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 availability on House Democrats’ fight for an affordable America and Republicans’ refusal to lower costs for working families. Below are excerpts of her remarks:
On Republicans Making Life More Expensive:
“We have 47 days ’til we have a referendum on 47’s economic failure.
“There were two fundamental promises made by the Republican Party and Donald Trump: ‘We’ll bring down costs on day one’ and ‘no new wars.’ Both of those promises have been broken. And what are we seeing across this country? Families who are struggling.
“The metaphors I hear all the time have to do with drowning. ‘I can’t keep my head above water. We’re drowning in our bills. We are treading water and not making it.’ Americans can’t work any harder. They need a government that is working for them. That is the promise of the Democratic Caucus.
“We see your family, and we are going to fight for you. We’re going to fight to lower those costs. Of groceries, of housing, of childcare and elder care. We’re going to make sure that when you need a doctor, you can afford to go to one, and it can be close by to where you live.
“As the Leader said, there is a cost-of-living price paid for corruption. And we are going to hold them accountable. What we have seen is a bargain that always puts the American people last.
“They stripped away healthcare to the tune of $1 trillion. And then they said, ‘Corporations and the very wealthiest people in this country, they will benefit.’ And what have we seen? Healthcare costs skyrocket. In one third of all our counties, there are no OB/GYNs or a safe place to have a baby. And the cost of having a baby continues to go out of reach. The cost of having a baby in this country!
“And corporate tax revenues have fallen by 25% — that’s $96 billion — while the American people are working at multiple jobs just trying to get by. That is a bargain that we are not going to stand for, and we are going to put the people first back in the People’s House come January.”
On the Devastating Impacts of Trump’s War in Iran:
“Just this morning, I met with farmers. The cost of diesel fuel that is directly related to this war in Iran is going to further drive farmers out of business and grocery prices even higher.
“We are seeing now, sort of, the end of oil reserves. Prices going up — $0.26 at a pump in a 24-hour period. This is so unsustainable.
“And [Republicans] are not being transparent about, not only the real costs, but what is happening in our bases and the cost of this war now and to keep it going, and the long-term costs of rebuilding what we have lost.
“So, all of this ends up on people’s kitchen tables. They don’t have different silos they can go to to pay for different budgets. It all comes out of their paycheck, and they are not making it.
“This corruption, the pay for play, the ineptitude of the Department of Defense — starting with Pete Hegseth — is all coming home to American families and creating anxiety and fear that they’re simply not going to be able to provide for their children.”
On the GOP’s Refusal to Address AI Safety:
“Right now with AI, we have two things going on: We want to be the leaders in innovation in the world and take the promise of this technology to do amazing things, but we know we have to protect jobs, child safety. We have very real concerns that we have many legislative proposals [for]. But at this moment, we have an industry — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta — all speaking with one voice [and saying] that there is a problem, that there is a true threat to a global existence. It is a true threat that we have to solve globally.
“And what we have is a Speaker of the House who says, ‘They can work that out for themselves.’
“This is not a Republican or Democratic issue. This is an American issue. And it is a global issue.
“As the Leader said, what we are lacking is the leadership from this president to do that. This isn’t about bolstering up the corporations that he’s invested in, his personal enrichment. If there is a fundamental safety issue, let’s address it. Let’s come together and make sure that we can harness the power of this innovation. But also address the safety issue that we are getting warnings about.
“That should be a top priority that we are working on right now. And so that we can continue and work with global partners who are also developing this technology together on some fundamental guardrails to ensure safety of AI as we move forward.
“And what are we seeing instead? We’re going to go home. We’re going to go home and not deal with this issue. We’ve seen this before. When they are pressed on issues, whether it’s Epstein or a fundamental safety issue around AI, the answer is to retreat and not take it on.
“We will be pushing for this answer that we need. It is not partisan. Let’s meet this moment of safety for the American people who want to benefit from AI, but are worried about what it might do to their privacy, to their kids, and to future jobs.”
Watch the full press availability, HERE. View photos, HERE.
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