James P. McGovern

Electoral integrity

Criminal justice

Fiscal policy

Healthcare

Education

Economy and labor

Environment and energy

Immigration

National security and foreign policy

Civil rights and liberties

Social policy

Technology and data

Civil liberties and government power

Government accountability and transparency

Infrastructure and public investment

McGovern spoke about medically tailored meals and introduced a bipartisan bill called the Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Program Act to pilot coverage of such meals in traditional Medicare at hospitals across the country.

McGovern called attention to the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan, citing the case of educator Mubarak Ahmad Sani who was sentenced to life in prison for possessing a Koran under Pakistan's blasphemy laws, and urged the U.S. State Department to press the Government of Pakistan to release Sani and end its persecution of Ahmadi Muslims.

McGovern urged colleagues to vote against a Republican farm bill that he said would lock in a $187 billion cut to SNAP for the next 5 years.

McGovern visited Hosmer Elementary School in Watertown, Massachusetts with Democratic Whip Katherine Clark to tour the school's meal program and called for passage of the Healthy Meals Help Kids Learn Act to increase funding for school meal programs.

McGovern visited the Boys and Girls Club of Metro South with Representative Jake Auchincloss to tour the Blue Spoon Community Kitchen and freight farm, and spoke with teen ambassadors about food security and teen hunger as part of his statewide End Hunger Now tour.

McGovern participated in cooking classes at the Phoenix Food Hub at Greater Lynn Senior Services in Massachusetts as part of his End Hunger Now tour and stated that Congress must reverse cuts to SNAP and nutrition programs to end hunger.

McGovern visited Growing Places in Gardner, Massachusetts, as part of his statewide End Hunger Now tour and called for reversing cuts to SNAP and reinstating local food programs.

McGovern spoke for one minute to welcome Reverend Jonathan Slavinskas, pastor of St. Bernard's Church of Our Lady of Providence Parish in Worcester, Massachusetts, who gave that day's opening prayer, and praised Slavinskas's community service and pastoral work.

McGovern visited Lorraine's Soup Kitchen & Pantry in Chicopee, Massachusetts with Richie Neal to learn about increases in need due to Republican cuts and spoke with pantry workers and people experiencing hunger.

McGovern visited El Valle de la Sultana Market in Everett, Massachusetts with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and state and local leaders as part of his statewide End Hunger Now Tour to discuss food access and the impact of food prices and SNAP cuts on families.

McGovern visited Quincy Community Action Programs in Quincy, Massachusetts with Congressman Steve Lynch to tour their Head Start program, food pantry, and food and nutrition programs as part of his statewide End Hunger Now tour.

McGovern discussed the Eos Foundation's breakfast-in-the-classroom programs and stated he has a bill that would increase the Federal meal reimbursement rates for school breakfasts and lunches.

McGovern announced a statewide End Hunger Now tour to visit every congressional district in Massachusetts to hear from people struggling with food insecurity and learn from organizations addressing hunger.

McGovern stated that nearly 48 million Americans, including 14 million children, are food insecure according to a Trump administration food security survey, and said that Democrats in Congress will continue calling attention to increases in hunger and fight to end hunger.

McGovern stated that the Trump administration was cutting federal food assistance programs and that the USDA was canceling its annual Household Food Security Report and food security questions from Census Bureau surveys to hide the effects of policies that would increase hunger.

McGovern addressed the House for 5 minutes to commemorate the 16th Annual March for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, describing the march's purpose to raise funds and awareness about hunger and acknowledging the participants who joined the 43-mile walk.

McGovern offered a privileged resolution by direction of the Democratic Caucus to elect named Members to certain standing committees of the House of Representatives.

McGovern stated that President Trump withheld food assistance that Americans were legally entitled to for political reasons, compared this action to tactics used by brutal regimes, and said he would continue to fight to end hunger.

McGovern reintroduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation with Representatives Malliotakis, Pingree, Fitzpatrick, and Evans and Senators Booker, Marshall, Smith, and Cassidy to pilot the coverage of medically tailored meals in traditional Medicare.

McGovern stood with students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst to officially open the UMass Amherst Campus Pantry, which was established to address food insecurity on campus.

McGovern stated that he is not open to negotiations and discussions about a new 5-year farm bill unless fixing the cuts to SNAP is on the agenda.

McGovern addressed the House about the impacts of tax legislation on Massachusetts, stating that it cut 15 million people off healthcare and decimated food assistance for working families, and described participating in roundtables in Boston with Representative Ayanna Pressley and Project Bread to hear from people experiencing food insecurity.

McGovern rose to address the risk of conflict with nuclear weapons, discussing the 80th anniversary of the Trinity test, commemorating victims of nuclear weapons use and testing including Atomic Veterans and downwinders, noting there are an estimated 13,400 nuclear weapons in the world today, and stating that military action is not a reliable way to counter nuclear threats.

McGovern spoke to the House for 1 minute about diethylstilbestrol (DES), a drug prescribed to pregnant women between 1940 and 1971 that caused rare cancers and birth defects, and called for passage of his resolution H. Res. 342 to establish DES Awareness Week and urge the FDA to fund a follow-up study and issue a formal apology.

McGovern addressed the House for 5 minutes to discuss United States policy toward Cuba, stating that the U.S. embargo harms the Cuban people by denying them food, medicine, and basic goods, and that the Trump administration's elimination of the CHNV humanitarian parole program has worsened the humanitarian crisis.

McGovern joined Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Representative Ayanna Pressley to visit the Greater Boston Food Bank and Mass General Brigham to highlight hunger issues and toured a plant-based food pantry at the Mass General Revere Community Health Center.

McGovern rose to celebrate Father Paul Shaughnessy, a Jesuit priest and Navy Chaplain from Massachusetts who served four tours of duty in Iraq and graduated from the College of Holy Cross and Naval War College.

McGovern addressed the House for 1 minute to discuss SNAP benefit theft in Massachusetts, stating that $10 million has been stolen from 20,000 families since December when Republicans blocked a bipartisan reimbursement deal, and called on Speaker Johnson to schedule a vote on benefit replacement.

McGovern spoke on the House floor for one minute opposing the Trump administration's proposed cuts to the WIC program's fruit and vegetable benefits and called on Republican colleagues to reject the budget and fully fund WIC.

McGovern stated that Republicans scheduled a Rules Committee meeting at 1 o'clock in the morning to discuss a bill that would cause millions of Americans to lose healthcare and nutrition assistance to pay for tax breaks for billionaires, and urged people to call their Congressperson to vote against it.

McGovern addressed the House for 1 minute to state that there is a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza, that tons of food, medicine, water, shelter, and other urgent humanitarian aid remains blocked from entering Gaza, and to demand the rapid, unimpeded, impartial, neutral, and independent delivery of humanitarian aid.

McGovern led a letter to Agriculture Secretary Rollins along with four congresswomen and 34 other Democrats demanding answers on why the Trump administration canceled the Patrick Leahy Farm to School grant program without notice to Congress.

Beagle Brigade Act of 2023 — This bill advances government transparency by requiring the Department of Agriculture to report to Congress on threats to agriculture and natural resources.

DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act of 2024 — This bill supports national security by authorizing the Department of Homeland Security to develop better technology for detecting dangerous drugs at borders and ports of entry.

Jamul Indian Village Land Transfer Act — This bill advances Native American sovereignty and self-determination by transferring land to tribal control, supporting the civil right of indigenous peoples to govern their own territories.

Never Again Education Reauthorization Act of 2023 — This bill supports Holocaust education programs by extending federal authorization and funding for educational initiatives through 2030.

Midnight Rules Relief Act — This bill makes it easier for Congress to overturn multiple regulations at once during presidential transitions, which could reduce executive branch accountability by allowing rapid reversal of rules without individual scrutiny.

Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 — This bill extends and updates federal programs that protect endangered wildlife species and their habitats through conservation funding and partnerships.

McGovern highlighted a recent article from "Generations Now" titled "Food is Medicine" that discusses leveraging community-based food programs through the Federal Older Americans Act Nutrition Program to combat hunger and malnutrition among older Americans, and noted that Massachusetts was highlighted in the article for its efforts to encourage locally grown foods and intergenerational meals.

Creating Confidence in Clean Water Permitting Act — This bill streamlines the permitting process for dredging and filling activities in U.S. waters, potentially making it easier to conduct these projects but risking reduced environmental protections.

Ocean Shipping Reform Implementation Act of 2023 — This bill strengthens national security by reducing Chinese government influence over U.S. shipping infrastructure and giving federal authorities more power to prevent foreign manipulation of maritime commerce.

Expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the United States economy. — This bill opposes a carbon tax as economically harmful, taking a stance against a potential revenue-raising or economy-regulating tax policy.

Denouncing the harmful, anti-American energy policies of the Biden administration, and for other purposes. — This bill opposes environmental regulations on energy production and federal lands while promoting increased domestic fossil fuel development.

Restoring American Energy Dominance Act — This bill would block new environmental protections and climate provisions for oil and gas leasing on public lands, favoring fossil fuel extraction over energy transition goals.

Restoring American Energy Dominance Act — This bill would block new environmental protections and climate provisions for oil and gas leasing on public lands, favoring fossil fuel extraction over energy transition goals.

Protecting American Energy Production Act — This bill would protect fossil fuel extraction through fracking by preventing the President from restricting it without Congress approval and prioritizing state over federal environmental regulation.

Protecting American Energy Production Act — This bill would protect fossil fuel extraction through fracking by preventing the President from restricting it without Congress approval and prioritizing state over federal environmental regulation.

Condemning the illegal abduction and forcible transfer of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation. — This bill strengthens the U.S. position on a major foreign conflict by formally condemning Russian actions against Ukrainian children and supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Upholding the Dayton Peace Agreement Through Sanctions Act — This bill uses sanctions to protect the stability and democracy of Bosnia and Herzegovina, advancing U.S. foreign policy interests in maintaining peace in a strategically important region.

Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act — This bill would restrict or ban applications controlled by foreign adversaries like China from operating in the United States to protect national security and prevent foreign surveillance of Americans.

Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2024 — This bill extends federal funding and authorization for airport infrastructure programs and aviation services, supporting continued public investment in transportation infrastructure.

Extension of Continuing Appropriations and Other Matters Act, 2024 — This bill authorizes federal spending to keep government operating and funds student aid programs, representing a decision to maintain current spending levels rather than make cuts or increases.

DOE and SBA Research Act — This bill would advance the economy and labor pillar by fostering collaboration between federal agencies to support research and development activities that include small businesses, potentially creating innovation and job opportunities.