Looking Back at 2021
With U.S. Congressman James P. McGovern
To me, being a Member of Congress is about helping people. From helping you cut through red tape with a federal agency to fighting on your behalf for laws that improve the quality of life for people in Massachusetts, my team and I are here for you.
In Congress, I’m working for bold policies that put our children, families, and communities first and our federal government back on the side of the American people. And in Massachusetts, I’m working to make our region a spectacular place to live and work.
At its best, politics is about working together to build a better future full of hope and opportunity for everyone. That’s my job as your Representative, and it is an honor to serve as you in Congress.
January
The 117th Congress is sworn in on January 3, 2021.
After a violent mob forced their way into the United States Capitol Building to obstruct Congress from certifying the lawful winner of the 2020 election, I helped distribute food to Capitol Police officers and National Guard troops dispatched to Washington to defend our democracy
February
More than 8 million Americans, including many children, fell into poverty in the second half of 2020 due to COVID-19. I helped to distribute USDA “Farmers to Families” food boxes to families in need alongside the Worcester Railers, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, the United Way of Central Massachusetts, the WooSox Foundation, and others.
March
Working with President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader Schumer, I helped pass the American Rescue Plan, which spurred the fastest economic recovery in history and giving working families the largest tax cut in U.S. history.
April
I met with Clarance the Service Dog from the Greenfield Police Department. Clarence was accompanied by Greenfield Deputy Police Chief William Gordon, who came Washington to attend services for slain Capitol Police officer William “Billy” Evans.
May
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and I introduced the BRAIN TRAIN Act — legislation to invest $25 billion in high-performance passenger rail corridors like Central and Western Massachusetts. Our bill was later included in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was signed into law by President Biden.
June
1 in 6 children in America are food insecure — a crisis that’s even worse in the summer, when many students who count on school meals go without food. That’s why every summer, I join Project Bread for a Summer Food Rocks Tour to highlight the importance of the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program.
July
I joined Congresswoman Cori Bush and others at the Capitol Building for a protest demanding an extension to the eviction moratorium.
August
I visited the Community Teaching Garden Literacy Project in Worcester — a model that we should be looking to replicate across the country.
September
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and I visited the Rainbow Child Development Center in Worcester and held a press conference to celebrate the expanded Biden Child Tax Credit and discuss how we are working to Build Back Better for the children of America.
October
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and I introduced a major new bipartisan bill that will finally get us on the path to a hunger free America by convening a White House conference on Food, Nutrition, Hunger, and Health.
November
Northfield Elementary School was named a National Blue Ribbon School for their work to close achievement gaps among students. Out of the thousands and thousands of schools nationwide, only a small handful are chosen for this award. I stopped by to deliver a proclamation and say congratulations on behalf of the people of Massachusetts’ Second Congressional District.
I also joined President Biden at the White House to celebration the passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
December
I went to UMass Amherst, a leading PFAS research site, to announce that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by President Biden will dedicate $10 billion to finding & removing these toxins. PFAS are cancer-causing chemicals that have been found in water supplies across America.
