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Olivia loves a challenge. It's why she lifts heavy weights and likes complicated recipes. But for booking her trip to Paris, Olivia chose the easy way With Expedia, she bundled her flight with a hotel to save more. Of course, she still climbed all 674 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower. You were made to take the easy route. We were made to easily package your trip. Expedia made to travel flight Inclusive packages are atoll protected this episode is brought to you by LifeLock. Between two factor authentication, strong passwords and a VPN, you try to be in control of how your info is protected. But many other places also have it and they might not be as careful. That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it, guaranteed or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com podcast for 40% off terms apply. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations. Introducing Family Freedom from T Mobile we'll pay off four phones up to $3200 and give you four free phones all on America's largest 5G network. Visit your local T Mobile location or learn more@t mobile.com familyfreedom up to $800 per line via virtual prepaid card typically takes 15 days. Free phones via 24 monthly bill credits with finance agreement eg Apple iPhone 16128 gigabyte 802999 eligible trade in iPhone 11 Pro for well qualified credits end and balance due if you pay off early or cancel contact T mobile. We are 20 days from a government shutdown based on the MAGA Republicans complete incompetence, their handling of the budget and MAGA Mike Johnson darting out of a press conference when questions about Jeffrey Epstein were being asked. You'll hear a reporter say, you want to take an Epstein. He got out of there awfully quickly. Here, play this clip.
Catherine Clark
You want to take the rest of the questions? Yeah, yeah.
Host
Run MAGA Mike, run. And then you have Speaker Johnson MAGA Mike doesn't think that that birthday card that's clearly sent by Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, which has Donald Trump's signature and looks like all of his other signatures. It's his signature. We don't even need to be. It's not a, it's not a debate. He sent the thing to Epstein. But, but here's MAGA Mike doing what the regime tells him to do, saying, I don't see it. I don't think so. Here, play this clip.
Catherine Clark
Mr. Speaker, do you think the Trump birthday note to Epstein is real?
Host
I don't. They say it's not. I don't. He says Donald Trump told me it's not. So why would I even ask a question? I don't. And by the way, it's, it's all of them at this point, like Byron Donalds and Burchett. All of you watch this, this brief montage of all of them saying the same thing. Basically. Let's play it. I mean anybody can do a signature.
Catherine Clark
Someone might have just forged this somehow. Yeah, I mean somehow it's so easy.
Host
To do from what I see is not a signature. I've seen Donald Trump sign a million things. This doesn't look like his signature to you? Nope.
Catherine Clark
I highly doubt that it is.
Host
I mean how could someone going to forge this? Well, are we talking about, are we.
Catherine Clark
Talking about the birthday card?
Host
Trump apparently. Oh, you know, I would, you know.
Catherine Clark
That'S new for me. I've not seen that.
Host
We'll let other people decide whether it's real or not. What does that even mean? That's new to me. You bro, you were the one who brought up the birthday card. That's new. That's new to me. I didn't see it. You said, you said, what were you thinking? They were talking about when they were talking about forgery and birthday card as much. Again, it's the most ridiculous stuff. Oh, and then you have James Comer big mad the new ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, Congressmember Robert Garcia for pushing forward and getting all that stuff. Because remember it wasn't just the birthday card in that book for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003. There was a bunch of other documents in there. Sick, disgusting documents of like Epstein and Trump friends holding checks, talking about Trump paying 22,000 for a fully depreciated woman. There's like women talking about meeting Prince Andrew and Donald Trump thanks to Jeffrey Epstein. There's some grotesque stuff, stuff in that. But MAGA Republicans are pissed that Democrats are fighting back. Listen to Comer here. Let's play it.
Catherine Clark
Jeremy Comer.
Host
Comer, can you give us a comment.
Catherine Clark
About the Epstein documents being released and what else is under review right now?
Host
Well, the Epstein documents are released because I subpoenaed the estate for the documents. That's why we have the document. So I know the media has been obsessed with the discharge petition. The discharge petition didn't even cover the estate. This is a serious investigation, just like I said it would be. We're going to be transparent. I think we got the documents uploaded last night on the computer. It takes, you know, a few hours. Obviously, when they send out, when I subpoena documents, they send them to the Republicans and the Democrats, of course. No, the Democrats, they, they, they find one thing in there and, and they promote it and try to get a narrative. This investigation is about providing justice and accountability for the victims and the Democrats. You know, it's really disappointing to see how they've acted. I mean, Garcia, he's been on the job for about two weeks. He's proven to me to just be a real big drama queen because this is all about providing transparency to the American people and justice for the victims. It's not about scoring political points. So hopefully he'll mature up and get serious about the investigation. We've got a lot more documents we expect to get in. We're going to bring a lot of people in for deposition. So I mean, that was the guy for three years holding up nudies of Hunter Biden in, in the hearing. And then he's calling Robert Garcia a drama queen, to which congressmember Garcia is like, are you just saying that because I'm gay? Like, what, what, what drama? What are you talking about? Like, we got the book because Democrats pushed for it. You didn't want that to be released. We pushed forward. We released it. And then you're like, oh, they're cherry picking it and all of these things. Absolutely ridiculous. Let's bring in Democratic congresswoman Catherine Clark, the Democratic whip. And a big deal coming in the very near future, 20 days, of course, is that if a budget doesn't pass, we're in a government shutdown. So I want to talk about that. But I think showing those Epstein clips though, show that we're not dealing with. You're not dealing with like serious people who are in the world of reality. Like, I don't even know what that was. So let's address first, like what they've been saying. Just get your reaction to that. But I just want to talk about. It's in everything. They exist in this Maga club rose garden world.
Catherine Clark
I mean, I don't know where to begin. I mean, how can you look at these doctors documents that came out in this Epstein birthday book that are disgusting. They are vile. And there are multiple ones and just say, oh, that's some sort of democratic hoax. They have one master and that is Donald Trump. And they are willing to throw the American people to throw justice, investigations, transparency, they will do nothing but raise costs on Americans. And he says jump. And they, they just say, how high? And it just makes them not only look absurd, but they are just barreling towards disaster for people at home who are unable to make it in this economy that Donald Trump and his, you know, devotees have created for them.
Host
It's a co equal branch of government. And our founders constitutional framers believed that even out of self interest, the other branches would want to defend its turf, to push back. And being a congressperson's like a big deal. I mean, Maga Mike's the Speaker of the House, but he may as well be Donald Trump's golf caddy as a summer job based on the way. It's just so strange to me that people with important positions to protect the people have been so willing to give it away because of Donald Trump in the White House behaving in such a bizarre and erratic fashion that, that like, I'm just trying to even understand how that works. Like, how does that appeal to them when, you know, tariffs are attacks on Americans and they go, oh, it's not. It's like, yes, it is. That's his signature. Tariffs are attacks on Americans. You're taking away health care. How do you work with delusional colleagues, I guess is my question. And how do you maneuver people who are so maggot up that you can't do deals with these people?
Catherine Clark
Yeah, I mean, how do you do deals with people who one won't come to the table, when they do come to the table, they then go ahead and undermine and go back on everything they said, even if it makes it through Congress. They stand by a president who shreds everything they just did, whether it's projects, economic development, keeping hospitals open in their own districts, they just will do anything that he wants. And the point we're making, 20 days out from a shutdown, which is 100% their responsibility. They have the majority in the House, the Senate, and Trump is president. So it is up to them to fund the government and keep it open and working for people. And what are they doing instead? They are taking away people's health care. So whether it is the half a trillion dollars in Medicare that this bill will trigger in cuts, the cuts they've already done to Medicaid, the three rural hospitals that are going to close, and Every single day, we are already seeing hospitals close in states due to the big ugly law. This is coming true for people right now. I had farmers in my office this morning who were talking about not only what is happening to them with the tariffs and how bankruptcies for farmers are up 95%, but that they have no place to go to get health care. So they want to go ahead with this agenda, taking away the fundamental, you know, the fundamental need of American people that when they are sick and they need to see a doctor, they should be able to do that and be able to do it close to their home. They can do that on their own. We are not going to rubber stamp this extremist agenda.
Host
So for our audience to know the position of Democratic whip is whipping up the votes and coordinated and organizing unified positions amongst the party in terms of a vote and making sure that people show up to vote, it's a lot more complicated than that. But at a high level, it's a big, important job. So when it comes to this government shutdown that is looming, can you articulate for our audience the Democratic position? Because people I know, our audience says, do not support this MAGA desecration of our health care. Shut it down. And our audience was very upset at what happened in the Senate before when that happens. So what do you say to our audience right now?
Catherine Clark
That Democrats in the House are crystal clear. We are not supporting a budget that decimates health care for Americans. That's where we are. And if they want to go ahead and do a spending plan to pass a budget that continues to make these cuts, and just this week, they're talking about more cuts to mental health, to our public health infrastructure. They are not stopping. They are doubling down. They want to do that. They can do it without a single Democratic vote.
Host
In other words, we're willing to shut it down. Right.
Catherine Clark
Shutting it down is up to them. We're telling them we're not voting for a budget that doesn't, doesn't make sure that people can access health care. The fact that they are barreling and notices are starting to go out, they've gone out in my home state of Massachusetts telling people the premium increases they are going to experience because they are refusing to renew tax credits and support for the ACA so that people can afford to get health care. So they are looking at increased premiums, taking away the help that they rely on and need to get health care. And these guys are running around saying, well, we don't care about that. We care about one thing and that's tax cuts for our billionaire friends. And at the same time utterly denying that Donald Trump had anything to do with his billionaire friend Jeffrey Epstein. I mean, you cannot make this up. So we're going to stay focused where we are. And that is you cannot get away with doing these health care cuts at historic levels without a fight from House Democrats.
Host
I just have one procedural question because I think maybe the audience, I think if I'm confused, the audience probably shares the. So there's a, there's the budget bill they called the Big Beautiful blah blah. It was a disastrous budget bill that passed. Before that there were all of these CRS that I would talk about, like a continuing resolution. Then they do the disastrous budget bill. How come then there's like another budget that needs to be passed? Like, what's the. Why do we even come close to a shutdown when they forced this other one through? Just in terms of the, like, the procedure of it all?
Catherine Clark
Yeah, the procedure is very difficult and complex. But in the simplest terms, our fiscal year in the federal government ends on October 1st. So every year we have to have a budget in place. And in the last two years of Republican control, seven times they have brought us to this place. And Democrats have had to come in and say, we're going to try to come together, find some common ground. We're still at that place, but we are clearly telling our Republican colleagues and the president that they cannot count on a single Democratic vote if they are going to rip health care away. 15 million people are going to lose their health care in this country. And premiums for 20 million people alone, just under the ACA, are going to soar probably out of reach for most people who need it. And we cannot just sit by and rubber stamp their agenda. They want to hold the American people hostage by saying, well, if you don't go on with our agenda of taking health care away, we're going to be in a shutdown. And those are painful. You just can't negotiate with these people anymore. And so we are very clear, you want to come and talk to us about how we can make healthcare accessible and affordable to the American people. We are here to listen. We are ready to go negotiate with that if you want to proceed doing whatever it is you want, imposing illegal tariffs, taking away Medicaid and Medicare and veterans health programs, children's insurance, food from hungry people. We're out. We're out. You cannot rely on our votes. We will not help you succeed in that kind of harm to American families.
Host
Democratic Whip Catherine Clark, thanks for joining us as always.
Catherine Clark
Thank you everybody.
Host
Hit subscribe let's get to 6 million subscribers. Love this video, support independent media and unlock exclusive content, ad, free videos and custom emojis by becoming a paid member of our YouTube channel today. You can also gift memberships to others. Let's keep growing together.
Catherine Clark
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Episode: Democratic Whip Katherine Clark Addresses GOP Disasters
Date: September 11, 2025
Featured Guest: Rep. Katherine Clark, House Democratic Whip
In this episode, the Meiselas brothers—Ben, Brett, and Jordy—host Democratic Whip Katherine Clark to discuss the latest political chaos emanating from MAGA Republicans, specifically the mounting government shutdown threat, the GOP's evasions around Trump-Epstein revelations, and the party’s ongoing assault on healthcare and working Americans. The podcast delivers a blend of sharp political analysis, biting humor, and insight into congressional procedures and the stakes of the upcoming government funding deadline.
This episode underscores the profound dysfunction within the GOP-controlled House, as highlighted by Whip Katherine Clark. With Republicans driven by fealty to Trump, even on issues as egregious as the Trump-Epstein connection, Democratic leaders are drawing a clear line—refusing to facilitate catastrophic cuts to health care for working Americans. Clark’s message: Democrats are united in opposition and refuse to be party to policies that would punish the most vulnerable. The stakes: millions losing health coverage, a government shutdown looming, and the future of basic American values up for grabs.
For listeners: This high-energy, fact-packed episode pulls no punches and gives a behind-the-scenes view of the real battles shaping the country as critical budget deadlines approach.