‘Reckless March to a MAGA Shutdown’: Top House Democrat Rages at GOP Adjourning House Amid Spending Battle

Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA), the minority whip in the House, tore into her GOP colleagues on Thursday after their leadership announced the House would adjourn for a six-week recess without having passed bills to fund the government.

“Thank you. I appreciate the leader for yielding. I think we have very different definitions of success for the American people,” Clark began to applause, addressing Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) who spoke before her.

“As Democrats, we have been focused and have been successful in growing our economy by growing the middle class, lowering health care costs, making sure that we are addressing climate change, having safer communities,” Clark began, adding:

And now the Republican conference is saying they are sending us home for six weeks without funding the government. That we have one bill, one bill out of 12 completed because extremists are holding your conference hostage. And that’s not the full story. The extremists are holding the American people hostage.

We will have 12 days, 12 days when we return to fund the government to live up to the job the American people sent us here to do. This is a reckless march to a MAGA shutdown. And for what? In pursuit of a national abortion ban. Is that what we are doing here? The American people see through this. They know who is fighting for them, fighting for solutions. This… Your time is coming. The American people are watching. They are going to demand accountability.

“We should be staying here, completing these appropriation bills, stripping out the toxic, divisive, bigoted riders that have been put on these bills, and get back to work for freedom and for our economy and the American family. I yield back,” Clark concluded.

Clark and Scalise continued to debate on the House floor.

The House adjourned a day early “amid a feud within the GOP over language related to abortion that’s attached to the food and agriculture spending bill,” Axios reported.

“Passing all 12 appropriations bills was already a steep climb for House Republicans, with members telling Axios that they are bracing for a government shutdown in October,” the outlet added.

Watch the clip above via C-SPAN.

Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com