WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Dean Phillips issued this statement following President Biden’s State Of The Union (SOTU) Address:

“Optimistic and invitational leadership was on full display this evening. I agree with the President: If we’re going to defend our freedoms, support our middle class, honor our financial obligations, and deliver public safety for all, our Congress must come together to govern, not gripe. We can’t legislate decency, but like-minded Americans of principal and integrity can restore the soul of this great nation together.”

In a press conference at the U.S. Capitol earlier today, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, DPCC Co-Chair Dean Phillips, and House Democratic Caucus Leaders outlined Democratic priorities ahead of the address:

• Phillips: “We believe in delivering for the American people, not demeaning them. We believe in defending our freedoms, not destroying them. We believe in constructing bridges, not burning them. We believe in lifting people up, not leaving them behind. We believe in decency, not division, and in cooperation, not confrontation. We believe in safety for all, not for some. We believe in competency over chaos.”
• Phillips also stressed Democrats’ willingness to engage in constructive debate on the debt limit.

Newly sworn-in Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt accompanied Phillips as his guest. Sheriff Witt is the first Black woman sheriff to represent Hennepin County, where George Floyd was murdered in 2020. Featured on the Today Show earlier this week, Sheriff Witt outlined her plan to prioritize combatting violent crime and restoring trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve through accountability and reform efforts. Phillips and Witt have worked together to promote criminal justice reform and public safety by bringing Minnesota’s successful Pathways to Policing program to the national stage – an idea that has earned bipartisan support in Congress.

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