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Katherine Clark, the second-highest-ranking Democrat in the House, stated that members who act as "team players" should hold positions on important committees following a recent rebellion by centrist Democrats Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Jared Golden. These two lawmakers voted with Republicans for the second time this month, advancing bills like the Russia sanctions package and condemning socialism. Clark’s remarks suggest potential changes to committee assignments based on members’ alignment with party leadership, amid internal debate about how to respond to such defections.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Katherine Clark, the No. 2 House Democrat and a top lieutenant of Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, said "team players" should sit on important committees after Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) defected from her party for the second time in a month by voting with Republicans. Clark noted that the American people expect representatives to be focused and supportive of their interests, particularly regarding cost reduction. Gluesenkamp Perez holds a seat on the House Appropriations Committee, which oversees federal spending. Earlier, she informed Clark about her intention to vote against her party before the recent vote, unlike during her previous defection weeks ago when no prior notice was given.
Written for “Democratic Leadership Power Struggle” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.35, but none of the 1 quote(s) it offered could be found in the article text, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 14451: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-17
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) said “team players” should get top committee spots after Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) bucked Democratic leadership for the second time this month by crossing the aisle on a party-line vote.
asserted
Perez → say → vote
“The American people know we’re focused on them and that means we need team players who are all in on driving down the costs for Americas and it’s team players, people who are helping our caucus be successful on behalf of the American people, who should be sitting on exclusive committees,” Clark responded when asked if the two defections should be able to sit on exclusive committees.
asserted
defections → know → committees
The battleground Washington Democrat holds a seat on the House Appropriations Committee, which oversees federal spending, giving her a plush spot to fight for funding for her state and district.
asserted
which → hold → state
Clark, the No. 2 House Democrat and a top lieutenant of Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), said she got a heads-up from Gluesenkamp Perez ahead of the vote that she would vote with Republicans on Tuesday, something she didn’t do when she broke with her fellow Democratic colleagues weeks prior.
asserted
she → say → colleagues
Gluesenkamp Perez was joined by Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) in both instances, which advanced Republican-led bills to the House floor.
asserted
which → join → floor
The two centrist Democrats voted Tuesday to bring a package of bills to the floor, including the Russia sanctions bill that passed the Senate with bipartisan support in August.
asserted
that → vote → August
Earlier this month, the pair sided with Republicans to force a vote on condemning socialism and the Democratic Socialists of America.
asserted
pair → side → America
For the defection, they were criticized by fellow Democrats, including Jeffries.
asserted
they → criticize → Jeffries
The Democratic caucus has been weighing whether to dole out punishment for either defection.
asserted
caucus → weigh → defection
Jeffries on Wednesday would not say if he agreed with Clark’s suggestion on committee assignments, telling reporters he’d have “more to say about the situation when I have more to say about the situation.”
asserted
I → say → situation
Hailey Bullis contributed to this report.
asserted
Bullis → contribute → report
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