LEESBURG, VA — Today, in recognition of Women's History Month, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) hosted a press conference introducing the freshman women of the 119th Congress at the 2025 House Democratic Issues Conference. The event featured Reps. Nellie Pou (NJ-9), Maxine Dexter (OR-3), Sarah McBride (DE-AL), Laura Friedman (CA-30), Kelly Morrison (MN-3), Sarah Elfreth (MD-3), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Julie Johnson (TX-32), Luz Rivas (CA-29), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-3), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), and April McClain Delaney (MD-6). The Congresswomen underscored House Democrats’ commitment to defeating a Republican agenda that is stealing from American taxpayers and funneling tax breaks to billionaires. Below is a transcript of her opening remarks and excerpts from closing Q&A:
"This Women's History Month comes amid some of the harshest attacks on women and girls that we've ever seen in Congress.
"Look how the Republicans are using their majority: continuing their crusade against reproductive freedom, evicting survivors of domestic violence from their homes, cutting food assistance that moms and babies depend on, soaring the cost of groceries and child care, even defunding maternal mortality research.
"I am so grateful to have such hard-fighting, unrelenting women leaders serving alongside me. It has never been so important to have them at the table.
"I have been able to witness the faces of power change over the last decade. When I first got to the Hill, there were 63 Democratic women in the House. Today, we are a record-breaking 96 — and I am so proud to be joined by the women that helped smash that record.
"I am excited for you all to get to know them. And I've asked each of them to introduce themselves and share a bit about what they're fighting for and who they're standing up for as new Members of Congress."
On the impact of Republican policies on America's “panini generation”:
"I have sort of renamed this in my own mind. The panini generation, because sandwiches are nice and crisp and fresh — and paninis, you get melted in the middle.
"I know that I struggled. When I had school-age children, my dad had had a debilitating stroke, my mom had Alzheimer's, and they lived next door to me. I'd have to come home and choose: who did I go to care for?
"And I had every advantage. I work in Congress so I could take time off when I needed to. I could set my own schedule. I could bring in some help with the help of government agencies to help my parents. That is not most people.
"With these cuts to Medicaid, there aren't going to be options for people in this situation. We are looking at an administration and a House GOP that has put their sights on child care and dismantling Head Start when people can't find child care [or] they can't afford it when they can find it.
"And then we're going to say that we are going to close nursing homes that are already on the margins, that will help us take care, bring in home health care all through Medicaid.
"So what are we saying to women and families in this country? We're saying you don't matter. All that matters are billionaire donors. That's it. Full stop."
On Democrats' fight to protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid:
"Again, we have had so many proposals around how we can protect Social Security for the future, but that has been met with absolute resistance from the House GOP. And they have been very explicit right now about what their plan is.
"When Elon Musk is on television, when other leaders in their party are going on and saying: 'It's time to eliminate — we will never get to our $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, for corporations — if we do not take away benefits.' They are saying the quiet part out loud.
"We are here to say, if they had put a budget on the Floor that protected Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and worked with us on how we protect those benefits for the future, we would have rushed to the Floor to sign it."
On the impact of DOGE cuts on working people:
"I can tell you that part of what we're seeing with DOGE — it’s surprise attacks.
"So, I learned about a week ago that every single member of the Boston HUD office had been fired — as it was happening. They're not doing these cuts based on, ‘Let’s look how we can make government work better for people.’
"I don't think there's any one of us who's interacted with the federal government or even state government who said, 'Wow, that went just great.'
"And so, there are reforms we need to do. There's efficiencies we have to build in. But this is not what DOGE is about. They go in, and they take programs down in whole cloth.
"And so, we are finding out about this as it is occurring. We had three managers that were left in the Boston HUD office that is critical to addressing the housing crisis that we have. How can you take away the people who are administering, working with the private sector to build more housing? How can you take away Section 8 from people who desperately need it? Because when they're back in the housing market, not only do we see a rise in homelessness, we see a further rise in rents and the cost of housing.
"So part of this is, they are operating in such a chaotic manner that is really meant to do maximum harm. Maximum harm. And so then we go full on. We work with our our unions, we work with local officials, we put pressure on the administration and do everything we can.
"But this is the problem with DOGE. We would all join in looking at government, how we make it work better for people at home. But that's not the point of this. The point is the tax cuts for the wealthiest."
On the conduct of House Republicans:
"Their focus on our decorum or our behavior, while they are burning down things for people at home, just makes me livid. It makes me livid.
"So let's get to work for the people of this country. I don't care if you voted for Donald Trump or you did not. You voted for a chance to get ahead. That if you play by the rules, you have a job that allows you to provide for your family. You pay your taxes. You are going to be able to be successful.
"That's the American Dream. And now, they are setting out to dismantle that. Dismantle that American Dream for people at home.
"And if they want to focus on censures, if they want to focus on an acting like children and misgendering Sarah — like what are we doing? Because they are systematically taking apart our country for folks at home, who voted for them because they said they’d bring down the cost of living, they’d give opportunity, they want success for them.
"So we are going to stand strong in every single vote and say the focus should be on the American people and what they need.
"We are not going to let you — hiding behind Elon Musk and DOGE, hiding behind this idea that somehow this is all in a matter of efficiency — you are not going to say that our veterans are government waste. You are not going to say that women and women's health care are somehow inefficient and have to be cut. You are not going to define our public schools as government waste.
"We are going to stand up for the American people and say, 'All people want is a fair shot.'
"They're working hard. They're paying their taxes. They're playing by the rules. They should be able to be successful. That's what this is about.
"They're trying to change the subject to talk about, did people stand up or did they just clap for a child who had survived childhood cancer while they are cheering for the cuts in NIH that are investing and researching and finding cures for those children?
"We celebrate that child's survival, and we think there should be hope for every single family who's facing a cancer diagnosis and Alzheimer's, diabetes, ALS. And the way we do that is by keeping people's health care coverage and continuing to be a leader in innovation and research. They are tearing that up while they're talking about their rules of decorum."
To watch the full press conference, click HERE.
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