EXCELSIOR, MN - Rep. Dean Phillips released the following statement following his first-ever votes in Congress, which included a bipartisan bill to end the Trump shutdown:

“I am honored to have cast my first votes as a Representative for the people of Minnesota’s Third District. Last November, voters demanded change and accountability in the 116th Congress, and we are already delivering both. As I begin my service in a government in need of serious repair, I am inspired by the spirit of collaboration and respect I’ve seen in so many of my new colleagues.  I look forward to quickly restoring regular order and governing for the people again.”

Phillips maintained his previously-announced support for Speaker Pelosi due to her acceptance of a broad set of changes to the House rules, her commitment to making comprehensive ethics, voter protection and campaign finance reform a top priority, and her recent agreement to term-limit herself in order to allow the next generation of leaders to step up.

Phillips also voted for H.R. 21 and H.J.Res 1, a bipartisan plan already passed by the Senate to end the 13-day government shutdown forced by President Trump. In doing so, Phillips cited the hundreds of thousands of people -- including farmers, border patrol agents, TSA professionals and members of the Coast Guard -- who are being held hostage over an expensive, ineffective and unnecessary border wall and who deserve an end to this politically-motivated standoff instigated by the President.

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