Meet U.S. Representative District 1 Candidate Dan Feehan
Website: https://danfeehan.com/
Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Official Bio:
Born and raised in Red Wing, Minnesota, Dan Feehan was inspired by the public service of his parents and has since devoted his life to serving his community and country. While attending Georgetown University, Feehan witnessed the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the Pentagon and promptly signed up for Army ROTC. He went on to serve two combat tours in Iraq, searching for roadside bombs and capturing insurgents, and was awarded the Bronze Star for Service, the Army Commendation Medal with Valor, and the Ranger Tab. After serving in the military, Feehan went to work teaching underserved students on the South Side of Chicago and in Gary, Indiana. Most recently, Feehan served as an acting Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Pentagon under President Barack Obama, where he worked to ensure that our millions of service members were ready to fight, and that they had the tools to lead a quality life as veterans after their service was over. Now, Feehan is running for Congress in Minnesota's First Congressional District to continue his career of service and fight for universal healthcare, middle-class jobs, and sound national security policy.
Your key platforms:
First and foremost, we must lower the cost of healthcare. Too many families in our district and across our country are overburdened with skyrocketing premiums and a lack of options available to them. I am for a universal healthcare system that leaves no one uninsured and offers everybody affordable and accessible care options.
Second, I am deeply concerned about the erosion of our middle-class, which is why I advocate for policies that seek to level the playing field, strengthen the middle-class, and support our family farmers.
Third, after nearly 17 years of continuous war, it is unconscionable that Congress has not asserted itself as a co-equal branch, instead allowing the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) to be used for conflicts in more than a dozen countries, which is why I will work to re-open the debate on the AUMF, arguing for transparent benchmarks to be achieved and a narrowed focus for its renewal. If they are not met, then we in Congress must shoulder the decision to no longer allow for the use of force and end the wars that will otherwise be waged perpetually.
What’s one thing you want the Rochester community to know about you?
We live in a time of heightened political divisiveness and partisanship, which hampers the ability of our elected officials to effectively govern and corrodes the morale of our nation. It is up to our elected officials to lead by example. This means harkening back to the basic values we teach our children: to respect others and work together. I will respect those I disagree with and seek areas of agreement to get things done for the people of southern Minnesota, while also working to ensure that Congress does not cede it’s responsibility as a co-equal branch of government to be a check on the Executive Branch. Though we may have differing opinions at times, we must work to build community and focus on what unites us, rather than dwell on what divides us.
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