20: US Congressman Seth Moulton: Supporting Innovation in Washington

This episode is a little different from most of Where Innovation Happens. Instead of visiting an innovation hub or talking with an entrepreneur, I sat down with Congressman Seth Moulton to ask a question I care a lot about: what can government do to help innovation flourish — and what can it do to get out of the way? We recorded the conversation live at Venture Café in Kendall Square, surrounded by entrepreneurs, scientists, students, and people building new companies. That setting shaped the discussion. We focused less on political theater and more on practical questions that matter to people trying to build things. Housing came up first. Massachusetts has extraordinary universities, talent, capital, and research, but it is increasingly difficult for people to afford to live here. Seth makes the case that housing and transportation are deeply connected, and argues for modern electrified regional rail, including connecting North and South Station, to make more communities practical places to live and work. We also spend a lot of time on AI. Seth argues that the United States should embrace AI and compete to lead globally, while also making sure the technology is safe and that data centers do not simply push costs onto local communities. We talk about job displacement and what government might do to help people transition without trying to stop innovation itself. From there, the conversation ranges widely: U.S.–China competition and preventing a war over Taiwan; immigration and entrepreneurship; nuclear energy and fusion; FDA modernization; defense innovation; and the federal SBIR program that has helped many young technology companies get started. A theme across the conversation was that our governing institutions can struggle to keep up with the people they are meant to serve. Seth argues that government should modernize old systems, support early-stage innovation, and work across party lines to get useful things done. He points to his work co-authoring the legislation that created 988, the national mental health crisis line, as an example of government making a concrete difference. I have spent much of my career thinking about the conditions that allow entrepreneurs and innovators to succeed: community, talent, capital, labs, universities, and places where people can meet each other. Public policy is part of that environment too. Decisions about housing, transportation, research funding, immigration, energy, regulation, and procurement can either expand what innovators are able to do or make it much harder. Whatever your politics, I think this is a useful conversation about what a more innovation-minded government could look like, and about the role entrepreneurs and scientists can play in shaping it. Featured guest: Congressman Seth Moulton, U.S. Representative for Massachusetts’s Sixth District, Marine veteran. Host: Tim Rowe, Founder and Executive Chair of Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) and host of Where Innovation Happens. Topics and keywords: Seth Moulton, Ed Markey, Massachusetts Senate race 2026, innovation policy, entrepreneurship, startups, artificial intelligence, AI policy, data centers, housing affordability, regional rail, North South Rail Link, SBIR, FDA modernization, biotech, defense innovation, fusion energy, immigration, China, Taiwan, industrial policy, government innovation, Kendall Square, Venture Café, Cambridge Innovation Center, CICNow, Where Innovation Happens, Tim Rowe. #WhereInnovationHappens #SethMoulton #InnovationPolicy #AI #Massachusetts #CICNow