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With an insider’s eye, Hot Dish tracks the tastiest bits of Minnesota’s political scene and keep you up-to-date on those elected to serve you.

Contributors in Minnesota: Jennifer Brooks, Baird Helgeson, Patricia Lopez, Jim Ragsdale, Rachel E. Stassen-Berger and Glen Stubbe. Contributors in D.C.: Kevin Diaz and Corey Mitchell.

Posts about 3rd District

Chinese media reports place U.S. Rep. Paulsen in Taiwan

Posted by: Kevin Diaz Updated: January 8, 2013 - 2:41 PM

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U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen is in Taiwan today as part of a low-key congressional delegation to Asia and Africa to discuss trade and foreign affairs, according to Chinese media accounts.
 
The Minnesota Republican’s office did not announce the trip, which is taking place during a weeklong recess following last week’s two-day opening House session.
 
The delegation is being headed by Sen. James Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, and co-chair of Senate Taiwan Caucus. The trip was announced by the American Institute in Taiwan.

Paulsen disputes Obama account of med device tax

Posted by: Kevin Diaz Updated: December 14, 2012 - 11:56 AM

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White House photo

White House photo

Minnesota Republican Erik Paulsen pushed back against President Obama Friday in the ongoing dispute over the $29 billion medical device tax that was slapped on the industry – an important one in Minnesota – to help fund the Affordable Care Act.
 
Paulsen, the acting chairman of the House Ways and Means subcommittee on human resources, has been trying to rally support in Senate to repeal or delay the tax, which goes into effect in 18 days.
 
Asked about the tax by WCCO’s Frank Vascellaro on Thursday night, Obama argued that medical device companies, insurers, and other health care providers will all benefit from the 30 million new customers that the Affordable Care Act brings.
 
“It’s going to be great for business, and they’re doing really well right now,” the president said. “This additional tax essentially comes back to them as new customers.”
 
Paulsen called the supposed “windfall’ to the industry a “convenient myth.”
 
“In reality, utilization of medical devices is heavily tipped towards America’s aging population,” Paulsen said. “Medicare beneficiaries, both elderly and disabled, are disproportionally large users of medical devices and already have coverage through that program. Similar state level reforms in Massachusetts have not resulted in more revenues for medical device innovators.”
 
The president argued that “nobody should go bankrupt when they get sick in this country” and that “providers of medical services should recognize they’re going to get a benefit from all of these uninsured folks suddenly having insurance, and that means they should be willing to do a little bit in order to make that happen.”
 
He also argued that this is not unique to the medical device industry. “Hospitals are doing a little bit more because they know now they’re not going to have uncompensated care in emergency rooms, everybody’s going to have some kind of insurance. Doctors, same kind of thing.”
 
Paulsen says the tax will be a job killer in the industry. He got a repeal bill through the House in June, and has been joined by Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken in seeking its repeal or postponement this month.

Cravaack on Bachmann's Muslim inquiry: "Let the facts go where they go"

Posted by: Rachel E. Stassen-Berger Updated: July 27, 2012 - 7:34 PM

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Republican U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack on Friday declined to join Republican U.S. Reps. Erik Paulsen and John Kline in offering any criticism of U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann's quest to investigate a Muslim state department employee and others.

"Let the facts go where they go," Cravaack said on TPT's Almanac program.

He said he was asked to sign on to her letters, sent to several federal agencies, which asked for an investigation of potential Muslim Brotherhood infiltration into the United States government and specifically raised questions about a Muslim state department employee.  Cravaack said he declined to sign because he could not confirm the letters' allegations.

After U.S. Sen. John McCain, a Republican from Arizona and 2008 presidential candidate, and U.S. House Speaker John Boehner publicly criticized Bachmann's accusations, Paulsen said Bachmann's comments were inappropriate and Kline said they were "a bit over the line."

Asked if he join would join them in criticizing Bachmann, Cravaack, a freshman from Minnesota's northern Eighth District, said: "Michele is going to answer to the charges that were. I say just let the facts go where they go."

Paulsen has strong fundraising quarter; DFL challenger Barnes trails

Posted by: Corey Mitchell Updated: July 16, 2012 - 6:34 AM

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U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen of Minnesota's Third Congressional District has more than $1.58 million banked for his re-election campaign, including $450,000 raised during the months of April, May and June.

The two-term incumbent's fundraising totals have improved since the same point in 2010 when he had $1.34 million stocked away for his campaign.

DFL challenger Brian Barnes raised slightly more than $107,000 during the second quarter and has $56,550 in the bank.

Paulsen's Republican primary opponents John Howard III, had not yet to report their fundraising numbers as of this morning.

Paulsen to give GOP reply to Obama weekly address

Posted by: Kevin Diaz Updated: June 8, 2012 - 1:04 PM

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U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Minn., much in the news this week, has been picked to give the Republican response to President Obama’s weekly address on Saturday.

The selection comes in a week when the House voted overwhelmingly to approve Paulsen’s bill repealing a tax on medical device makers under Obama's health care overhaul.

Thursday's House vote, in defiance of a White House veto threat, moves the tax repeal effort to the Democrat-led Senate, where its prospects look bleak.

Still, Paulsen's selection allows the Republicans to play offense on "Obamacare" during a month when the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on the landmark law.

Paulsen is the first Minnesota Republican to deliver the GOP response to one of Obama's weekly addresses since August, 2009, when Rep. John Kline got the call and pressed Obama and the Democrats to hit reset button and renegotiate the health care law.

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