WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) joined Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8) and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (CA-33) for a press conference slamming House Republicans’ six months of chaos. Below are excerpts from the event: 

On Republicans Running Away From Washington:

“What a fitting end to these six months of Republican control in Washington.

“Instead of doing their jobs, instead of standing up for kids and families, instead of standing on the side of transparency and accountability, Republicans are running away. All to avoid the release of the Epstein client list. All to cover up for pedophiles.

“In this hollowed out version of the Republican Party, they knock down people who work for a living.

“Their signature bill — the Big, Ugly Bill — kicked 15 million Americans off their health insurance. Takes food from 16 million kids. Raises energy bills. Shuts down hospitals. Denies veterans their benefits. They run up the debt to give tax breaks to billionaires. And they run out of town to hide sex crimes for the rich and famous.

“Well, Americans are sick of a system that looks at people who follow the rules and actually work for a living and puts them last.

“Right now, 60% of American households say they can’t afford the basics. Most parents — 54% — say they’ll have to skip on groceries to afford school supplies this fall. You deserve better. Your family deserves better.

“Over the next six weeks, House Democrats will fan out across the country — listening to our neighbors. Listening to our constituents. We are going to make sure Americans know it does not have to be this way.

“We can fight corruption. We can lower the cost of child care. We can make health care and housing more affordable. We can build an economy that rewards the people who make it run, not the corporations who exploit them. We can have a Congress that prioritizes kids and families.

“This is the wealthiest nation in the history of the world. There is enough for everybody, not just to get by, but get ahead — if we give the American people the fair shot at success that they deserve.”

On Spotlighting Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill:

“It doesn’t matter whether they, in the Senate, stay in session or go home. They cannot hide from the destruction that they have caused.
 
“We are looking at — with this largest cut to Medicaid in our country’s history — not only an impact on people who get their insurance through Medicaid, which is 40% of the children in this country, but there are now estimates that it will cause an almost 70% rise in insurance premiums for a family of four that makes $90,000. 70% increase in insurance?
 
“As the Leader said, this was an administration that promised to lower costs on day one. And they cannot get away from the fact that they have made a terrible deal that goes against families in this country. 
 
“So we are going to be out there over the next six weeks, not only putting forth the high contrast of the disaster they are bringing down on family budgets across this country, but what we can do together to change the system so that it isn’t rigged against families who work for a living — the 99.9% of us who don’t benefit under the Big, Ugly Bill.”

On Republicans’ Refusal to Release the Epstein Files:

“They don’t want to answer a fundamental question that their own base is asking them: ‘You promised us transparency around these files, now you are hiding them?’ And it all relates back to the same thing.
 
“Everything that House Republicans have done — everything this administration has done since Donald Trump took office — is in defense of the elites. And who is paying the price for it?

“Whether it’s with soaring debt, soaring insurance costs, denial of veterans’ benefits, taking away food, school lunch programs, Meals On Wheels for our seniors, it’s the American people. So the jig is up here.

“This case, the Epstein case, has helped their own base see what’s going on. That this is a con job. That they were never the center of the work that they are going to do here.
 
“If you don’t already have a lot of wealth and power, you are not getting any attention from this Republican Party. And they will sacrifice the working people of this country for the benefit of the billionaire class.

“They’ve done it in their Big, Ugly Bill. And now, they’re doing it by running and hiding from their own campaign promise to reveal these files.
 
“That’s why we are in the situation that we are in today. They are literally running away from the needs of the American people in order to protect the very wealthy.”

On Republicans’ Blind Loyalty to Donald Trump:

“It’s pathetic. It is pathetic. We have the head of intelligence just trying to worm her way back into the good graces of the White House.

“And why it is not just pathetic, but so dangerous and wrong headed, is that the American people are waving their arms and saying, ‘We aren’t making it in this country’ and everything that the GOP is doing is making it worse.

“It is stretching family budgets that are already stretched to the breaking point.

“They don’t want to talk about how can we cap the cost of child care so people can afford to work and find child care so they can get to their jobs, knowing their kids are in a qualifying program.

“How come we’re not talking about ways to help people put that down payment together for a house? How we can build housing in a way that is productive and creates American jobs and drives down the cost?

“How come they’re not talking about helping our veterans, who we know rely on our food programs and rely on the VA? You cannot cut tens of thousands of people from the Veterans Administration and look veterans in the eye and say, ‘Thank you for your service.’ We owe them better.

“And this incessant obsession with getting back in and staying in the good graces of the president has an incredible, dangerous toll for American families.

“They are the ones that pay the price for these lies and for this fidelity, not to the people of the United States, but to one person, which is Donald Trump.”

To view the full press conference, click HERE.

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