Stauber commends home-state colleague, staff for bipartisan work

U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN) on Wednesday applauded efforts by his home-state Democratic colleague and his congressional staff for partaking in a pro-bipartisanship workshop.

The day-long depolarization workshop, facilitated by Better Angels, a nonprofit citizens’ organization, included six members of Rep. Stauber’s staff and eight from the office of U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN). Both congressmen are serving their first terms in office.

“I am incredibly thankful to my friend Dean Phillips and his staff for joining mine in this important workshop and for sharing our vision of a more unified nation,” Rep. Stauber said.

Both lawmakers agreed when Better Angels co-founder Bill Doherty presented them with the opportunity to build a foundation of understanding and respect between their district offices, according to a statement released by Rep. Stauber’s office.

“As Americans, our commonalities far outweigh our differences,” said Rep. Stauber. “While there is a lot of hyper-partisanship in Congress right now, I remain committed to identifying areas in which both sides of the aisle hold common ground and working with all of my colleagues to pass legislation that will benefit every American.”

Rep. Phillips added that his office is grounded on the belief that no party has a monopoly on good ideas.

“I’m grateful to my extraordinary staff, to my friend and colleague Pete Stauber, and to the Stauber team, for leading by example and being partners in the mission to elevate what unites us,” he said.

The congressional staffers took part in Better Angels’ nonpartisan listening and conversation curriculum, which includes exercises to help improve participants’ understanding of different points of view and to constructively discuss them toward finding common ground.

“This was the first-ever Better Angels workshop in Congress,” said Bill Doherty, a professor at the University of Minnesota, co-founder of Better Angels, and a session moderator at the event. “We thought starting with staff members would create momentum, and indeed it has.”