After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Phillips worked tirelessly to break through partisan gridlock and deliver relief for small businesses and families. He authored a law to make PPP loans widely accessible to struggling businesses, and his leadership on the Problem Solvers Caucus was the inspiration for the bipartisan COVID-19 relief package passed in December 2020. For these successes and more, Phillips was rated the most productive Representative in the Minnesota delegation by the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking.