MALDEN, MA — Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) joined Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll alongside local educators, parents, and care advocates at ABCD Head Start Malden to denounce the Trump administration’s continued effort to dismantle the Head Start program and make life harder for working families. Below is a transcript of her remarks:

“We all know the phrase, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ It takes a city like Malden. It takes a Commonwealth like Massachusetts to be able to raise our kids, have them rise to their full potential, and make sure that our working families can afford and find quality childcare just like we have in this Head Start program.

“I am so proud to be here today with our incredible partners at every level of government. I want to thank Gary Christenson, and the whole mayoral staff, for the work that they do in supporting this program, Head Start, and early education across the city. [Thank you] to our State Representative delegation for all the work that you do to make sure that kids have a Head Start on their lives with full funding. And then we come to our incredible Governor and Lieutenant Governor. It is — I don’t know if you caught it in her remarks — just a handful of states have stepped up when this administration and Republicans in Congress have cut funding. We could not do this without your help. And we are so, so grateful to have a leader like Maura Healey really making sure that every single family has a fair shot at opportunity.

“We’ve been in this fight for years. [Republicans] told us flat-out in Project 2025 that their objective is to dismantle the Head Start program and spend that money on tax cuts for billionaires.

“And first, they tried to defund it totally. They wrote a budget that eliminated funding for Head Start in its entirety, and we beat that back. And they came back this year by trying to slowly dismantle this program.

“As the Governor set out, it would increase class sizes. It would forbid the use of any language but English. It would curtail developmental screenings that are so important to make sure that when kids hit our public schools, they are ready to learn. And it would eliminate health and safety standards.

“Even the Republican administration has admitted that there are risks with that, but they are willing to risk our kids in order to continue to fund the very wealthiest Americans.

“As one provider in Wisconsin said, ‘It wouldn’t be Head Start anymore,’ with the changes that they are proposing.

“So we are clear eyed. This is not about reform. This isn’t for the benefit of kids or parents or care workers. This is about weakening and watering down a program that serves hundreds of thousands of families across the country every day. 10,000 kids here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. And all of this is to free up money for billionaires.

“Republicans know that this is not a popular idea. They know they can’t vote to defund it outright. So this is their workaround. Well, they have dramatically underestimated the people in this room. They have dramatically underestimated the American people. Because working families know what this is about. They know who’s behind it, and they are going to hold them accountable.

“And when we retake the House of Representatives this fall, Democrats are going to turn this ship around and start enacting an agenda that actually prioritizes our children and families who are working as hard as they can to meet the basic needs for their families and themselves.”

To watch the press conference, click HERE. To view photos of the press conference, click HERE.

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