U.S. Rep. Clark says Democrats are united in voting 'no' on stopgap funding bill

U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, the minority whip, says House Democrats are united in opposition to Republicans’ stopgap funding bill.

“We are very unified,” Clark said, speaking with WBUR’s Morning Edition. “We are going to choose working families over billionaires every day.”

The bill is expected to go to a House vote Tuesday. It would fund the government at approximately current levels for six months. Clark said it would give the White House too much leeway over how to spend money, calling it “a blank check to Elon Musk and Donald Trump.”

Without any help from Democrats, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson would need near-total support for the measure from within his own party. Johnson says he’s confident he’ll be able to get Republicans on board. At least one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, says he will not vote for the bill.

If a funding bill does not pass both the House and the Senate by Friday, the government would partially shut down.

Clark said she hopes it doesn’t come to that, but left open the possibility that Democrats could allow a shutdown to happen if Republicans don’t budge.

“We have compromised, we have reached our hands across the aisle,” she said of voting to avert shutdowns previously.

But on this bill, she said, “I am not willing to be complicit in what they are doing, choosing their wealthy donors over the American people.”