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House votes to reprimand GOP Rep. Schweikert for 11 ethics violations
“There is no joy in reprimanding one of our colleagues,” said Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), a panel member who helped lead the House Ethics Committee investigative subcommittee on the matter. “A transgression by one of us is a stain on all of us. . . . We are duty bound to hold ourselves to the highest standard of conduct, and serve as role models.”
Read the article on the Washington Post »
Ocasio-Cortez Embraces a Republican’s Insult
Several male lawmakers, mostly Democrats, expressed outrage on Twitter on Tuesday on behalf of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, with some suggesting that Mr. Yoho’s attack reflected how conservatives have sought to demonize her because of her gender and race.
“Like @aoc, I believe poverty to be a root cause of crime,” Representative Dean Phillips, Democrat of Minnesota, wrote. “Wonder why Rep. Yoho hasn’t accosted me on the Capitol steps with the same sentiment? #shameful.”
Read the article on The New York Times »
Cook Political Report moves 20 House races toward Democrats
Cook Political Report on Friday moved its outlook for 20 House races toward Democrats.
Why it matters: President Trump’s troubles are spilling over to affect Republicans down the ballot — which could foreshadow a blue wave in November.
Read the article on Axios »
Action is essential at the State Capitol
As U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, a Democrat representing the Third District, noted in an interview with an editorial writer, Minnesota is a net contributor to the federal coffers. “The few times we make a request for assistance should be given full consideration and this wasn’t,” he said.
Read the article on Star Tribune »
Angie Craig recently had two bills pass the House. One is now a law, the other won’t even get a debate in the Senate
In the Minnesota House delegation, few members have been able to pass standalone bills. Some members, like Rep. Ilhan Omar, have had their bills included in larger packages of legislation.
But only Craig and Rep. Dean Phillips have been able to get standalone bills signed in to law.
Read the article on MinnPost »
Q&A: How Dean Phillips Tried To Fix PPP
Dean Phillips was elected to Congress representing Minnesota’s Third District less than two years ago. The consensus-focused businessman and philanthropic leader gained national attention in recent weeks when he co-authored the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act, designed to fix problems in Congress’ Paycheck Protection Act which made it impossible for many small businesses to access.
Read the article on Twin Cities Business »
Minnesota employers got $10.2 billion in emergency pandemic aid
From car dealers to construction companies, Minnesota employers hauled in $10.2 billion through the popular Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), ranking the state No. 15 in the U.S., according to data released Monday by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The program, which is credited with lowering unemployment this spring, helped employers bring back more than 51 million jobs in the U.S. at a time when the economy was crashing.
Read the article on Star Tribune »
Why proxy voting was briefly a big deal in Washington, D.C.
Phillips said that the points raised in opposition to proxy voting don’t outweigh its benefits: “I think that would be the American people’s preference to make sure their representatives vote. And that’s what proxy voting allows for. So to me, a much better solution than not coming to Washington and not registering your vote.”
Read the article on MinnPost »
Amid national crisis on police brutality and racism, Congress flails
Many lawmakers left town after the House vote on Thursday disappointed in the failure to act and worried about how the country will react to the breakdown.
“It’s just too important to simply pass and move on to the next item. This is what we’re here for,” Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who has frequently lamented that leaders of both parties don’t work toward consensus. “It’s always been my expectation, and frankly, dream, that [bipartisanship] starts in the very beginning But I think we do it in reverse here, too often.”
Read the article on Politico »
EDITORIAL: Trump administration backs off loan secrecy
“My simple, but very strong belief is that taxpayer dollars — when distributed by Congress and the executive branch of our government — should be transparent and subject to accountability,” Rep. Dean Phillips, a Minnesota Democrat, told Politico. “Plain and simple.”
That comment should be mounted on 535 plaques and placed in the offices of every senator and representative in Washington.
Read the article on Las Vegas Review-Journal »
Upended by COVID-19, a Wayzata florist landed a federal loan. And then the wait started.
Rep. Phillips said he has heard complaints from other Minnesota businesses that have struggled to get their share of PPP money. “I really do celebrate our community bankers for stepping up to the plate,” he said.
Read the article on Star Tribune »
Members of Congress took small-business loans — and the full extent is unknown
Some GOP lawmakers who benefited from the Paycheck Protection Program also opposed legislation requiring lending transparency.
“My simple, but very strong belief is that taxpayer dollars — when distributed by Congress and the executive branch of our government — should be transparent and subject to accountability,” Phillips said. “Plain and simple.”
Read the article on Politico »
Some Lawmakers Argue Unrest Heightens Need for Aid to States and Cities
Some Democratic and Republican lawmakers pushing to secure more state and local aid in the next stimulus package said the unrest sparked by the killing of George Floyd has magnified the need to fill holes in local public-safety budgets.
Read the article on The Wall Street Journal »
DoD asks to ease lobbying restrictions, and these lawmakers are saying ‘no’
Four House Democrats are opposing a Department of Defense proposal to ease recent lobbying restrictions on former senior officials, arguing it would put the defense industry ahead of the taxpayer.
“We do not believe that weak ethics rules for some agencies is a reason to roll back the relatively strong ethics rules at the Pentagon,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter Thursday to DoD General Counsel Paul Ney. “It is unfortunate that Congress has not enacted stronger ethics rules governmentwide, and we agree this should be a priority.”
Read the article on DefenseNews »
Generation of graduates will rise to the occasion
Class of 2020: I know this is not the Senior Spring that you imagined even just a few short months ago. While the pomp and circumstance of graduation has been replaced virtual ceremonies and celebrations, please know that as you embark on your next chapters into an uncertain world, you are not alone.
Read the article on Sun Sailor »
Legislation Makes PPP Spending More Flexible
The bipartisan legislation, introduced by Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips last month, has been eagerly anticipated by the hospitality industry, said Ben Wogsland, director of government relations for Hospitality Minnesota.
Read the article on Twin Cities Business »
The mystery of which US businesses are profiting from the coronavirus bailout
One transparency measure was defeated after failing to get support from two-thirds of lawmakers in the House. The bill, sponsored by Congressman Dean Phillips from Minnesota, would have required the Small Business Administration to make information about payments to businesses public.
“We cannot accept a situation in which bigger businesses with access to other sources of liquidity are pushing to the front of the line at the expense of those with the greatest need,” Phillips said on the House floor.
Read the article on The Guardian »
Trump signs Dean Phillips-sponsored update of forgivable loans for small businesses
President Donald Trump on Friday signed into law a new version of the small-business loan program known as PPP that had been redesigned by Minnesota Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips and a Texas Republican colleague.
Read the article on Star Tribune »
Congress sends Trump COVID relief bill backed by Minnesota U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips
Federal legislation authored by Minnesota Democrat Dean Phillips to help cash-strapped businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is on its way to the desk of President Donald Trump.
Read the article on Star Tribune »
‘A country with an open wound’: Biden says he spoke with George Floyd’s family, promises ‘justice’
Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., who represents the Minneapolis suburbs, called for action in a Twitter post.
“The evil that took George Floyd and the evil burning through Minneapolis will not be extinguished by a policy – rather by a people. A people committed to listening, understanding, and action. Who’s ready?” he wrote.
Read the article on USA Today »
U.S. House passes small-business aid bill introduced by Minnesota’s Dean Phillips
With only a single vote in opposition, the House of Representatives on Thursday voted to amend the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to extend repayment deadlines and loosen some of its spending rules.
The legislation offered by Rep. Dean Phillips, a Democrat who represents the western Twin Cities suburbs — aided by Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican — aims to make the program more flexible for those who need it to stay in business and fully staffed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read the article on Star Tribune »
What they said: Leaders react to George Floyd death
“I’m grieving for generations who’ve lived in fear for the safety of their children, their parents, their brothers and sisters. The ‘sincere ignorance’ to which MLK referred can no longer be tolerated in an enlightened nation. We MUST rise to the occasion.”
Read the article on Star Tribune »
Pandemic jumbles House agenda
“Nobody, I think, amongst the people with whom I’ve been working with, believes that we can’t get things done,” Phillips continued. “The question is, do we have the fortitude and the intention and the power in collaboration to do so.”
Read the article on Politico »
Help for battered restaurants could be on the way as House considers new bills
Almost from the day the $670 billion Paycheck Protection Program was announced, restaurant owners have been complaining that it doesn’t work for their industry. Congress has clearly heard them.
Last week, Reps. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) and Chip Roy (R-Tex.) introduced the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act, which would extend the period in which small businesses can use the money and ease restrictions on the amount they can spend on non-payroll expenses such as rent.
Read the article on The Washington Post »
Pelosi moving to revamp small business rescue program
“I expressed to her there are elements, some of which are included in the Heroes Act, that I thought didn’t have the luxury of time and negotiation, particularly the fixes to the PPP program, which small businesses have been describing to me for many, many weeks,” Phillips said.
“I was impassioned and she listened and not only did she not object, she thought it was a very reasonable request and one that it appears will receive a vote on the House floor next week,” he added.
Read the article on Politico »
Neguse and Phillips: Vote by mail will ensure a safe and fair November election
What could Minnetonka, Minnesota and Loveland, Colorado possibly have in common? It’s neither ice fishing nor rodeos. It’s mail-in ballots.
In 2018, our respective congressional districts — Minnesota’s 3rd and Colorado’s 2nd — generated the highest voter turnout among the 435 districts in the country, with a 73% participation rate by eligible voters.
Read the article on The Denver Post »
Bipartisan lawmakers introduce bill to make changes to Paycheck Protection Program
“While the PPP has helped millions of small businesses keep their lights on, millions more remain on the outside looking in. It won’t matter how much money we appropriate if the system by which it’s distributed is inaccessible to those who need it the most,” Phillips said in a statement.
Read the article on The Hill »
COVID-19 forces 2020 candidates to retool their campaigns
While people are in isolation, positive messaging directly from candidates has been effective. DFL Third District Rep. Dean Phillips has been surprised at how many people are now picking up their phone when he calls. “It used to be 1 in 10; now it’s more like 8 in 10,” he said. “They’re human, heartwarming calls.”
Read the article on Star Tribune »
For rebuilding after COVID-19, Rep. Dean Phillips proposes six-fold increase in AmeriCorps volunteers
“The United States must have a whole-of-government response to the COVID-19 pandemic that not only employs those who have lost their jobs or who’ve become underemployed,” Phillips said in a statement, “but also delivers relief to understaffed frontline workers.”
Read the article on MinnPost »
Peace Corps Volunteers Can Get Unemployment Benefits, Officials Say
Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, and Representative Dean Phillips, Democrat of Minnesota, wrote a bipartisan and bicameral letter, signed by 40 lawmakers, to Eugene Scalia, the secretary of labor, on April 2, asking for clarification on whether the assistance program covers Peace Corps, AmeriCorps and other national service participants.
Read the article on The New York Times »
Pence visits Mayo Clinic, learns of coronavirus testing partnership with Minnesota
“He is incredulous that we are ready to go with a massive testing program but still cannot obtain federally promised support, swabs and vials in particular,” Phillips said of the governor. “Access to swabs and vials and testing is imperative, and the federal government can and should be playing a role to ensure that. Anything short of that will only result in more delays and or loss of life and economic hardship.”
Read the article on Pioneer Press »
Small business loan recipients includes not-so-small Minnesota companies
Phillips said he did not “begrudge” big companies that tried to get paycheck protection money under existing rules, but he wished they would consider giving it back the way Shake Shack and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, both huge restaurant chains, returned millions of dollars after media reports revealed their PPP loans.
“I am dismayed by a federal policy that benefits those who need it the least at the expense of those who need it the most,” Phillips said.
Read the article on Star Tribune »
An Oral History of the Day Everything Changed
In the first few days of March, a number of us were invited to the White House from the Problem Solvers caucus to meet with Vice President Pence and Dr. Deborah Birx. I left the meeting convinced that there was a graphic disconnect between the risks the virus presented to the country and the administration’s either cognition or belief in the science.
Read the article on Wired »
Left out of stimulus payments, Minnesota college students fear for future
How does a medical device maker keep international supply chains open in a time of crisis? The answer is testament to both the power of bi-partisan cooperation and international maneuvering during the pandemic, and the ongoing struggle to produce even medical supplies deemed essential.
Read the article on Star Tribune »
‘No Excuses’: Moderate Democrats Urge Quick Deal on Small-Business Coronavirus Aid
Representative Dean Phillips, who in 2018 became the first Democrat to represent his Minnesota district in decades, said, “Congress must cast aside partisan affiliations and pass relief for these companies now. No delay. No excuses.”
Read the article on Reuters »
‘I do worry about the optics’: Congress struggles to get off the sidelines
“I am a frustrated member of Congress who’s joined by many similarly frustrated members of Congress,” said freshman Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), a vocal proponent of allowing Congress to hold remote hearings and debate.
“We are operating still as a 19th-century institution in a 21st-century unprecedented crisis,” Phillips said. “We cannot leave it just to the administration to have the megaphone.”
Read the article on Politico »
MN company’s medical devices in demand for coronavirus tests, but supply chain a problem
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and Reps. Angie Craig, Dean Phillips and Collin Peterson have signed onto the All Dependents Count Act bill, which would update the CARES Act to expand the qualifying age of dependents to include college students as old as 24 and all adults with disabilities. Families would receive the $500 bonus for these dependents.
Read the article on Pioneer Press »
House Members Challenge GOP Lawmakers to Vote Against Resolution That Affirms Presidents Don’t Have ‘Total Authority”
New Jersey congressman Tom Malinowski joined Minnesota Democrat Dean Phillips and Michigan Independent Justin Amash in filing the House Resolution that affirms the chamber’s members are in agreement “the president remains limited by the Constitution and laws of the United States.”
Read the article on Newsweek »
Rep. Dean Phillips authored a measure to oversee spending under the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package. Trump has pledged to sidestep it.
“I’m disappointed,” Phillips said in an interview on Wednesday afternoon. “He sure wasted no time trying to challenge what most of us Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate believe are important accountability mechanisms and oversight of the most massive distribution of tax payer dollars in human history.”
Read the article on MinnPost »
Minnesota congressional delegation unites for COVID response
Minnesotans in Congress lined up Friday behind the massive, $2.2 trillion stimulus package to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, even as they looked ahead to what else is needed to respond to the unprecedented crisis.’
“It’s probably the most important bill a member of Congress has ever voted on,” said Rep. Dean Phillips, a Democrat who represents the western Twin Cities suburbs.
Read the article on Star Tribune »
The House works from home
As the outbreak threatens to overwhelm the nation, more than 400 House members are working to combat a mammoth crisis almost entirely from their living rooms — sometimes enduring the same daily indignities, like botched conference calls, that millions of other Americans are experiencing while working from home.
Read the article on Politico »
“Peak Congressional Disorganization”: Working to Save the Country, Congress Forgot to Keep Its Own People Safe
“We are the worst-case scenario. We have 535 people, disproportionately older, who almost on a weekly basis fly to 435 districts and 50 states all around every nook and cranny of the country, shaking hands relentlessly, meeting with hundreds, if not thousands, of people in the course of a week,” said Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips, whose office shifted to teleworking at the start of last week. “And then we bring it all back to one room where we’re all together.” Add into the mix thousands of Hill staffers, roving crowds of Capitol visitors, and the reality that most congressional offices can be characterized as overcrowded shoeboxes, Phillips told me emphatically, and there is perhaps nothing more “antithetical to best practice than that.”
Read the article on Vanity Fair »
Sen. Smith, Rep. Phillips to host coronavirus call-in session tonight
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., and 3rd District U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, R-Minn., will host a coronavirus briefing call for the public Monday night, according to Smith’s office. The call comes as more COVID-19 cases pop up in the state.
Read the article on St. Cloud Times »
Senate Cancels Recess as Democrats and White House Seek Virus Relief Deal
As negotiations continued between House Democrats and the White House, the majority leader said the Senate would come back to Washington next week to consider any compromise.
Read the article on The New York Times »
How Minnesotans in Congress are responding to the COVID-19 outbreak
“I am on a mission to serve and protect my constituents and all Americans, and will continue to ask critical questions and demand action during the months ahead,” Phillips said in a statement. “We must tackle this threat with a unified, nonpartisan front at home and overseas, and ensure that our public health officials are afforded the resources to protect our nation.”
Read the article on MinnPost »
Congress livid over lags in coronavirus testing
“We’re just ill prepared and should have been [prepared]. That’s not a political statement, that’s just the truth. That’s what everybody in that room, I think, took away,” Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) said. “I’m horrified by the lack of leadership, I really am.”
Read the article on Politico »
U.S. Capitol to stop all public tours amid coronavirus outbreak
“We’re not practicing what we’re preaching,” said freshman Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who became so frustrated at the sense of normalcy in the Capitol that he sought out House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on the floor earlier on Wednesday to air his concerns.
Read the article on Politico »
No ‘clawback’ change likely for early Minnesota voters
Minnesota U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips introduced legislation to provide more funding for state and local governments that make the switch to ranked-choice voting. Under that system, already used in local elections for some local cities, voters rank multiple candidates on one ballot.
Read the article on Star Tribune »
Rep. Phillips meets with Mike Pence on federal handling of coronavirus
Phillips says Congress must work hand-in-hand with the White House to make sure the correct resources are available to combat COVID-19. “We must tackle this threat with a unified, nonpartisan front at home and overseas, and ensure that our public health officials are afforded the resources to protect our nation,” wrote Phillips.
Read the article on Fox news »
Moderate Dems acknowledge country division at ‘rock bottom’ following impeachment, pledge Congress can still work
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Tuesday offered themselves up as the “antidote” to a bitterly divided Washington and pledged to continue to pass meaningful legislation after the impeachment saga. Several moderate Democrats who are members of the so-called Problem Solvers Caucus were eager to put their impeachment votes behind them and called for a renewed sense of bipartisanship.
Watch on Fox News »
‘A phenomenal moment’: Minnesota Liberians celebrate their hard-won path to U.S. citizenship
“This is the most joyful place in America tonight,” Rep. Dean Phillips told MinnPost Saturday evening, as seemingly everyone in the entire Brooklyn Park Community Activity Center beamed hard-won smiles over the month-old news that many Liberians who make their home in Minnesota are finally on their way to becoming United States citizens.
Read the article on MinnPost »
Amendment to clean up Watertown missile site expected to be signed into law
The old Watertown missile site, owned by the Western Area Fire Training Academy (WAFTA), may finally get cleaned up. U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minnesota, announced in Dec. 17 news release that his amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act passed in the Senate.
Read the article on SW Newsmedia »
Why Minnesota agricultural interests are lauding the new USMCA trade deal
Several of Minnesota’s representatives in Congress have lauded the final agreement on USMCA. Reps. Angie Craig and Dean Phillips stood behind Pelosi as she announced the finalized deal at a press conference. “The administration forwarded what we considered an improvement over NAFTA. A good trade deal, but imperfect, as many of them are, Phillips told The Morning News on WCCO.
Read the article on MinnPost »
As impeachment racks Washington, Minnesotans in Congress ready for historic vote
Minnesotans in Congress, much like the rest of America, appeared evenly split Thursday as the House of Representatives prepared to advance articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.
Read the article on Star Tribune »
Rep. Dean Phillips trying to repeal cap on state and local tax deductions that particularly hurt his district
The bill introduced a $10,000 cap on the amount of state and local taxes (SALT) that can be deducted in annual tax returns, which has a disproportionate impact on higher-tax states like Minnesota, and in particular hit wealthier areas like Phillips’ district, which covers the western Twin Cities suburbs.
Read the article on Bring Me The News »
Game-changing H.R. 3 would stop prescription-drug price gouging
When we began running for Congress, we immediately heard from Minnesotans who were worried about their health care. They were worried about threats to protections for people with pre-existing conditions, about being one illness away from financial ruin, and about skyrocketing prices of their life-saving prescription drugs. The consensus is clear on health care more than any other issue — people in our communities want their elected leaders to reform and protect their care.
Read the article on MinnPost »
Optimistic Dean Phillips speaks at Brooklyn Park Town Hall
When Dean Phillips announced his candidacy for Minnesota’s Third Congressional District, he promised, if elected, to host frequent town halls in the district. Phillips held his fifth town hall meeting on Nov. 23, 2019, at the Brooklyn Park Technical College.
Watch now on The Uptake »
Let’s create change—together.
Join the DeanTeam—a diverse, committed team of neighbors who are creating change in communities across Minnesota’s Third District.
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