U.S. Rep. Clark urges WEMO members to make voices heard

Municipal officials should be the storytellers who explain the impacts of federal cutbacks that impact local services, U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark told women leaders at an MMA meeting on March 21 in Wrentham.

During the Women Elected Municipal Officials Spring Leadership Conference, Clark, the House minority whip and highest-ranking woman in Congress, shared her insights on ongoing developments in Washington, D.C. Her comments came as local officials have scrambled to respond to an ever-shifting federal landscape involving spending freezes and cuts, court battles, mass firings (and some re-hirings) of federal workers, and executive orders touching everything from increased immigration enforcement to the proposed dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education.

In a fireside chat with WEMO Chair Lisa Kouchakdjian, a Sudbury Select Board member, Clark said her office has been flooded with calls from constituents concerned about recent federal activity. She urged local leaders to transform abstract debates into stories of how federal funding cuts and firings will affect the quality of residents’ school districts, the size of their property tax bills, and the value of their homes if local school districts decline.

“We have to be the ones that are telling these stories and making these budgets come alive and what the real impact in your town is,” Clark said, adding that she sees much misinformation about the federal cuts online.

In the midst of a series of court decisions calling for the reversal of various federal cuts, Clark asked local officials to report any difficulties people have accessing funds and resources that should have been restored by court orders.

Clark was first elected to Congress in 2013 to represent the 5th Congressional District, which stretches from several north-of-Boston communities into the MetroWest area. After arriving on Capital Hill, she rose quickly through the leadership ranks and was elected in 2022 as the House minority whip. She got her start in government on the Melrose School Committee, and has served as general counsel for the Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services, as policy chief for the Massachusetts Attorney General, and as a state representative and senator.

In her discussion with Kouchakdjian, a day after President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, Clark focused on federal education funding and resources. While state and local officials are very nimble at navigating change, she said, the potential loss of $2 billion in annual public education funding would be a “devastating blow” to Massachusetts communities.

“There is no way Massachusetts can take that kind of cut to public schools,” Clark said, “on top of that cut to Medicaid, which is coming, on top of that cut to our food programs, which is coming on top of a cut to veterans benefits, to Head Start.”

Clark also discussed the administration’s heightened immigration enforcement and deportations. In Framingham, she said, more than 2,000 students avoided school one recent day over rumors of an immigration raid. She said she is working with immigrant groups to protect their rights, but if the government is allowed to sidestep due process in these situations, “it will erode it for every single one of us.”

Clark said she and many of her colleagues are working to protect the rule of law through litigation, legislative action and mobilization efforts such as town hall meetings.

When Natick Select Board Member Kristen Pope asked Clark how she is coping these days, she said she takes comfort in her family and her two energetic bernedoodle dogs. She said it’s important to prioritize concerns and focus on the most pressing needs.

Clark told the women leaders not to underestimate the power of their voices, praising them for “the work you do, the dedication you bring, your intelligence, your integrity and getting it done,” and meeting the needs of their communities.

“Women in government are going to meet this moment for our country,” she said, “and it is a partnership that I value.”

Sponsored by Federated Securities Corp., the meeting also featured roundtable discussions organized by region, and a panel discussion with WEMO leaders and rotating members of the audience to answer various questions. The panelists discussed the unexpected skills that have helped them in their public service, the leadership skills they’re still developing, and their proudest achievements, among other topics.

Dartmouth Select Board Member Heidi Brooks discussed the challenges of being her board’s only woman, and echoed panelists’ calls to recruit more women into public service.

“We have something to say,” Brooks said. “We have a different lived experience.”