“When I look back on my entire life, I don’t ever recall a period where I’ve been more concerned about our future than I am right now”
On Thursday, Oct. 22, Congressman Jim McGovern spoke at Smith College, presented by the Student Democrats club.
McGovern represents Massachusetts’ second congressional district, one of the larger geographic districts in the state. It holds approximately 800,000 people, including the city of Worcester, Greenfield, and Northampton. He is running for reelection this upcoming November.
The auditorium at Hillyer Art Library, Graham Hall, held a little less than 30 people when McGovern began his response to the questions presented by Olive Neckers and Clara Pue ‘29. Olive and Clara help run the Student Democrats club, and reinstated it at Smith after it became inactive in 2025.
McGovern began by pointing to the U.S’s war in Iran and President Trump’s tariffs when asked about the high cost of living in the Pioneer Valley. “There’s an affordability crisis. People can’t afford to go to dinner. People can’t afford to buy groceries”, he said.
He pointed to production costs, specifically those involving fuel, asking the audience a rhetorical question of why gas and diesel prices are so high.
“Because we have an illegal, reckless, costly, and stupid dumb war in Iran”, McGovern answered firmly. “Some of the stuff you’re seeing on Main Street is a result of policies in Washington that make no sense.”
He reiterated several times that “we need to end the war”, and called for the federal government to invest in affordable housing, as one alternative.
“People say, ‘oh god, we don’t have the money’. We’re spending close to $100 billion on a war in Iran. The tax cuts for the millionaires and trillionaires in this country were 4 million dollars. So don’t tell me we don’t have the money to invest in better housing for everyone in this country.”
The Smith College Democrats also asked McGovern about his relationship with labor unions, in light of the advocacy by the United Smith Student Workers Unions attempts for better pay, benefits, and conditions in 2025. He answered by referring to his first run for election and his allyship towards the unions in this area at the time.
“If you have a legitimate gripe with your employer, I’ll be there with you on the picket line.” This is in fact, true. In 2025, McGovern voted in line with working people’s rights on 13 bills, acts, amendments and legislation, according to the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.
McGovern serves as the co-chair and co-founder of the House Hunger Caucus, and much of his career has been fighting against food insecurity. “We are the richest country in the history of the world, and we have over 50 million people who are hungry or food insecure. I think that’s immoral. Hunger, like homelessness, is a political condition,” he said to the audience.
The discussion moderators also asked McGovern about topics involving China, Canada, Artificial Intelligence, and reproductive rights. With every response he gave, he centered the need for human rights and the importance of individuals being involved in politics to get their voices heard.
“We need to put checks and balances in place, and need to engage the global community. Because they should have the same interests that we do.”
There was a section for audience questions at the end of the talk, before the event ended and McGovern made his way back to Worcester.
“You’re going to be the future. Future congress members, future mayors, senators, and maybe even president. You’re going to be working at our agencies and our businesses, and you can shape this country. And the only way to do that is to be engaged. There are people who sit on the sidelines, and people who shake things up. If I can be of any help, let me know.”
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