NORTHAMPTON — Rep. Bob Breshnahan, a Republican congressman elected this year to serve Pennsylvania’s 8th district, is missing in action — no town halls, public forums, or public engagement — according to some Democratic lawmakers.
So Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern, with a cohort of fellow Democrats, didn’t pass up the opportunity to talk with Pennsylvania voters on Dec. 13 as part of an ongoing “Progress for the People” tour.
McGovern, who was first elected to congress in 1997, is no stranger to town halls across his district, from Greenfield to Worcester and beyond. But he took a seat with the voters of Pennsylvania to not only ensure their voices are heard, but also to learn from them as Democrats fight for a political comeback after a generational crisis confronted the party during last year’s national election cycle.
Since his constituents in Massachusetts have called on McGovern to brave Republican districts to strengthen the Democratic base, he traveled to Scranton, a city of more than 76,000 people in northeastern Pennsylvania. There he heard from voters in the Republican-led district alongside Pennsylvania Democratic lawmakers Brendan Boyle and Madeleine Dean, as well as Pramila Jayapal of Washington state.
McGovern said the event, which drew a few hundred people, was a “candid exchange” and an “intense, even emotional” one — and one that homed in on the ever deepening rift between the haves and have-nots in America.
“The intensity around the issue of affordability is what stood out to me,” said McGovern following the town hall. “What I heard in Scranton is what people all across the country are saying: Those at the very top are doing better than ever, while everyone else is falling further behind … While Republicans like Rep. Bresnahan continue to hide from their constituents, Democrats will continue fighting for every family — in every community — across our country.”
Attempts to contact Bresnahan for comment Friday were unsuccessful.
McGovern said people can’t afford the very basics, things like health care, putting food on the table and saving for college. Meanwhile, nurses and health care professionals are worried about their jobs in the wake of federal cuts to health care.
“Our bills are doubling … and in some ways people are working harder than ever and can afford less and less,” McGovern said.
He also said that many who receive food stamps are working people trying to make ends meet, and denounced the federal government for taking away a necessary financial security net from families. He also expressed his believe that health care should be accessible for everyone, and promised he would hold insurance companies accountable.
A woman in the audience brought up a topic near and dear to McGovern, namely farming . McGovern responded to the woman, who was concerned about small farms and being able to afford to operate them, saying that, “These small farms and these medium-sized farms are essential to the economic vitality of so many states — Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, I could go on and on and on.
“And these small and medium-sized farmers, they work hard,” he said.
During the town hall, McGovern said Trump isn’t giving what little federal funds are being distributed to the small farmers, but rather corporate growers.
“It’s not going to small and medium-sized farms, it’s going to the big mega farms that write out big checks to this president and his allies. One of the reasons why we need to win the Congress back is so that we can write a farm bill that puts our small and medium farms front and center,” he said, to applause.
But something McGovern is tackling now is getting to the bottom of why donors are contributing toward the White House’s $300 million ballroom.
“Donald Trump’s building a Marie Antoinette ballroom,” he said. “All these companies that are contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to finance that, I want to know what they’re getting. What are they getting in return? We’re going to be doing a hearing right now in Congress on what are they being promised, because they’re not doing it for nothing.”
Last week’s town hall in Pennsylvania was not a “one-off,” said McGovern. He will continue to travel to other states where Republicans choose to dodge their constituents to ensure people have their voices heard in Washington.
“I care about what working class people care about,” said McGovern, adding that town halls are crucial if government is going to mean anything to people in a democratic system.