Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., told Newsmax on Wednesday that "there’s a cultural problem" on Capitol Hill that doesn’t reward bipartisanship and actually solving problems.
"I've been here only 5 1/2 years and what appalls me is that we think money solves problems," Phillips said during an appearance on Newsmax’s "The Record With Greta Van Susteren." "That's not what solves problems — strategies and good people executing those strategies do.
"Congress spends so much time raising money, fighting one another, and conducting nonsensical business that we actually fail to do what you just said, which is to investigate the strategies of our agencies."
The stopgap funding bill that Congress passed on Wednesday to avert a partial government shutdown contains $231 million for the Secret Service, with the additional funding coming in response to two recent attempts on former President Donald Trump’s life. Phillips pointed to the protective agency as an example of one that Congress should be conducting oversight on to determine how its budget is being spent.
"In this case, understanding the failures of the Secret Service and what needs to change, and then resourcing it accordingly," he said. "Too few members of Congress are here to solve problems, and that's exactly what needs to be done.
"I just hope in the future, people watching will send people to this institution who are here to do the real work: work together, identify what's wrong, and most importantly, solve it, not just with money, but with good people and good ideas."
The Minnesota Democrat, who is not running for reelection, said that many lawmakers in Washington, "on both sides of the aisle, want to solve problems" with "common sense solutions."
"But our political system right now is not rewarding anybody who gets out of line, who disappoints leadership, or who actually has a profound solution that will solve the problem," Phillips said. "Because if one party doesn't own it, they'll try to undermine it, and that's true on both sides.
"Yes, I'm disappointed, but I don't want to say it's one party or the other. There's a cultural problem here, but it starts and ends with voters."
One thing he said he is "hell bent on" is "trying to find more … young people throughout their professional cycles, to serve" their country in government "temporarily [and] not as a career."
"I'm an example of someone who took a risk, paid the price, and those of us who do, don't have long careers here and the reward system is broken," Phillips said. "I'd love to have a longer conversation with you about this subject because it is undermining our country, our reputation and our democracy. That is the biggest risk."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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