WORCESTER, Mass. - Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Worcester) has represented Massachusetts in the House of Representatives since 1997. He is running for re-election in the 2nd Massachusetts Congressional District against Republican challenger Jeffrey Sossa-Paquette (full interview here).
This week, McGovern sat down with Spectrum News 1 to answer questions on topics that are important to voters ahead of the midterms. The following has been edited for length and clarity. The complete interview can be viewed in the video above.
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Cam Jandrow, Spectrum News 1 reporter: On the economy, the country experienced the largest increase in inflation in 40 years. You and the Democrats supported the Inflation Reduction Act. The law includes a number of items, but as inflation is still high. Is it working?
Rep. Jim McGovern: "Well yes, I think it was necessary number one. Let's be honest for one second. Inflation is not the fault of Joe Biden, it's not the fault of Donald Trump. It's the fault of a once in a lifetime pandemic where the entire global economy shutdown.
“In that Inflation Reduction Act, we lowered the cost of prescription drugs for senior citizens. We've given Medicare the ability to negotiate lower drug prices. That helps offset the impact of inflation. We put a cap on out-of-pocket cost for insulin at $35 a month for senior citizens. “There are investments in energy to lower energy costs for people. We passed the child tax credit, which is the biggest need a tax ever for middle income and lower income families, and help reduce child poverty in this country.
“There’s a lot of good stuff in this Inflation Reduction Act, including the biggest investment to combat climate change history in our history. There’s more than we need to do, but we’ve done a lot.”
CJ: Gas prices were already rising prior to Russian invasion of Ukraine. How dependent is the U.S. on foreign sources of energy?
JM: “Yeah, they were going up a little bit, but they skyrocketed after Putin’s war against Ukraine. And the oil companies in the United States actually have the capacity to produce much more oil based on what already exists in terms of business infrastructure. They’re not doing it because they figured out they can make more money by producing less oil and charging you more. I mean, that’s just a fact.
“So we have the capacity right now, these oil companies, can produce much more oil right now as we speak, without doing anything else. They’re not doing it because they can make more money by ripping you off and it’s what they’re doing and people should be outraged by that.”
CJ: You've spoken about the dangers of climate change as well as its impact on local farmers here in Massachusetts. What needs to be done to address climate change? And in your mind or maybe from the experts you’ve heard from, is there a benchmark or a goal which would show us where the world should be?
JM: "We’re coming to the table late. I say that not just United States, but the global community. We need to start transitioning away from fossil fuels and to clean renewable energy. We should have started that a long, long time ago at a more rapid pace.
“There are resources to help make the transition to more electric vehicles and to put more electric stations in place to be able to charge those vehicles. There’s money for our local farmers to help deal with the impacts of climate change.
“I do a farm tour every year, and for the last few years, no matter where I go, the first words out of the mouths of our farmers are ‘climate change.’ So, in [the Inflation Reduction Act] there are resources to help our farmers make the adjustments and be able to get through all of this until we get to a point where things can calm.
CJ: Abortion services and access seem to be bringing many out to the polls this year following the Supreme Court’s opinion overturning Roe v. Wade this year. Massachusetts has added protections and laws in place, but Congress hasn’t codified abortion rights. Can you elaborate on where you stand when it comes to legalized abortion?
JM: “Well first of all, let’s be clear, there’s a difference between Democrats and Republicans in this race, and all across the country. Now, state after state after state are instituting really strict abortion laws, some so restrictive that there’s no exception, even in the case of rape or incest.
“I’m somebody who believes that abortion ought to remain legal and safe. And the notion that Congress, predominantly made up of men, should be writing into law what a woman can or cannot do, is offensive.
“If the Republicans were to win the House, and if they were to win a majority in the Senate to overcome a filibuster, they will be pushing national abortion bans that will impact the people here in Massachusetts. So if you care about a woman’s right to choose, you want to make sure abortion rights remain safe and legal, then please be careful on how you vote. Because the Republicans have made it clear what they want to do.”
CJ: The results of elections have been called into question more, highlighted by the 2020 presidential election, and you disputed a result in the 2016 election. There are more ways to vote now, including voting by mail. Is there any concern about voters’ confidence in fair elections or maybe a burn out amongst the voters here in Massachusetts?
JM: “In 2016, when Donald Trump won, I posted on my social media, ‘congratulations.’ You know, I raised the question about Russian interference that garnered no debate or no vote. Contrast that to what happened in the last election, where the President of the United States pushed a big lie that somehow he won the vote overwhelmingly. And then he incited a mob, a violent mob of white supremacists, of Neo-Nazis, of Oath Keepers and Proud Boys and people wearing confederate flags in the United States Capitol.
“You know, what they were trying to do was overturn our democracy, to end our democracy as we know it. And today, there are Republicans who are still posing that big lie. And so yes, I do think that what happened in 2020 and the lies that not just Donald Trump, but Republicans in general have been pushing, erodes people’s confidence in the election.
“And so, I’m worried about not only people’s confidence in our elections, I’m worried about our democracy. And I think what’s on the ballot in 2022, among other things, is whether our democracy survives.”