[5][6] Another focus of McGovern's career has been international human rights, which he has advocated for in countries such as El Salvador, Sudan, Colombia, and the region of Tibet.

He grew up in Worcester, where his mother, Mindy, was a dance instructor and his father, Walter, owned a liquor store.

Jim McGovern attended American University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1981 and a Master of Public Administration in 1984.

[11] In 1990, Moakley appointed him to lead a House task force investigating the 1989 murder of six Jesuit priests and two women in El Salvador by the Atlácatl Battalion, working with Salvadoran activist Leonel Gómez Vides.

[11] McGovern first ran for Congress in 1994, entering a crowded Democratic primary to represent the area then defined as Massachusetts's 3rd district.

[11] The district, in central and southeastern Massachusetts, included parts of Bristol, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Worcester counties–essentially, the heart of the MetroWest region.

McGovern derided his opponent's focus on social issues, saying, "When Ron Crews gets up in the morning, the first thing he thinks about is gay marriage.

[16] In the 2010 election, McGovern faced Republican Marty Lamb, a real estate lawyer, and independent Patrick J. Barron, a Department of Mental Health administrator.

[24] McGovern also said the rules changes were "the result of unprecedented bipartisan outreach" and that he had met with "both Democrats and Republicans to seek their input on potential changes".

[25] The National Journal reported that McGovern had used his Capitol Hill experience to help position himself as "a power broker in the Democratic caucus".

[citation needed] As chair, McGovern played a central role in devising procedures the House adopted for the first impeachment of Donald Trump.

[29] On April 30, 2022, McGovern accompanied House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and three other U.S. representatives on a secret trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

He and Representative John Olver, who served on the House Appropriations Committee, coordinated to bring extensive transportation funding to their districts.

[34] Responding to Republican criticism of Democratic budgetary priorities, he chided the GOP for running up the national debt under George W. Bush, saying: "It is somewhat ironic that the very people who drove this economy into a ditch are now complaining about the size of the tow truck.

[37] The Higher Education Act of 1998 included an amendment by McGovern that doubled Pell Grant funding for two years for students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their class.

[38] As co-chair of the House Hunger Caucus, McGovern is an advocate for expanding child nutrition programs both domestically and internationally.

[39] In 2007, he obtained $840 million in required funding for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program in the House version of the farm bill.

He voted for the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, ultimately pushing for a robust public option that was not included in the final measure.

[46] In January 2023, McGovern was one of 13 cosponsors of an amendment to the Constitution of the United States extending the right to vote to citizens 16 years of age or older.

[47] In 2010, McGovern said he thought the Supreme Court decision Citizens United was wrongly decided, and that the First Amendment does not protect unlimited political advertising by corporations.

On November 15, 2011, McGovern introduced the People's Rights Amendment, a proposal to limit the Constitution's protections to only natural persons, not corporations.

[58] On October 27, 2022, McGovern and Senator Jeff Merkley urged U.S. financial executives to cancel their attendance at the Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit, saying, "Their presence only serves to legitimize the swift dismantling of Hong Kong's autonomy, free press, and the rule of law by Hong Kong authorities acting along with the Chinese Communist Party.

McGovern was arrested again at the Sudanese embassy on April 27, 2009, this time accompanied by Representatives John Lewis, Donna Edwards, Lynn Woolsey, and Keith Ellison.

On March 25, 2008, The Wall Street Journal published an unsigned editorial suggesting that McGovern supported the FARC rebels in Colombia.

The article said that McGovern had been "working with an American go-between, who has been offering the rebels help in undermining Colombia's elected and popular government.

On February 13, 2009, McGovern offered a resolution on the subject of the trial of the Iranian Baháʼí Faith leadership co-sponsored by seven others in H.Res. 175.

[70] The situation has gathered international attention, including defense of Nobel Laureate attorney Shirin Ebadi[71] after she received threats warning her against making speeches abroad, and defending Iran's minority Baháʼí community.

[74] He said at the time that "Americans have long been ready for a 21st-century approach to Cuba and with our two nations working together, we can create new opportunities for American businesses, increase travel and exchange, and support efforts in Cuba to advance democratic reforms and promote human rights.”[74] He also joined Secretary of State John Kerry on a 2019 trip to reopen the U.S. embassy in Havana.

[83][84] After the drone strikes on aid workers from World Central Kitchen in April 2024, Mark Pocan, Jim McGovern, Jan Schakowsky, Nancy Pelosi and 36 more members of Congress from the Democratic party urged U.S. President Joe Biden in an open letter to reconsider planned arms shippments to the Israeli military.

[98] The United States Chamber of Commerce, which advocates for business-oriented policies, gave McGovern a 33% lifetime rating as of 2011.