House Republican slams Democrat for calling shutdown ‘leverage point’

SPECIAL: A top House Republican is criticizing a top Democratic leader who said the government shutdown and its effects were a “leverage point” to achieve his health care goals.

“It is appalling that the number two House Democrat publicly acknowledges that the left is weaponizing hard-working Americans as ‘leverage’ for political gain, even acknowledging that families will suffer in the process,” Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital.

“This is not an administration; it is a calculated hostage-taking, with stranded families hanging in the balance as Democrats try to push their radical agenda. Families are viewed by Democrats as mere leverage. We’ve always known it, now they’re saying it out loud. It’s absolutely disgraceful.”

House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., sat down for an interview with Fox News’ Chad Pergram last week. At one point, Clark was asked who Americans would find responsible for the ongoing shutdown.

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“I mean, closures are terrible, and of course there are going to be families who are going to suffer. We take that responsibility very seriously. But this is one of the few opportunities we have,” Clark responded.

“This was a tipping point in the budget process where we were trying to get Republicans to meet with us and put the American people first, and there was an absolute refusal and they were willing to let the government shut down when they controlled the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the White House, rather than come and talk about something as important as whether the American people could afford health care.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Clark’s office for a response to Pfluger’s comments.

The government shut down because Congress could not reach an agreement on federal funding. (Getty Images)

The government shutdown is now in its 23rd day after Senate Democrats rejected the GOP’s federal funding bill for the 12th time Wednesday evening.

Republicans proposed a measure that would keep federal funding roughly steady through Nov. 21 so that negotiators have more time to reach a longer-term deal in fiscal year (FY) 2026; a spending patch called ongoing resolution (CR).

The bill passed the House on September 19 along largely partisan lines.

But Democrats are pushing for any funding deal that includes an extension of Obamacare subsidies, which were increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. These improvements will expire at the end of 2025.

Republican leaders have signaled their willingness to negotiate on those subsidies, but have refused to do so in the current package.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on the tenth day of the federal government shutdown on October 10, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)

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“Mike Johnson said this, we’ve got a lot of time to talk about this, a lot of time. That impact of the ACA will happen in the next few weeks,” Clark said. “Yes, lockdown has terrible consequences for people.”

He continued, “For military families, even if they’re getting paid, I think a lot of working spouses are feeling these cuts as well because we’ve encouraged military spouses to become federal workers to cover all the travel and moving expenses that military families often go through. And now we’re telling them, you’re not going to get paid for your work. So, let’s get together here. Republicans need to come to town. They need to sit down with us.”

But Republicans have taken notice of Clark’s comments in recent days.

“Democrats are holding American families hostage to advance their own political agenda, and they admit it,” House GOP Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) said Wednesday. he said.