James Patrick McGovern (born November 20, 1959) is a member of the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
, representing since 1997. He is the chair of the
House Rules Committee and of the
Congressional-Executive Commission on China as well as the co-chair of the
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (formerly known as the Congressional Human Rights Caucus) is a bipartisan caucus of the United States House of Representatives. Its stated mission is "to promote, defend and advocate internationally recognize ...
. He is a member of the
Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 3rd district from 1997 to 2013, stretches from
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
to the
Pioneer Valley
The Pioneer Valley is the colloquial and promotional name for the portion of the Connecticut River Valley that is in Massachusetts in the United States. It is generally taken to comprise the three counties of Hampden, Hampshire, and Frankli ...
.
Born and raised in Worcester, McGovern attended
Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy is a private school in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is the oldest educational institution founded in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, and one of the oldest day-boarding schools in the United States. A coeducational prepara ...
. While in college he worked as a congressional intern and then aide to
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and power ...
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American historian and South Dakota politician who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator, and the Democratic Party presidential nominee in the 1972 pr ...
(to whom he was not related), a two-time presidential candidate for whom he campaigned. From 1981 to 1996 he was a senior staff member for U.S. Representative
Joe Moakley. McGovern first ran for Congress in 1994, where he lost in the Democratic primary. He ran again in 1996, defeating Republican incumbent
Peter Blute
Peter I. Blute (born January 28, 1956) is a former American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives. He served two terms, between January 3, 1993, and January 3, 1997, representing Massachuset ...
. He has been reelected every two years since then without serious difficulty.
As chairman of the board of the Congressional Hunger Center, McGovern is known as a leading voice on ending hunger and food insecurity both in the United States and globally. He was a key architect of the
McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. For his work he has earned a 2016
James Beard Leadership Award from the James Beard Foundation, as well as a 2008 McGovern-Dole Leadership Award from the
World Food Program USA.
Another key focus of his career has been international human rights, which he has advocated for in countries such as
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south ...
,
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
,
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...
, and the
Chinese region
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
. He is a member of the
Congressional Progressive Caucus
The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is a congressional caucus affiliated with the Democratic Party in the United States Congress. The CPC represents the most left-leaning faction of the Democratic Party. " e Congressional Progressive Cau ...
, and has been ranked as one of the most liberal members of Congress.
Early life, education, and career
James Patrick McGovern was born in
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 census, making it the second- most populous city in New England after ...
on November 20, 1959. He grew up in Worcester, where his mother Mindy was a dance instructor and his father Walter owned a liquor store.
In junior high school, he first became involved in politics by campaigning for Democratic
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and power ...
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American historian and South Dakota politician who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator, and the Democratic Party presidential nominee in the 1972 pr ...
(to whom he is not related) in his unsuccessful
1972 presidential bid. After graduating from
Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy is a private school in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is the oldest educational institution founded in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, and one of the oldest day-boarding schools in the United States. A coeducational prepara ...
he moved to Washington, D.C., where from 1977 to 1980, he worked as an aide to George McGovern.
He attended
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was cha ...
, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1981 and a
Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...
in 1984. He also served as the Director of the Kennedy Political Union, American University's student-run speakers bureau. George McGovern ran for president again in 1984, Jim McGovern was the state coordinator of his Massachusetts campaign branch, and he made his nominating speech at the
1984 Democratic National Convention
The 1984 Democratic National Convention was held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California from July 16 to July 19, 1984, to select candidates for the 1984 United States presidential election. Former Vice President Walter Mondale was nom ...
.
[.]
In 1981 McGovern joined the Capitol Hill staff of
Joe Moakley, a Democratic
U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.
He was appointed by Moakley in 1990 to lead a House task force investigating the 1989 murder of six Jesuit priests and two women in
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south ...
by the
Atlácatl Battalion
The Atlácatl Battalion (Spanish: ) was a rapid-response, counter-insurgency battalion of the Salvadoran Army created in 1981. It was implicated in some of the most infamous massacres of the Salvadoran Civil War, and as a result, it was disbande ...
, working with Salvadoran activist
Leonel Gómez Vides
Leonel Eugenio Gómez Vides (December 31, 1940 – November 25, 2009) was a Salvadoran political activist.
Born into a wealthy family, Gómez worked on land reform issues on behalf of the poor. Following an assassination attempt in 1981, Góm ...
.
He later advocated cutting off U.S. funding for the
U.S. Army School of the Americas
The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), formerly known as the School of the Americas, is a United States Department of Defense school located at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia, renamed in the 2001 National Defens ...
, where several of the military members had been trained.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
McGovern first ran for Congress in 1994, running in a crowded Democratic primary to represent the area then defined as Massachusetts's 3rd district.
The district, located in central and southeastern Massachusetts, included parts of
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...
,
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...
,
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...
, and
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
counties–essentially, the heart of the
MetroWest region. During the campaign McGovern asserted that his record as "a Washington insider" would make him a more effective representative. Despite endorsements from George McGovern, Joe Moakley, and presidential aide
George Stephanopoulos
George Robert Stephanopoulos ( el, Γεώργιος Στεφανόπουλος ; born February 10, 1961) is an American television host, political commentator, and former Democratic advisor. Stephanopoulos currently is a coanchor with Robin Robe ...
, McGovern lost in the primary to
Massachusetts State Representative
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...
Kevin O'Sullivan,
who then lost to freshman Republican incumbent
Peter Blute
Peter I. Blute (born January 28, 1956) is a former American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives. He served two terms, between January 3, 1993, and January 3, 1997, representing Massachuset ...
.
McGovern left Moakley's office in 1996 and moved back to Worcester, again running for Congress. This time, he took the nomination unopposed and faced Blute in the general election. His campaign slogan focused on unseating House Speaker
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy Gingrich (; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U. ...
: "To dump Newt you have to dump Blute." Blute was endorsed by ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' and five other local papers, but McGovern won the election with 53 percent of the vote.
He has never faced another contest nearly that close, and has been re-elected ten times. He ran unopposed in 2000 and 2002.
In 2004, he was opposed by Republican
Ronald A. Crews, an evangelical pastor, former
Georgia state legislator, and president of the
Massachusetts Family Institute. Crews, a national
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
activist, challenged McGovern's positions on
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
and
abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...
. McGovern derided his opponent's focus on social issues, saying, "When Ron Crews gets up in the morning, the first thing he thinks about is gay marriage. I don't think that is the most important issue for most families. Jobs, health care, education, how to make the world a more peaceful place, those are the issues people care about." McGovern defeated Crews with 71 percent of the vote, and ran unopposed in 2006 and 2008.
In the 2010 election, he faced Republican
Marty Lamb, a real estate lawyer, and independent Patrick J. Barron, a Department of Mental Health administrator. He was re-elected with 57 percent of the vote.
When Massachusetts lost a district in the 2010 census, McGovern's district was renumbered as the and pushed west to
Amherst Amherst may refer to:
People
* Amherst (surname), including a list of people with the name
* Earl Amherst of Arracan in the East Indies, a title in the British Peerage; formerly ''Baron Amherst''
* Baron Amherst of Hackney of the City of London, ...
and the
Pioneer Valley
The Pioneer Valley is the colloquial and promotional name for the portion of the Connecticut River Valley that is in Massachusetts in the United States. It is generally taken to comprise the three counties of Hampden, Hampshire, and Frankli ...
. He ran unopposed in 2012, 2014, and 2016.
Tenure
McGovern took over the top Democratic position on the
House Rules Committee when Rep.
Louise Slaughter died. Following the
2018 midterm elections in which Democrats regained the majority in the House, McGovern became Chairman.
Called the "Speaker's Committee" because it is the mechanism that the Speaker of the House uses to maintain order and control of the House Floor, the Rules Committee is frequently considered the most powerful committee in either the House or the Senate. As Chairman, McGovern has the ability to influence the introduction and consideration of almost every piece of legislation that comes to the floor for a vote.
One of McGovern's first actions as Chairman was to pass a sweeping set of reforms to the House Rules. He wrote at the time that his changes were designed to "usher in a new era of clean government." McGovern also said the rules changes were "the result of unprecedented bipartisan outreach" and that he met with "both Democrats and Republicans to seek their input on potential changes."
The National Journal reported that McGovern has been able to use his Capitol Hill experience to help position himself as "a power broker in the Democratic caucus." In 2001, McGovern's mentor,
Joe Moakley, at the time dying of cancer, asked
Dick Gephardt
Richard Andrew Gephardt (; born January 31, 1941) is an American attorney, lobbyist, and politician who served as a United States Representative from Missouri from 1977 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he was House Majority Leader fro ...
to help McGovern attain a seat on the Rules Committee. He didn't receive that next seat, but was given a commitment for the next available Democratic seat.
While on the Rules Committee, McGovern has been able to use his experience with House procedures to his advantage. With Republicans comprising the majority of the panel, he "showed a sharp partisan edge as he embraced parliamentary maneuvers that led to cries of outrage" from House GOP members.
Impeachment of Donald Trump
As Chairman, McGovern played a central role in devising procedures adopted by the House for the
Impeachment of Donald Trump. At the time, McGovern wrote in the Boston Globe that "
e House will ensure the public-facing phase of this inquiry is transparent and will stand the test of time." McGovern later explained his decision to vote yes on impeachment by saying "I often think about kids today getting involved in the political process just like I did back in 1972. What will they think if we say that the president’s actions don’t matter?" He supported impeaching President Trump again for inciting the riot that stormed the capitol.
Visit to Ukraine
On April 30, 2022, McGovern accompanied House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and three other congressmen on a secret trip to
Kyiv, Ukraine
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Kyi ...
and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky. The delegation pledged billions of dollars in United States military aid.
Domestic policy
Transportation
For his first three terms, McGovern served on the
House Transportation Committee. He and fellow Massachusetts representative
John Olver, who served on the
House Appropriations Committee, would coordinate to bring extensive transportation funding to their respective districts. When criticized for his heavy use of
earmarks, McGovern was quoted in response saying, "It's not
pork
Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE.
Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved ...
. It's nourishment."
Fiscal policy
McGovern supported economic stimulus efforts during the
late-2000s recession
The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At t ...
, including the
Economic Stimulus Act in February 2008 and the
Emergency Economic Stabilization Act
The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, often called the "bank bailout of 2008", was proposed by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, passed by the 110th United States Congress, and signed into law by President George W. Bush. It beca ...
(which established the
Troubled Asset Relief Program
The Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) is a program of the United States government to purchase toxic assets and equity from financial institutions to strengthen its financial sector that was passed by Congress and signed into law by President ...
) in October 2008. He supported the
Obama administration
Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican ...
's
2009 stimulus package. Responding to Republican criticism of Democratic budgetary priorities, he chided the GOP for running up the
national debt
A country's gross government debt (also called public debt, or sovereign debt) is the financial liabilities of the government sector. Changes in government debt over time reflect primarily borrowing due to past government deficits. A deficit oc ...
under
George W. Bush, saying: "It is somewhat ironic that the very people who drove this economy into a ditch are now complaining about the size of the tow truck." He voted to instate the
Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act
The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, Title I of , is a public law passed by the 111th United States Congress and signed by US President Barack Obama on February 12, 2010. The act reinstated pay-as-you-go budgeting rules used in Congress from 1 ...
in February 2010.
Education
The
Higher Education Act of 1998 included an amendment by McGovern that doubled
Pell Grant
A Pell Grant is a subsidy the U.S. federal government provides for students who need it to pay for college. Federal Pell Grants are limited to students with financial need, who have not earned their first bachelor's degree, or who are enrolled i ...
funding for two years for students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their class.
Nutrition
As co-chair of the
House Hunger Caucus, McGovern is an advocate for expanding child nutrition programs both domestically and internationally. In 2007 McGovern obtained $840 million in required funding for the
McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program in the House version of the
farm bill
In the United States, the farm bill is the primary agricultural and food policy instrument of the federal government. Every five years, Congress deals with the renewal and revision of the comprehensive omnibus bill. Johnson, R. and Monke, J. ( ...
. The
House–Senate conference committee stripped most of the funding from the final bill.
As the co-chairman of the
Congressional Hunger Center, McGovern has pushed for changes to foreign aid and hunger relief programs. He proposed establishing a "hunger czar position" to take on food issues. McGovern also took part in the
Food stamp challenge
A food stamp challenge or SNAP challenge is a trend in the United States popularized by politicians, religious groups, community activists and food pantries, in which a family of means chooses to purchase food using only the monetary equivalent of ...
, which entailed living on the average $21 in food stamps over the course of a week.
Immigration
McGovern has voted against major efforts to restrict
illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...
, including the
REAL ID Act of 2005, the
Border Protection, Anti-terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, and the
Secure Fence Act of 2006.
Health care
McGovern believes health care is a human right. He voted for the
Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010
The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (, ) is a law that was enacted by the 111th United States Congress, by means of the reconciliation process, in order to amend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (). The law includes the ...
, ultimately pushing for a robust public option which wasn't included in the final measure.
He supports
Medicare for All
Single-payer healthcare is a type of universal healthcare in which the costs of essential healthcare for all residents are covered by a single public system (hence "single-payer").
Single-payer systems may contract for healthcare services from ...
.
Corporate personhood
In 2010, McGovern said that he thought the
Supreme Court's ''Citizen's United'' case was wrongly decided, and that money does not equal free speech. He elaborated, saying that corporations should not "have the same equality as a regular voter." At first he said that "the Constitution was wrong," but he later said that he had misspoken. On November 15, 2011 McGovern introduced the
People's Rights Amendment, a proposal to limit the Constitution's protections to only the rights of natural persons, and not corporations. In January 2012, McGovern promoted his participation in a panel discussion entitled "Corporations are not people."
On July 14, 2014 McGovern introduce
H.J. Res 119with Representative
Ted Deutch
Theodore Eliot Deutch ( ; born May 7, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative from Florida's 22nd congressional district from 2010 to 2022. His district, numbered as the 19th district from 2010 to 2013 a ...
, which includes a section to address corporate personhood.
Social issues
McGovern has a
pro-choice
Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pr ...
record on
abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...
. He voted against the
in October 2003 and the
Unborn Victims of Violence Act
The Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-212) is a United States law that recognizes an embryo or fetus in utero as a legal victim, if they are injured or killed during the commission of any of over 60 listed federal crimes of ...
in February 2004. He supports
stem cell research
In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can differentiate into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type of ...
, having voted in favor of the
Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act in 2005, 2007, and 2009. He voted for the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007, which would have prevented employment discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation
Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...
. He voted against the
Federal Marriage Amendment
The Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA), also referred to by proponents as the Marriage Protection Amendment, was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that would legally define marriage as a union of one man and one woman. The FMA ...
, which would have constitutionally outlawed
same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
, in 2004 and 2006, and co-sponsored the
Respect for Marriage Act
The Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA; ) is a landmark United States federal law passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden. It repeals the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), requires the U.S. federal gover ...
of 2009, which would allow the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages.
Objection of 2016 presidential election results
On January 6, 2017, McGovern objected to the 9
electoral votes from Alabama, which
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
had won with 62.08% of the vote. Because no senator joined his objection, the objection was dismissed.
Foreign policy and human rights
China
On July 21, 2019, McGovern described
attacks against Hong Kong's anti-extradition bill protesters as "orchestrated violence against peaceful protesters" and urged
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
authorities to protect the
freedom of demonstration.
On 27 October 2022, McGovern and Senator
Jeff Merkley
Jeffrey Alan Merkley (born October 24, 1956) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Oregon since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Merkley served as the 64th speaker of the Oregon House of Representati ...
urged US financial executives to cancel their attendance to the
Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit, saying "Their presence only serves to legitimize the swift dismantling of Hong Kong's autonomy, free press, and the rule of law by Hong Kong authorities acting along with the Chinese Communist Party."
Iraq
McGovern has vocally opposed the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
since its inception.
He voted against the
initial authorization of military force against Iraq in October 2002. In May 2007, McGovern introduced , to "provide for the redeployment of United States Armed Forces and defense contractors from Iraq." The bill failed with a vote of 255 to 171.
Afghanistan
He initially supported the
War in Afghanistan, but has become increasingly skeptical of the war. In June 2010 he pushed a funding amendment which would require President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
to provide for a draw-down plan before any further funding would be authorized. "Let us not waste, you know, more resources, more lives, on a policy that quite frankly is going to lead us nowhere," said McGovern. "We need to let
Afghan President
The president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was constitutionally the head of state and head of government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004–2021) and Commander-in-Chief of the Afghan Armed Forces.
On 15 August 2021, as th ...
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Repub ...
know that we're not a cheap date. We expect him to clean up his government."
Sudan
McGovern has been a prominent voice against the Islamist governments of
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
for its prosecution of the
war in Darfur
The War in Darfur, also nicknamed the Land Cruiser War, is a major armed conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan that began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebel groups beg ...
. He has been arrested three times, twice during protests outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington D.C. On April 28, 2006, he was one of five members of Congress arrested while protesting atrocities in the
Darfur
Darfur ( ; ar, دار فور, Dār Fūr, lit=Realm of the Fur) is a region of western Sudan. ''Dār'' is an Arabic word meaning "home f – the region was named Dardaju ( ar, دار داجو, Dār Dājū, links=no) while ruled by the Daju ...
region. Also arrested were U.S. Representatives
Sheila Jackson Lee
Sheila Jackson Lee (born January 12, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who is the U.S. representative for , having served since 1995. The district includes most of central Houston. She is a member of the Democratic Party, and served ...
(D-Texas),
Jim Moran (D-Virginia), Rep.
John Olver (D-Massachusetts), and
Tom Lantos (D-California). McGovern was arrested again at the Sudanese embassy on April 27, 2009, this time accompanied by Reps
John Lewis
John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...
(D-Georgia),
Donna Edwards (D-Maryland),
Lynn Woolsey (D-California), and
Keith Ellison
Keith Maurice Ellison (born August 4, 1963) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 30th attorney general of Minnesota. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Ellison was the U.S. representative for from 2007 to ...
(D-Minnesota). He was arrested again on March 16, 2012 alongside
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Academy Awards, one for his acting and the ot ...
during a protest outside of the Sudanese embassy speaking out against the Bashir regime in the Sudan.
In April 2007, he called for the United States and other countries to boycott the
2008 Olympic Games
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...
in
Beijing, China
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
to protest the Chinese government's support of the Sudanese government and, by extension, the genocide in Darfur.
Colombia
McGovern has traveled several times to
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...
to meet with human rights advocates, and has been very critical of
Plan Colombia
Plan Colombia was a United States foreign aid, military aid, and diplomatic initiative aimed at combating Colombian drug cartels and left-wing insurgent groups in Colombia. The plan was originally conceived in 1999 by the administrations of Col ...
and US military aid to that country. On March 25, 2008, ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' published an unsigned editorial suggesting that McGovern supported the
Marxist
Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialecti ...
FARC
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army ( es, link=no, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de ColombiaEjército del Pueblo, FARC–EP or FARC) is a Marxist–Leninist guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian confl ...
rebels in
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...
. According to the ''Journal'', an investigation of the computer hard drive of the recently killed
Raúl Reyes, second-in-command of the FARC, had turned up material indicating "an ardent effort" on the part of McGovern "to do business directly with the FARC." The article said that McGovern had been "working with an American go-between, who has been offering the rebels help in undermining Colombia's elected and popular government." In response to these charges, McGovern said that his concern was to help win the release of hostages held by the FARC, as requested by several families of Americans held by the FARC. He said that he had no sympathy for the rebels or for their hostage-taking.
On February 13, 2009, McGovern offered a resolution on the subject of the trial of the Iranian
Baháʼí Faith
The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Established by Baháʼu'lláh in the 19th century, it initially developed in Iran and parts of the ...
leadership co-sponsored by seven others in . The situation has gathered international attention including defense of Nobel Laureate attorney
Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi ( fa, شيرين عبادى, Širin Ebādi; born 21 June 1947) is an Iranian political activist, lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was ...
in June after she received threats in April warning her against making speeches abroad, and defending Iran's minority Baháʼí community (See
Arrest of Baháʼí leaders).
Cuba
McGovern advocates for normalizing diplomatic relations with Cuba. He accompanied
President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
to the island in 2016.
He said at the time that "Americans have long been ready for a 21st century approach to Cuba and with our two nations working together, we can create new opportunities for American businesses, increase travel and exchange, and support efforts in Cuba to advance democratic reforms and promote human rights.”
He also joined John Kerry, Secretary of State John Kerry on a 2019 trip to re-open the U.S. embassy in Havana.
In 2000, McGovern met with the Cuban grandmothers of five-year-old Elian Gonzalez. Elian's mother had drowned while trying to escape from Cuba with the boy. Although Elian had reached Florida safely, McGovern advocated the boy's return to his father's custody in Cuba.
In 2002 McGovern joined the Congressional Cuba Working Group, which advocated for lowering Cuba–United States relations, restrictions on travel and food shipment to Cuba.
He is the current co-chair of the
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (formerly known as the Congressional Human Rights Caucus) is a bipartisan caucus of the United States House of Representatives. Its stated mission is "to promote, defend and advocate internationally recognize ...
(formerly the "Human Rights Caucus").
His work on human rights issues earned him the Washington Office on Latin America's "Human Rights Award" in 2007.
Myanmar
On November 18, 2013, McGovern introduced House Resolution 418.
The resolution calls on the government of Myanmar to end the persecution and discrimination of the Rohingya people within its borders and calls on the United States government and the international community to pressure the Burmese to do so.
The resolution is in response to allegations of Burmese Buddhist Persecution of Muslims in Myanmar, attacks on Rohingya Muslims that may have occurred earlier in 2014.
McGovern argued that "the Burmese government needs to recognize the Rohingya as an ethnic group. The situation is dire and rapidly deteriorating."
Other work
On April 25, 2018, 57 members of the House of Representatives, including McGovern,
released a condemnation of Holocaust distortion in Ukraine and Poland. They criticized the Poland's Act on the Institute of National Remembrance, new Holocaust law and Ukraine's Ukrainian decommunization laws, 2015 memory laws glorifying Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and its leaders, such as Roman Shukhevych.
Committee assignments
* United States House Committee on Rules, Committee on Rules
* United States House Committee on Agriculture, Committee on Agriculture
** Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations
Caucus memberships
*House Baltic Caucus
*Congressional Arts Caucus
*Afterschool Caucuses
*Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus
*Veterinary Medicine Caucus
*
Congressional Progressive Caucus
The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is a congressional caucus affiliated with the Democratic Party in the United States Congress. The CPC represents the most left-leaning faction of the Democratic Party. " e Congressional Progressive Cau ...
*Medicare for All Caucus
Political positions
McGovern has aligned himself with liberal and progressivism in the United States, progressive causes. "It's no secret that I'm a liberal," he said in 2010. "I didn't poll any of this stuff, but I am who I am." Political interest groups generally rank McGovern as one of the most liberal members of Congress. The ''National Journal'' ranked him among the seven most liberal representatives.
The ''Washington Post'' noted that the political similarities between McGovern and his mentor, 1972 Democratic presidential nominee
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American historian and South Dakota politician who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator, and the Democratic Party presidential nominee in the 1972 pr ...
, are numerous: "Both are considered among the most liberal and anti-war lawmakers of their generation. The most prominent difference? They aren't related."
From 1997 to 2007, the liberal advocacy group Americans for Democratic Action gave him an average vote rating of 98.5 percent, whereas its
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
counterpart, the American Conservative Union, gave him an average vote rating of 2.5 percent. The United States Chamber of Commerce, which advocates for business-oriented policies, has given McGovern a 33 percent lifetime rating as of 2011.
Family and personal life
McGovern lives in Worcester with his wife, Lisa Murray McGovern, a former aide to U.S. Representative Gerry Studds. They have two children, Patrick and Molly. He has two sisters, who are teachers in the Worcester public school system.
[.]
In November 2010 he underwent surgery to remove his thyroid gland after being diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer, from which he has recovered.
McGovern is Roman Catholic and says that his legislative initiatives such as increased spending on global nutrition and raising taxes on higher income earners originate from the Catholic Church's efforts to serve the poor.
McGovern has also said that he draws inspiration from Jesuit values, and in particular from his work as a congressional staffer to investigate the 1989 murders of Jesuits in El Salvador. McGovern told America Magazine in 2019 "I realized that if you commit yourself to a certain set of values, a life of service, if you are committed to lifting up the poor and standing with the poor, there's something about that that can be very satisfying. It makes you feel like you're living a life that's worthwhile."
Electoral history
Sources:
[Election results, 1996–2008:
*
* ][Election results, 2010:
* ]
References
General biographies
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*
*
Footnotes
Further reading
External links
Congressman JimMcGovernofficial U.S. House website
Jim McGovern for Congress*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:McGovern, Jim
1959 births
20th-century Roman Catholics
21st-century American politicians
21st-century Roman Catholics
American Roman Catholics
American University School of Public Affairs alumni
Catholics from Massachusetts
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts
Liberalism in the United States
Living people
Politicians from Worcester, Massachusetts
Progressivism in the United States
United States congressional aides
Worcester Academy alumni