62° and Clear
Image
Firebrand U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, a lifelong politician who represents the Second District, including Medway, was clear about the pressure that newly empowered Democrats would face over the next two years as they try to deliver on the priorities of investigating President Donald Trump and moving a policymaking agenda through Congress.
"Let me just be very blunt with you, I think you know, if Democrats win, a large part of it is going to be because people are just appalled by Donald Trump and are sickened by Republican policies," McGovern told the News Service ahead of the midterm elections. "But that doesn't necessarily mean they're in love with us. They expect, I think we're being given a chance if we win, to actually show the people that we get it, to show whose side we're on, and if we don't, I think our majority will be short-lived."
What voters are looking for, McGovern said, is for the party to "deliver real policy solutions that will help make their life more affordable and also go after these crooks who are occupying the highest positions in our country, who are making money off of the taxpayers."
Now that Democrats have won control of Congress, McGovern is one of several Massachusetts delegation members slated to swap their minority party jobs for powerful majority party roles. The ranking member of the House Committee on Rules, McGovern could chair the committee that decides how and when bills are debated and voted on in the House.
State House News Service / State Affairs caught up with McGovern before the midterm elections to discuss his potential promotion and his outlook for how Democrats in Congress could perform over the next few years.
SHNS/STATE AFFAIRS: Assuming Democrats win back Congress, they would still have President Donald Trump in office until 2028. How do you think that could work out with Democrats' list of priorities as some want to look at investigations and impeachment as well as getting policies done?
MCGOVERN: We have to walk and chew gum at the same time. I mean, part of Congress's role is, you know, obviously to do oversight and to hold people accountable who commit illegal acts. But the other obligation of Congress is to pass policies that address the underlying concerns that my constituents have and people all over the country have, and that is everything's too damn expensive. We need to focus like a laser beam on policies to address the issue of affordability. So Congress can do both. I mean we have multiple committees. Some committees do oversight. Some committees do policy and we have to be operating on all cylinders.
SHNS/STATE AFFAIRS: Do you think the oversight or the investigations would take away from policymaking at all?
MCGOVERN: No, look, I mean, no. In fact, I think people are horrified by the blatant corruption that they see every day. We need to do both, and we will do both. I'm under no illusion that Donald Trump is suddenly going to care about affordability if Democrats win, but we're going to make sure that the contrast is clear to America. So, we're going to be focused on the issue of affordability, and again, the committees that are responsible for the policy will do that. But the committees that are responsible for oversight and to deal with issues of corruption, they need to be operating as well. I mean, the president of the United States has made billions of dollars since he was sworn into office. His kids have made billions of dollars. He just pardoned somebody who's helped enrich the Trump family. I mean, this is insane. So we have to do both. One doesn't distract from the other, but people are expecting us to do both, and Democrats have to win people's trust and this is the kind of stuff they want us to focus on. Both things, showing America whose side we're on and who we're fighting for. I've heard some people say 'Well, don't talk about the corruption issue.' Are you kidding me? I mean almost every event that I go to. By the way, not just in Massachusetts, not just in my congressional district, but I was in New Hampshire last week. I was in Maine last week. I've been in Wisconsin. I've been in Pennsylvania, and in every event that I am at, the issue of corruption gets brought up. So does the issue of affordability, but people want us to do both, and we need to do both.
SHNS/STATE AFFAIRS: Still assuming Democrats win Congress, that sets you up to be the Chair of the House Committee on Rules again. If that's the case, how would you look to fulfill those priorities of addressing corruption and affordability?
MCGOVERN: Well, first of all, corruption and affordability are not two different ideas. I mean, they are two sides of the same coin, and the bottom line is that those at the top are getting rich off of blatant corruption while the rest of us struggle to get by. I mean, that's just the reality. Again, the well-off and the well-connected are making a killing. I mean, they're making billions of dollars. Everybody else is just holding on by their fingernails. And if we win and I'm the chairman of the Rules Committee I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that we're bringing legislation to the floor, and that we're making amendments in order that address these issues. Let me just be very blunt with you, I think you know, if Democrats win, a large part of it is going to be because people are just appalled by Donald Trump and are sickened by Republican policies. But that doesn't necessarily mean they're in love with us. They expect, I think we're being given a chance if we win, to actually show the people that we get it, to show whose side we're on, and if we don't, I think our majority will be short-lived. People don't want us just to rearrange the deck chairs. They want us to deliver real policy solutions that will help make their life more affordable and also go after these crooks who are occupying the highest positions in our country, who are making money off of the taxpayers. I mean there's an expectation out there that we have to rise to the occasion and we better be up for it.
SHNS/STATE AFFAIRS: Trump will still be president for two years and could potentially block some of the Democrats' priorities. How do you see that affecting your ability to make policies and show voters that you guys are holding the majority and fulfilling promises?
MCGOVERN: Well, obviously it would be better if we had a Democratic president, but that's not going to be the case. At least for two years. I mean, we can do things if we have the control of the Congress, because that's where all the money comes from. I mean, that's where spending bills originate. We can bring an end to this war in Iran by stopping funding for the war in Iran. We can pass legislation to try to reverse his terrible cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. And there's a lot of stuff that we need to do to help small businesses, to help make college more affordable for young people, to deal with the issue of housing, and to the extent that he wants to veto those things, well then that's on him. But it's going to be clear that we're on the side of working families. We will make the contrast crystal clear to Americans. We'll pass bills on affordability and we'll send them to Trump. Let him veto a bill to lower gas prices if he wants. Let him veto a bill to end the war in Iran or undo his cuts to Medicaid, but if he does that, it's all on him. Again, he's there for two more years, but at least the American people will know who's on their side, and it's not him. It won't be the Republicans as they go along with him. It'll be us. We're not going to sort of be successful in everything we're trying to do, but we're going to be caught trying to fight as hard as we can on behalf of the American people.
SHNS/STATE AFFAIRS: You mentioned that Congress controls funding and recently Massachusetts has seen a slowdown in federal funding. What is the Massachusetts congressional delegation planning to do, if Democrats win Congress? Would you look to send more funds to Massachusetts?
MCGOVERN: Look, the administration is trying to punish blue states. This is the most vengeful administration in history, and I'm old enough to remember Richard Nixon, but I've never seen anything quite like this. We're going to use our majority to make sure that this administration can't screw us over. But, we talked about corruption, what Trump is trying to do by punishing states and congressional districts who are represented by people who may disagree with him, that is corruption. That's not the way the government is supposed to run. People in Massachusetts pay taxes like people in Alabama pay taxes, and we deserve our fair share of federal funds. And when this administration tries to deny us what we are duly entitled to, that is a form of corruption, and we're gonna hold him accountable, and we're gonna use our position to make sure that it stops. Again, corruption and affordability are two sides of the same coin. Everyday people get that. The people I represent get that. The corruption is what's making life unaffordable and withholding money to blue states is a perfect example of that.
SHNS/STATE AFFAIRS: Is there anything in particular that you would seek funding for in Massachusetts?
MCGOVERN: A lot of the federal money that comes to Massachusetts is formula based. We want to make sure we're getting what we're entitled to. Secondly, I'm going to work with our delegation to make sure that we're getting support for important projects in the state. You know, Richie Neal is going to be chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Katherine Clark will be the majority leader. All of our members are positioned on really important committees that deal with every topic under the sun that is relevant to the economy here in Massachusetts. So we work as a team and again, we're gonna use our positions of power to make sure that this nonsense and this corruption that the Trump administration is guilty of stops.
Katie Castellani is a reporter for State House News Service and State Affairs Pro Massachusetts.
