Dean Phillips

Mr. PHILLIPS

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my Director of Casework, Decontee Sawyer, for her work on behalf of every constituent in Minnesota's Third Congressional District. This week, Decontee will depart my office for a new opportunity serving as Rep. Angie Craig's Casework Director, and I could not be more proud or grateful for her service. As Director of Casework, Decontee masterfully led my casework operations and team of caseworkers, working tirelessly for our constituents. Decontee has always gone above and beyond to advocate for constituents, lending her expertise to a wide range of cases and crises. As a true servant-leader on the front lines, she restored Americans' faith in government one passport, immigration case, tax return, and VA benefit at a time. A St. Cloud State University graduate, Decontee was an organizer on my first campaign in 2018, before joining my congressional staff as a Constituent Advocate. Her impressive success in that role and dedication to service led me to promote her to Director of Casework in 2023. From the beginning of her time with my office, Decontee demonstrated her commitment to our ethos that ``Representation Begins with Listening'' by connecting casework to policymaking. When Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status was about to expire for the Liberian community, Decontee worked with our legislative team to introduce the bipartisan Protect Our Liberian Community Act. She and our team worked diligently on this issue until a pathway to citizenship for Liberians on DED was included in the NDAA that passed at the end of my first year in office. Decontee has been our office ethos of ``Radical Hospitality'' personified for the past five years. She has been the heart of our casework team since our office opened--a role that allowed her to seamlessly blend her professional experiences as a mental health professional and community organizer. No case has ever proven too big or too small for Decontee; she treats every constituent with an expert blend of professionalism and compassion. She has put her effortless way of connecting with people to work building authentic connections with communities throughout Minnesota's Third District. Decontee's positive energy, radiant smile, enthusiasm for trivia, and inclination to dance after receiving good news on behalf of a constituent will be deeply missed by her colleagues. She has been a leader in our office, never afraid to share what is on her mind and stand up for her beliefs. Decontee knows the importance of bringing joy into work that can often feel heavy. She encourages team members to have fun in their jobs and celebrate hard-fought wins, and she demonstrates genuine care for her colleagues' wellbeing. The people of Minnesota's Third Congressional District were lucky to have her expertise and leadership, and she will be dearly missed. However, I'm extraordinarily happy that this expertise will continue to serve the nation and the people of Minnesota's Second Congressional District. I wish Decontee all the best in her future endeavors and thank her for her five years of faithful service to this Nation.

Mr. PHILLIPS

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my Legislative Director, Raymond ``Trey'' Webster III, for his work done on behalf of every constituent in Minnesota's Third Congressional District. This week, Trey will depart my office for new opportunities with Rep. Susie Lee as her Legislative Director, and I could not be prouder or more grateful for his service. As Legislative Director, Trey brought an incredible work ethic and commitment to his job, earning his spot as an honorary Minnesotan in the process. He led our legislative team with intelligence, humor, and compassion, and we will miss him greatly as he embarks on his new adventure. A University of South Carolina and Georgetown Law graduate, Trey first came to our office in 2021 as my Legislative Counsel leading efforts in public safety, civil rights, civil liberties, and democracy preservation. A shining example of Trey's brilliant work and true adherence to our ethos that ``Representation Begins with Listening,'' came a few short months after he started. Through a series of meetings, Trey listened to local public safety stakeholders and national experts and then turned that listening into action as he wrote the Pathways to Policing Act, a bill based on a Minnesota program to ensure the recruitment of high-quality police officers across the country. When our Legislative Director role came open in 2022, it was obvious who the correct choice should be to fill it. Right away, Trey exhibited true servant leadership and put the needs of his team above his own. He went out of his way to help staffers new to the legislative process and was endlessly patient, making his colleagues believe there was no such thing as a bad question. Trey's empathy was an asset to the office and our constituents, whether he was skillfully managing the Community Project Funding process or pushing forward district-driven legislation. As one of my staffers said, ``Trey is thoughtful and exceptionally kind. He is always willing to go above and beyond to help others on the team. He explains even the most complicated of subjects in a way that brings people along without making them feel silly for asking.'' The people of Minnesota's Third Congressional District were lucky to have his expertise and leadership, and he will be dearly missed. However, I'm extraordinarily happy that this expertise will continue to serve the Nation and the people of Nevada's Third Congressional District. I wish Trey all the best in his future endeavors and thank him for his three years of faithful service to this Nation.

Mr. PHILLIPS

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my condolences to the family of Steven J. Rodvold, a lover of family, community, and photography, who passed away on October 27, 2023. Steve was born on June 14, 1953, in Crosby, North Dakota. He spent his childhood in Fortuna and Crosby, during which he met lifelong friends, including his wife, Jeanine. Steve valued education: after high school, he attended the North Dakota State College of Science, earned his journeymen's license, and completed a B.A. in Business Administration-Management from Minot State University, graduating summa cum laude. In all aspects of his life, Steve was a people person. He found his career in human resources and generously gave his time as a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters, a Boy Scout cub den leader, and a volunteer at the Grean Plain Food Bank, among other community organizations. Steve loved his family dearly. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Jeanine, their sons Zach (Emily) and Alex (Sara), and their grandchildren, as well as siblings, cousins, nieces, and nephews. Zach carried on Steve's legacy of giving back, serving as my District Chief of Staff for four years. Steve's love of his family was apparent in his actions, as well as his words: on his Linkedln profile, he proudly designated for himself the job title of ``Grandpa'' for the years following his retirement. As part of this important position, Steve declared himself to be an expert at ``relaxing, reading, walking/hiking, biking, kayaking, putzing around the garage, traveling, watching movies, and whatever the hell else I feel like doing.'' Steve liked to see the good in the world, especially the beauty around him. He supported and was involved in local arts institutions. As a photographer, he captured natural beauty, from sunsets over the Badlands to the changing of the seasons. As with his other pursuits, Steve did not keep his passion to himself, actively participating in the Fargo Moorhead Camera Club. Steve lived a fulfilled life, and the lessons of it--to give something to community, take pleasure in loved ones, and remain in awe of the beauty in the people and places around us--will certainly continue to serve as a model for those whose lives he touched. May his memory be a blessing and live on through all who knew and loved him.

Mr. PHILLIPS

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing. I agree with my colleague from Florida on a couple points. I abhor war like he does, and I wish Congress would reassert itself, but I must say, we should legislate it, not terminate it. Abruptly terminating this national emergency will simply undermine U.S. national security interests and those of our allies. The resolution would further destabilize Syria and the entire region, be a gift to the violent and oppressive Assad regime, and create space for terrorist organizations like ISIS to grow in numbers and capabilities. I strongly oppose H.J. Res. 79 and urge my colleagues to do the same. I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle join me in opposing it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.J. Res. 79, which terminates the national emergency pertaining to actions and policies that have existed for years, enjoyed bipartisan consensus, and underpinned a significant portion of the U.S.-Syria sanctions architecture. More specifically, this measure targets an executive order that was issued based on legislation that Congress passed with broad bipartisan consensus: The Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, which over 400 Members of the House, including 200 Republicans, voted in support of. For over 12 years, Syria's Assad regime has perpetrated a heinous campaign of genocide and unrelenting violence against the Syrian people, who rose up for their basic rights and freedoms after years and years of oppression. This unceasing campaign of brutality has been aided and abetted by Assad supporters in Tehran and Moscow, and amounted to countless war crimes and the most egregious violations of international humanitarian law of which I am aware. Relevant to this legislation, the Assad regime has served as a fertile and pliant jurisdiction for Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies to shuttle arms throughout the region, as well as grow in numbers and capabilities in support of the Assad regime's actions against the Syrian people. At the same time, actors ranging from the remnants of ISIS to other violent extremist organizations like al-Qaida-affiliate Hurras al Din, and others continue to terrorize civilians, and threaten to reconstitute and, again, use Syria as a launchpad for attacks into Europe and the rest of the world. Active U.S. efforts to counter and degrade these very groups and support networks--those targeted by the sanctions--would be undermined by abruptly repealing and stripping away such important authorities. Preemptively abandoning these policy tools and sanctions authorities through a rushed, poorly conceived legislative effort undermines our national security interests and those of our closest partners. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in opposition to this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman).

Mr. PHILLIPS

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.J. Res. 74, which terminates the national emergency pertaining to actions and policies that threaten the very tenuous diplomatic progress that we have achieved in Yemen. Active American diplomacy has supported a very fragile U.N.-mediated truce, but lifting the national emergency prematurely would undermine the nascent progress that has been made over the past several years. Sanctions are leverage. If the United States Government unilaterally, and without receiving anything in return, grants amnesty to Yemeni figures seeking to undermine the country's fragile cease-fire, we would potentially be enabling even more conflict. The list of individuals sanctioned under the Yemen executive order is quite short, but let's take a look at some. Mansur al-Sa'adi is a Houthi commander of Yemen's Naval and Coastal Defense Forces. He led attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea and smuggled Iranian weapons to Yemen. Ahmed Ali Saleh is the son of former dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh. President Obama sanctioned Saleh, as he played a critical role in destabilizing the country in 2014 and 2015, and is still seeking to reignite his family's legacy of ruling the country. Now, I could go on, but the individuals currently sanctioned under the Yemen emergency executive order are on the sanctions list for a reason. They have violated human rights and acted against American national interests, including abducting locally employed staff at the United States Embassy in Yemen. I am a strong supporter of using diplomacy over military force to bring about a stable, long-term peace in Yemen, but let's be clear. We must use every diplomatic tool at our disposal to bring about that result. Throwing out one of the most powerful weapons in that diplomatic arsenal, economic sanctions, will not result in peace. Rather, it is much more likely to cascade Yemen into more chaos and more violence. That is why I oppose this resolution and urge all of my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing. Mr. Speaker, let me say I share the sentiment of the gentleman from Arizona about engaging Congress more regularly on these issues. I would like to see Congress reassert itself on issues of foreign affairs. I think we can actually all agree on that. However, the notion of terminating these executive orders only to return assets to terrorists and some of the worst malign actors in the world strikes me as a real threat to the United States of America, counter to the principles of Democrats and Republicans. That is why, for the reasons that I stated in my opening remarks, I believe a termination of this national emergency will actively undermine our diplomatic efforts and further destabilize Yemen. We cannot and must not allow people who seek to undermine Yemen and the Gulf to obtain funds that would allow them to accomplish those very ends. That is why I have opposed H.J. Res. 74, and I encourage all of my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PHILLIPS

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.J. Res. 71. As a Gold Star son who lost his father in the Vietnam war, I understand firsthand the human cost of war. I also know my colleague from Arizona (Mr. Crane) knows that cost, as well, as a veteran of our armed services, and I honor that. That is why, since I came to Congress, I have worked in a bipartisan fashion to repeal and replace the 2001 AUMF and have consistently supported the repeal of the 2002 Iraq war AUMF, as well. I wish we had been able to get that legislation through the Senate last Congress, but I remain hopeful that we can do so this year. All of this is to say that I do not have a hawkish position on Iraq, but sanctions and military force are not the same thing. Again, sanctions and military force are not the same thing. Terminating the national emergency with respect to Iraq would trigger the immediate release of currently sanctioned assets of persons who the U.S. Government has determined are a threat to Iraq's stability and reform efforts, including terrorists and others who have committed acts of terrible violence. This is not an exaggeration. Numerous Shia militia fighters and ISIS terrorists are sanctioned under the Iraq program. The Iraq executive order is reviewed every year. Perhaps it is not a surprise that the Bush administration renewed it annually, and also the Obama administration, even though President Obama formally ended the Iraq war in 2011 and ran for President in part based on his opposition to it. The Trump administration also renewed the EO every year. Despite President Biden professing his full support of repealing the 2002 AUMF, the Biden administration also has sought to continue the Iraq sanctions program. As Members can see from successive renewals and the ongoing situation in Iraq, these sanctions target groups and individuals that continue to operate against U.S. interests in Iraq and the region and are closely monitored on an ongoing basis. We do not want terrorists to access funds to kill civilians and destabilize Iraq or the region, let alone target Americans overseas. It is important for our national security for these sanctions to remain in place, and I strongly urge Members of this body on both sides of the aisle to forcefully and in a bipartisan manner oppose this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing. Mr. Speaker, my argument is very simple: We cannot and we must not allow terrorists to obtain assets that could help them perpetuate attacks against their government, against civilians, or against Americans. I strongly oppose H.J. Res. 71, and I urge all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PHILLIPS

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate a life well lived. I'm saddened to announce the passing of an American hero, retired U.S. Navy Commander Allan Randolph (``Randy'') Topp. I'm honored to help tell his story because I think it's a life that should be memorialized in these hallowed halls, and we here in Congress sometimes need reminding of what it is to lead a life well lived. Born in 1953 in Atlanta, GA, Randy was known for his playful glimmer throughout his childhood. He decided to attend Vanderbilt University and graduated in 1975 with a double major in Economics and Latin American Studies. After graduating, he began a 20-year career as an officer in the U.S. Navy piloting P-3 Orions, serving on the USS Constellation, and leading Training Squadron Six (VT-6) as its Executive Officer and Commanding Officer. He retired from military service with the rank of Commander in 1996, but his professional life was far from over. Randy continued his career with the Raytheon Company in Tucson, AZ, before fully retiring in 2018 to spend more time with his family. Throughout his career, Randy was a lifetime learner. He continued his education beyond the undergraduate level and received not 1, but 3 masters' degrees: the first, an MBA from the University of New Hampshire, the second, an MS in Electrical Engineering, and the third, an MS in Systems Technology (Space Systems Operations) from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. He is even a named inventor on multiple patents from his time with Raytheon. What the accolades and accomplishments don't tell us is just how much of a positive effect Randy had on those around him. Upon hearing of his passing, one of his Navy shipmates commented, ``Randy was . . . a great pilot, but also 1 of the fun guys every group needs to keep everything in perspective and moving together. I met him again years later while with Raytheon, and he was still the same great guy . . . Truly a man to be admired; I'm happy to have known him.'' This same spirit carried through to his time with his grandchildren, with whom he was excited to experience life. He introduced them to new adventures like horseback riding, whitewater rafting, visiting the rodeo, and attending cowboy cookouts. He appreciated the lifestyle of Tucson, hosting family and friends to introduce them to the Sonoran Desert culture, including enjoying the occasional Sonoran hot dog. Fair winds and following seas, Commander Topp. I thank him for his service to his family, to his friends and shipmates, and to this Nation. We are forever grateful to him for providing an example of what it means to live life to the fullest.

Mr. PHILLIPS

Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Speaker, Ben Franklin said that necessity never made a good bargain. This is necessity. For the first time since 1789, our MAGA GOP friends are putting us at risk of default. However, we have a solution, and it is sitting right here, right next to me. It is a discharge petition, and we only need five of you. Madam Speaker, I see about 80 of my Democratic colleagues in front of me, and I only see one Republican, you. We only need five. So, I welcome you back to Washington. Come on. Join us. Sign the petition. We will keep the lights on, but will you?

Mr. PHILLIPS

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, my friends, this National Police Week, instead of helping communities recruit and train the next generation of principled police officers, we voted to let officers buy their department's retired handguns, and we voted on a nonbinding resolution opposing defunding the police. So many of us here are willing and ready to work together to address the problems that I hear about when I meet with our police chiefs and police officers. In fact, my bipartisan Pathways to Policing Act has been endorsed by law enforcement and is still awaiting action on this floor. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get to work and legitimately invest in law enforcement. Let's stop creating campaign slogans and start working on congressional solutions like my Pathways to Policing Act to ensure safety, security, and justice for all.

Mr. PHILLIPS

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, Ilhan Omar and I are products of remarkably different life experiences. Hers began by fleeing civil war in Somalia before emigrating to the United States after 4 years in a Kenyan refugee camp, an experience that few, if any, of us in this room could possibly imagine. My family came to America a century before hers seeking the same safety, security, and opportunity as they fled Russian pogroms targeting Jewish people in Eastern Europe. My life began by losing my father in the Vietnam war, an American tragedy that may well have been prevented had this very Chamber been filled with more voices like Ilhan Omar's. Now, don't get me wrong: Representative Omar and I regularly disagree on policy, both domestic and foreign, and she has, at times, used words that have caused concern, offense, and even personal pain to me and others. She and I have spoken face-to-face on those occasions, and she has apologized, and she continues to learn from those missteps. Furthermore, she has never posted a video depicting herself decapitating and killing fellow Members of Congress. She doesn't question whether a plane really smashed into the Pentagon on 9/11. She does not wonder if school shootings in America are staged. She has not propagated the absurd notion that space lasers, financed by the Rothschild family, are the cause of wildfires in California. She has never equated vaccine mandates with Adolph Hitler. She has never, ever expressed support for executing leaders of the United States Congress. Now, being a conspiracy theorist alone is not grounds for removal from committees. I will admit that. But depicting violence or supporting violence against fellow Members of Congress is grounds for removal, be it a Democrat or a Republican. But no one has accused Representative Omar of depicting or supporting violence against anyone in this Chamber. So why will 90 percent of Jewish Members of the United States House of Representatives vote to maintain her committee assignment? Quite simply because we believe in the human capacity to learn from mistakes, to make amends, and that atonement should be rewarded, not punished. We also believe that the most dangerous acts by elected officials in a democracy are to silence voices of dissent, even those with which we fundamentally disagree. That is what this is about, silencing and canceling. How ironic. Furthermore, this is the very weaponization of anti-Semitism that I, as a Jewish person, find repulsive, I find dangerous and, above else, shameful. Yes, shameful. To my friends across the aisle: If you really are sincere about defeating anti-Semitism in America, how about ask us. How about ask us what we need. And let me assure you, you might be surprised by the answer.

Mr. PHILLIPS

Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Speaker, according to an analysis by Issue One, House Members running for reelection this year raised $207 million over the past three months, an average of $3,400 per Member, per day. Back in Minnesota, people ask me all the time how busy Members of Congress--compensated by taxpayers--could raise that much money every single day. Well, we know the dirty truth around here: Rather than meeting with constituents, studying policy, writing legislation, or attending committee meetings, Members of the House and Senate collectively are spending 10,000 hours per week dialing for dollars or attending fundraising receptions. It is downright gross. So that is why my colleague, Mike Gallagher, and I have introduced the On the Clock Act. Our bill won't fix America's corrupt campaign finance system, but it will ensure that Members of Congress spend more time working for the people and less time raising money for themselves.

Mr. PHILLIPS

Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Speaker, I am hearing from Minnesotans who want their leaders to reach across the aisle and pursue common ground. From fighting inflation to fighting crime, I work to build consensus on our biggest challenges as vice chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, and I am proud of everything that we have accomplished so far. There is hard work ahead, but Minnesotans know that we are stronger when everyone is at the table, and that is why I created Common Ground Workshops and why I will continue to pursue commonsense solutions.

Mr. PHILLIPS

Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Speaker, Jim Ramstad represented Minnesota's Third District in Congress as a principled Republican from 1991 to 2009. His widow, Kathryn, a remarkable woman in her own right, wrote me last week and asked that I share her message with the country: ``Jim voted for the 1994 crime bill and its gun control measures. He was one of only six Republicans to cast what was clearly a difficult vote, but he felt so strongly about the compelling need to act and believed it was consistent with his bipartisan, pragmatic, and commonsense approach to fighting crime. ``After so many mass shootings, I cannot understand why Congress does not at the very least,'' she wrote, ``ban semiautomatic weapons like the AR-15 that have been used in so many recent mass shootings.'' She continued, ``I feel very strongly about this and ask sincerely, what can we do to legislate reasonable legislation like in 1994?'' What can she do? She asks; she and the country ask, I might add. We all know what we can do. And I say, let's do it.

Mr. PHILLIPS

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7372) to amend the Ukraine Freedom Support Act of 2014 to require the President to establish a semiconductor supply chain working group in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and submit reports to Congress on potential future disruptions to the supply chain.

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 7372.

Mr. PHILLIPS

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 496) to oppose violations of religious freedom in Ukraine by Russia and armed groups commanded by Russia, as amended.

Mr. PHILLIPS

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 7314, as amended.

Mr. PHILLIPS

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 336) calling on the Government of the Russian Federation to provide evidence or to release United States citizen Paul Whelan, as amended.