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Mr. President, I have the honor of presenting Congressman James McGovern, United States Representative for the Massachusetts 2nd Congressional District.
Representative McGovern, you were born and raised in Worcester, not far from the Clark campus. Early in your career as a congressional aide, you led the Moakley Commission investigation into the murders of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and her daughter in El Salvador — leading to a major shift in U.S. foreign policy in that country.
In 1996, you were elected to the House of Representatives and you have fought tirelessly for the people of your district ever since. You have earned the respect and trust of your colleagues, and were appointed chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee during the 116th Congress. You take brave stances rooted in what is just, including normalizing relations with Cuba. As senior member of the House Subcommittee on Nutrition and Oversight, you have led the fight to end hunger in America and to promote food justice here in Worcester.
Your innumerable accomplishments include bringing millions of dollars of federal funding to Worcester — funds that have played a key role in the city’s ongoing redevelopment and revitalization projects, including the Gardner-Kilby-Hammond Neighborhood Revitalization Project in Main South. You championed the creation of the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park to highlight the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. And you successfully increased Pell Grant funding for low-income students who struggle to afford college.
The values you learned in Worcester are the same ones you fight for every day: fairness, decency, respect for all, and the obligation each of us has to give back to our community.
Mr. President, on behalf of the trustees, faculty, students, and staff of Clark University, I request that the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, be conferred on Representative James McGovern.