of dark money in politics

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03)today announced that he has co-sponsored the Democracy for All Amendment, HJRES2, to overturn Citizens United. This January marks the ninth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, which opened American elections to a flood of unlimited anonymous spending by corporations, labor unions and wealthy individuals.

“Ours is a system of checks and balances, and in times of great consequence, duty falls on Congress and the states to rectify unintended outcomes of the Supreme Court’s decisions,” said Phillips. “Now is one of those momentous times in American history. In order to preserve our democracy we must come together to end the corrupting influence of money in politics — and we cannot do that until the Citizens United decision has been overturned.” Continue reading “Rep. Phillips Co-Sponsors Joint Resolution to Overturn Citizens United by Constitutional Amendment”

U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips is excited to represent a purple district. And he’s eager for your input

Credit: Lara Bockenstedt

U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips says the accessibility that framed his campaign is translating into work in Washington, D.C.

On Jan. 21, he sat down with Southwest News Media to talk about what it’s like being among the freshman class, and how purple districts are fueling collaboration at the nation’s capital.

Eyes around the country watched the 3rd Congressional District’s campaign with interest. Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Eden Prairie, had glided through elections since 2008, but Phillips’ promise to change how campaigns are financed, by turning down PAC and lobbyist money, sparked attention.

View the complete January 24 article by Lara Bockenstedt on the Southwest Media website here.

With cameras off, Trump meets with bipartisan House group, including Dean Phillips, to discuss shutdown

Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips on the floor of the U.S. House on Jan. 3, 2019. Credit: Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune file

Cameras were off as Trump met members of Problem Solvers Caucus.

WASHINGTON – Rep. Dean Phillips joined fellow members of Congress on Wednesday in urging President Donald Trump to reopen the entire federal government, using a private meeting to push for an end to the nearly monthlong shutdown.

Phillips, a newly elected Minnesota Democrat, said he was one of 12 House members — six Democrats and six Republicans — summoned to the lunch hour meeting in the White House Situation Room as the shutdown hit its 26th day. All are members of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of moderates that Phillips joined upon taking office.

“The president explained his position and afforded every one of us the chance to explain ours,” Phillips said. “We went there to express the fact that hundreds of thousands of federal employees are suffering, working without pay, that millions more contractors and people who rely on government services are increasingly being impacted.”

View the complete January 16 article by Patrick Condon on The Star Tribune website here.

Rep. Phillips cosponsors universal background checks bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips is cosponsoring a bill that would require universal background checks for nearly all firearm purchases.

Phillips, who is in his first term representing Minnesota’s 3rd District, announced on Jan. 8 that he is cosponsoring the universal background checks bill, H.R. 8.

“This is not a partisan issue,” Phillips said in a statement. “In fact, the vast majority of Democrats, independents and Republicans support universal background checks on gun sales. Passing H.R. 8 won’t end our gun violence crisis, but it is an important first step, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to join us in advancing this long overdue legislation.”

View the complete January 15 article by Melissa Turtinen on The Lakeshore Weekly News website here.

Should tackling political corruption be House Democrats’ first priority?

Rep. Dean Phillips: “I’m disappointed it hasn’t received more fanfare, given its importance. Credit: Brian Snyder, Rueters

Far from being drained, the Washington Swamp at the beginning of 2019 seems swampier than ever: In the last year, Cabinet secretaries have resigned under clouds of corruption, sitting members of Congress have been indicted, and outgoing lawmakers waited mere hours after leaving office to ink lucrative lobbying contracts.

That’s why the new Democratic majority in the U.S. House has introduced, as its first order of business, a bill that proposes a sweeping range of reforms to the political system, from curbing campaign spending to banning lawmakers from serving on corporate boards. Entitled the For the People Act — or simply called “H.R. 1” in legislative-ese to denote its primacy in the majority’s agenda — the bill is being branded as nothing less than the cure for a broken democracy.

You’d think that in the current climate, an ambitious anti-corruption campaign on Capitol Hill would break through the noise and earn a warm reception from an American public that, per a 2015 Gallup poll, overwhelmingly believes that Congress is corrupt, out of touch, and beholden to special interests.

View the complete article by Sam Brodey on the MinnPost website here.

Phillips cosponsors campaign finance reform bill

Credit: Phillips campaign

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Newly sworn-in Rep. Dean Phillips has cosponsored a bill that would reform voter protection and campaign finance laws, known as The For the People Act of 2019, said the Phillips team in a press release on Jan. 4. Phillips introduced the bill with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Sarbanes, the chief author and chair of the Democracy Reform Task Force.

The bill would expand voter protection through automatic voter registration and increased access to early voting and vote-by-mail, and strengthen ethics laws. The legislation also seeks to expand campaign disclosure requirements, establish a public-matching system of individual campaign contributions and expand the campaign finance oversight powers of the Federal Elections Commission.

“The partisanship and gridlock that plagues our government is a symptom of a larger disease,” said Phillips in the release. “That disease is the corrupting influence of special interest money in our politics. In November, communities across our nation came together to demand a disruption of politics as usual. The For the People Act will begin the important work of elevating common interests over special interests, and I am proud that it is the first bill I have the honor of cosponsoring in service to the people of Minnesota’s third district.”

View the January 8 article by Eden Teller on The Eden Prairie News website here.

Several Minnesota delegation members to donate shutdown pay

MINNEAPOLIS — Several members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation said they will donate their pay to charity during the partial federal government shutdown.

Reps. Pete Stauber, a Republican, and Angie Craig, a Democrat, said Monday they would donate their salaries during the shutdown .

Stauber says he believes it isn’t right for members of Congress to be paid “while parts of the federal government remain shut down and thousands of federal worker are furloughed.” He plans to donate his pay to the Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs in Duluth. Craig says she’ll donate her salary to the Eagan Open Door Pantry and Wabasha Food Shelf .

View the complete January 8 article from the Associated Press was posted on The News Tribune website here.

Dean Phillips Talks Trump, His Agenda and Balancing Business Values Within Government

Incoming Congressman Dean Phillips Credit: Jake Armour

The Third District’s new congressman reflects on challenges and priorities as his government-repair mission prepares to enter action mode.

Dean Phillips has a sense for the marketplace. He led Phillips Distilling as it recast itself from a maker of commodity spirits before the artisanal booze craze hit. He co-created Talenti Gelato before there was a gelato outpost in every upscale neighborhood, and his Penny’s Coffee offers a template for third-wave coffee shops as community centers. The adopted son of a legendarily philanthropic Minneapolis family, Phillips, 49—exhausted by the tenor of American politics and the tenure of Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen—decided to challenge Paulsen for his congressional seat, with an inclusive campaign geared to the district’s moderate, pragmatic leanings. We met him during Thanksgiving week at his soon-to-be ex-campaign HQ in a bungalow in downtown Excelsior.

An ugly campaign

Q  Were you surprised to see your corporate ties and board history used against you by Republican interests? It seemed extraordinarily cynical.

A  I thought it was ironic, disappointing, and very much a symptom of this disease [of money in politics]. I’m so grateful to the voters of the district that supported a campaign that took the high road.

View the complete January 2 article by Adam Platt on The Twin Cities Business website here.