Gas Prices Rep. Keith Ellison argued last week that tougher rules on oil speculation and an end to subsidies for oil companies would help curb the recent hike in gas prices. The 5th District congressman last year introduced the “End Polluter Welfare Act," which would eliminate more than $110 billion in fossil fuel subsidies every 10 years. Ellison released the following statement Friday: A week before one of the busiest car travel weekends of the year, millions of Minnesotans are suddenly having to pay more for gas than ever before. This takes money out of the pockets of working people in the…

On Thursday, 5th District Rep. Keith Ellison cast his 37th vote (depending on how you count) against a proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The legislation has no chance of passing since the Senate will likely ignore it and President Barack Obama has promised to veto it on the off chance it ever reached his desk. Republicans defend the frequent votes by saying they want new legislators to be able to uphold their promise to constituents to try and repeal health care reform, but Democrats accuse Republicans of wasting time for political gain. Ellison released the…

Fifth district Rep. Keith Ellison applauded Minnesota for becoming the 12th state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage. The Democratic congressman released the following statement Tuesday shortly after Gov. Mark Dayton signed the bill into law: Today, I’m prouder than ever to call Minnesota home. Last fall, the people of Minnesota stood against discrimination for loving, same-sex couples. Our representatives in the state responded. Today is a great day for those who know love makes a marriage. Once again, equality has found a home in Minnesota. The law will take affect Aug. 1.

Rep. Keith Ellison continues to fight against a plan to use the new inflation formula as a way to compromise with Republicans and resolve a budget impasse. During a Wednesday summit on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans benefits, the 5th District congressman pledged to combat a proposed “chained consumer price index” would grow Social Security benefits at a slower rate than they grow under the current formula. “I don’t care who is talking about cuts to Social Security, we’re going to fight back,” Ellison said. “I don’t care what office they occupy. I don’t care what party they’…

Fifth District Rep. Keith Ellison’s received conspicuous praise following his debate on targeting religious groups with Rep. Peter King, a Republican congressman from New York who advocates for increase surveillance of the Muslim community. Salon's Editor at Large Joan Walsh wrote an article for Salon and MinnPost called “The Importance of Keith Ellison” in which she argued for the importance of having Muslims like Ellison in Congress. She wrote: The fact is, we need more Keith Ellisons in Congress. Not just because he’s a great progressive voice, supporting the president but challenging him …

Fifth District Rep. Keith Ellison is praised the president’s selection of Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC) to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency—which supervises Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks. Ellison, a Democratic member of the House Financial Services Committee, released the following statement Wednesday after a White House official announced that President Barack Obama planned to nominate Watt:  Mel Watt is a strong housing and community development advocate. If confirmed by the Senate, working families in Minnesota will have an ally leading the Federal Housing Finance …

Rep. Keith Ellison is pushing back against calls from Rep. Peter King (R-NY) to focus surveillance efforts on the Muslim community. King, who chairs the House subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, argued in the National Review that police have to build up sources in the community and increase surveillance there. The magazine quoted him as saying: We can’t be bound by political correctness. … I think we need more police and more surveillance in the communities where the threat is coming from, whether it’s the Irish community with the Westies [an Irish-American gang in New York …

On Earth Day, April 22, Rep. Keith Ellison was listed in a story in The Nation about co-sponsors of a bill "to protect Appalachian families and communities from mountaintop removal." Ellison is one of 24 House and Senate members who support the Appalachian Community Health Emergency Act. According to a thenation.com story, "Preliminary laboratory tests, using air samples from areas where people are living in Appalachia, show mountaintop removal mining dust kills heart cells and impairs vascular function." *** On Sunday, Ellison tweeted: 1978–2011, CEO pay grew more than 725%, more than stock …

Rep. Keith Ellison is trying again to introduce a tax on stocks, bonds, derivatives and other investments in order to help low- and moderate-income families, according to a news release from the 5th District congressman. “A lot of people in Washington like to talk about reducing the debt and deficits. Well if you really care about reducing the deficit, how about asking Wall Street speculators to pay their fair share?” a news release quoted Ellison. “This bill will add a tax of a fraction of a percent on transactions made by the same Wall Street firms and stock traders who crashed our economy …

Nearly two weeks after Rep. Keith Ellison announced a new district director, the 5th District congressman has named his new legislative director. Vic Edgerton, who was Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s chief of staff for the past three years, will join Ellison’s office April 24, his office announced Tuesday. He replaces Jamie Long, who will be moving to Minnesota to become district director at the end of the month. Long replaces current District Director Will Hailer, who’s leaving to become executive director of the Texas Democrat Party on April 26. Ellison said he’s happy to have Edgerton coming …

Fifth District Rep. Keith Ellison raised $185,600 in the first quarter of 2013 and has nearly $87,000 cash on hand, the Star Tribune reported Tuesday. The report was the first filing of the campaign season and comes 18 months ahead of the election season. Minnesota’s congressional delegation raised a combined $4.2 million. Democratic Sen. Al Franken topped the list with $1.985 million raised in the first quarter and $2.03 million cash on hand. Click here to read the full Star Tribune story. Sixth District Rep. Michele Bachmann raised the most among Minnesota’s representatives—and fourth …

Rep. Keith Ellison quickly condemned a party-line vote Friday to conditionally shut down the National Labor Relations Board because of a fight over whether President Barack Obama legally appointed three members of the board. Obama appointed the board members while the Senate was in recess—an attempt to circumvent the requirement that the Senate approve presidential nominations. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that Obama violated the law, and an appeal to the Supreme Court is expected. Republicans accuse Obama of trying to pack the board with his own picks, but Ellison …

Rep. Keith Ellison is urging voters to step up pressure on legislators over the use of drones. The 5th District congressman hosted a forum with about 120 people Wednesday in North Minneapolis to discuss the ethical implications of drone strikes and surveillance, according to Minnesota Public Radio. MPR quoted Ellison as saying: If we weren't talking about technology, we're just soldiers on the ground walking around with M16s. People who get hit by drones -- just a flash and boom, and it's all over.   Ellison Calls for Federal Housing Finance Agency Director’s Firing During a rally to support …

Fifth District Congressman Keith Ellison is pointing to veterans organizations to bolster his case against a proposal to change the way inflation is calculated. The Veterans of Foreign Wars, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, AMVETS, and the Blinded Veterans Association have all come out against using a so-called “chained consumer price index” that would grow Social Security benefits at a slower rate than they grow under the current formula, Ellison noted, citing a Friday Forbes article. Ellison opposes the proposed chained CPI because he said it amounts to a cut in Social Security …

Fifth District Rep. Keith Ellison and the U.S. Department of Labor hosted a roundtable March 25 in order to push for an increase to the minimum wage. Ellison has introduced a bill that would raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. Twin Cities Daily Planet reported that Ellison and Mary Beth Maxwell, acting deputy administrator for the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, appeared moved by stories they heard from workers struggling to make ends meet. “In my opinion, we need to link the minimum wage to the (company’s) executive wage,” the Twin Cities Daily Planet quoted Ellison…

Fifth District Rep. Keith Ellison went on MSNBC Wednesday to counter Fox talk show host Bill O’Reilly’s claims the night before that members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) are “far-left kooks.” O’Reilly criticized the proposals for decreased defense spending and increased spending on job creation, science, energy, the environment and education—adding “some conservatives claim that’s what the far-left wants: a collapse of the entire capitalist system.” On MSNBC’s Martin Bashir’s show, CPC co-chairman Ellison said the proposals enjoy widespread support and that he isn’t pushing …

Fifth District Rep. Keith Ellison protested the sequester cuts by voting against the continuing resolution that the House passed Thursday. The act funds the government for the next six months and keeps the government from shutting down later this month. The House passed the act on a 318-109 vote. The Senate passed it Wednesday. Following Thursday’s passage in the House, Ellison issued the following statement: “While I believe Congress has a basic responsibility to keep the government running, I voted against this bill to protest the deep cuts to everything from education funding to medical …

Fifth District Rep. Keith Ellison is proposing to tweak the mortgage interest deduction and put more money toward affordable rental programs in a bid to help middle class and working families. Ellison announced the “Common Sense Housing Investment Act” on Tuesday. The reintroduced bill would change the existing mortgage interest deduction to a 15 percent flat tax credit on mortgages up to $500,000. Because the existing deduction requires people to itemize their taxes, only half of homeowners actually claim it, according to the Tax Policy Center. A change to a tax credit would allow 60 million…

Fifth District Rep. Keith Ellison is among congressional liberals pushing back against entitlement changes in President Barack Obama’s proposed “grand bargain” to end the sequester. Last month, Ellison and more than 100 House Democrats sent the president a letter stating their opposition to any proposal that would cut Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid as part of a deal to end sequestration. But Obama, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders have recently signaled their willingness to adopt a so-called “chained consumer price index” that would grow Social Security …

With former vice presidential candidate and U.S. House Budget Committee chairman, Paul Ryan, to unveil his budget proposal for next year on Tuesday, another Medicare controversy could be on the horizon. According to CNN, Ryan's considering some changes to the entitlement program that would possibly change the plan for people who are 57 and older. This would be quite a departure from the GOP's 2012 campaign that pledged no such cuts for seniors. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) was a guest on MSNBC's "The Ed Show" March 5 to talk about the potential Medicare cuts. "They (Paul Ryan and the Republican …