House Minority Whip Katherine Clark went absolutely viral two weeks ago when she told Fox News that the shutdown could hurt the American public, but it “is one of the few leverage times we have.”
It was a foot-in-the-mouth type remark that has given Republicans a boost during the shutdown. But it has the benefit of being true. Shutdowns are, in fact, aimed at using pain to extract policy concessions. Republicans know this well, having sparked two major shutdowns in the last 15 years.
On Fly Out Day Thursday, Clark said that Republicans’ use of the comment was “BS.” Here’s more:
Clark: “Let’s talk about this, because the Republicans’ use of this is part distraction, part pathetic and 100% BS.”
Jake: “Well, you did say it.”
Clark: “You want to take a clip out of context. The words were there, but let’s talk about what I have said over and over, and what has been the Democratic message. Come to the table. We have said that at every single turn, at every inflection point in this we know we are in the minority, but we know that the people need a voice in Congress, and we say come and compromise.”
The 62-year-old Clark, the No. 2 House Democrat from a deep blue district outside Boston, is emblematic of the party’s desire to continue fighting in this shutdown.
“We are absolutely going to keep fighting for this,” Clark said. “And that does not mean that it’s like, ‘Oh this pain isn’t real’ and that we are not compassionate and understand the terrible position that people are in. Shutdowns are terrible. And we wish that they had come to the table with us and avoided this.”
This bitter funding stalemate has become a litmus test for House Democratic leaders. Rank-and-file House Democrats are watching Clark and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries very carefully. The pair of top Democrats has so far held the line. They kept all but one Democrat off the Republicans’ CR last month. And, up until now, House Democrats have been united with Senate Democratic leadership. That wasn’t the case during March’s government-funding fight.
But the Democratic harmony could end soon. As we’ve reported, Senate Democrats are getting a bit itchy to end the shutdown. Talks are breaking out all over the Senate, as impacts of the monthlong impasse start to worsen.
“Senate Democrats and House Democrats are aligned in this,” Clark said on the shutdown.
“Come to us and negotiate. I am glad there are some conversations going on in the Senate. I hope that maybe that would inspire House Republicans to come back to Washington and actually sit down with us, sit down and start to negotiate so having conversations about how we end this shutdown as soon as possible and deliver some relief on health care to the American people.”
Other news nuggets:
— Clark refused to engage on whether the 88-year-old Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) should run for re-election.
“When it comes to running for office and who a district decides to send, those are conversations that involve that member, their families and their supporters,” Clark said of Norton, whose fitness for office is increasingly being questioned publicly. “And I think that she will make a decision based on that.”
— We asked Clark if House Republicans have redistricted so heavily that Democrats have no chance of winning in 2026.
“I’m not saying that’s not going to be a challenge, but we are responding to that, and California, I think, is on the road to victory,” Clark said.
— Clark declared the first thing House Democrats would do if they take the majority is “work on health care” and restore some of the cuts that Republicans made to critical programs.
