Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) today announced his appointments to the House Financial Services and House Foreign Affairs Committees for the 116th Congress.

“I’m honored that House leadership has entrusted me with this important work,” said Phillips. “I am eager to listen and learn, and I look forward to building collaborative relationships with my colleagues on both committees so that I can be an effective advocate for our community and a representative of our shared values around the globe.”

One of just four exclusive committees in the House -- to which freshmen members are rarely appointed -- the Financial Services Committee is tasked with overseeing all components of the nation’s housing and financial services sectors including banking, insurance and real estate.

“I have spent my career helping to build and grow businesses, and if I’ve learned one thing, it’s that being pro-business and pro-consumer are not mutually exclusive,” said Phillips. “I’ll use that experience to ensure that our nation’s financial systems work for everyone.”

As the only Representative in the country to refuse campaign contributions from special interest PACs, federal lobbyists and Members of Congress and their committees, Rep. Phillips will bring a fierce independence from special interest influence on a committee typically sought for its fundraising appeal.

Regarding his appointment to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Phillips said that in an increasingly connected globe, he is hopeful that his work will far reaching:

“In addition to working to repair our standing around the world by investing in diplomacy and development again, I look forward to tackling climate change and immigration on a global scale,” said Phillips. “We’re not going to solve these twenty-first century problems with outdated isolationist thinking.”

###