JOBS & THE ECONOMY
Richie knows that the middle class is the engine that powers America’s economy. For too long, income stagnation has plagued our hardworking families - so Richie is working to cut taxes on the middle class, and fighting to raise the minimum wage.
As the nation struggles with the economic impact of COVID-19, he has focused on bringing relief to those hardest hit. He was a leading proponent of expanding unemployment insurance, raising payments and extending benefits to gig-workers and the self-employed. And he has helped small businesses survive and keep their employees on payroll through the Paycheck Protection Program.
Richie is working to keep us all safe during this pandemic. Learn more about his COVID-19 plan →
As Chair of the Ways & Means Committee, one of Richie’s top priorities is making sure that every American who’s looking for work can find a job. He knows that we need to invest in education and training to prepare current and future generations for the jobs of the future.
In Western and Central Massachusetts, he has gone to bat to make those ideals a reality:
He secured nearly $2 million in grant money so that UMass can provide computer science aid to Springfield elementary students.
He brought $1 million to Springfield Technical Community College in a grant to promote science and engineering in local schools.
And he delivered another $1 million for the Springfield Innovation Center.
It has never been more important to support strong labor unions that protect workers and fight for fair wages. Richie is proud to be labor-endorsed. He has fought for American workers by renegotiating and fixing NAFTA to protect workers’ collective bargaining power; by supporting a minimum wage increase to $15 an hour; and just last year, by saving 200 union manufacturing jobs at CRRC that were jeopardized by President Trump's reckless trade war.
“As a proud lifetime member of UFCW Local 1459, I am unwavering in my support for my brothers and sisters in organized labor. Union jobs with good wages and benefits built the middle class, and if we are to level the playing field for working families, organized labor will be part of the solution.”
He also has a long record of fostering economic growth through tax credits that boost job creation and bring millions of dollars of investment. He has delivered over $60 million in New Markets Tax Credits and Historic Tax Credits for job-creating projects across the district, including:
$3.1 Million for Ludlow Mills
$6 Million for Eagle Mill in Lee
$5.5 Million for Holyoke Health Center
$11 Million for Bostwick Gardens in Great Barrington
$14.5 Million Holyoke Public Library
$1.1 Million for the Maple Street House in Springfield
$20 Million for Paramount Theater and Massasoit House Hotel project
As Chair of Ways & Means, Richie put forth the largest tax investment combating climate change in the Congress’s history. It incentivizes new job growth in the booming clean energy sector here in Massachusetts and across the country. The Green Act will create nearly 10 million new jobs by:
Expanding and modernizing rail transportation in America
Fixing and upgrading important infrastructure like bridges, roads, and airports.
Invest in clean energy infrastructure like wind turbines and solar panels
Richie supports a green infrastructure plan that would create good-paying new jobs. Learn more about the plan →
WAMC
“Voters are about to decide in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts’ first House district. In today’s Congressional Corner, Massachusetts Representative Richard Neal speaks with WAMC’s Alan Chartock. This interview was recorded August 6.”
Berkshire Edge
“If there was ever a time to keep Richie Neal where he is, this is it. Richie recently met with a group of grateful entrepreneurs in Holyoke, Morse’s hometown. Under the Paycheck Protection Program, there were 10,460 loans made, totaling an incredible $1,177,312,235 in the 1st District! Morse is quoted as questioning the program, calling it a Band-Aid for a potentially fatal wound. Are you kidding? Tell that to all those people who literally would not have been able to put food on the table without that help.”
Western Mass News
“Congressman Richard Neal and local business leaders came together today to celebrate the success of the Paycheck Protection Program. More than 10,000 loans were given out to small businesses across western and central Massachusetts, which comes to be more than $1 billion. The data shows that businesses of all types benefited from the program, and the congressman highlighted how important this program was for the survival of small businesses.”
MassLive
“The CARES Act pumped almost $1.2 billion into the economy of Western Massachusetts, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal said Saturday. Neal, as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, was one of the prime authors of the legislation that sent 10,460 loans to Western Mass. businesses. According to the federal Small Business Administration, $1,177,312,235 in loans of less than $150,000 each were made to area small businesses.”
Western Mass News
“Congressman Richard Neal told Western Mass News he hopes the Senate and the House will agree on a package in the next few days. ‘We wanted them to have money for the day-to-day needs of life,’ Neal explained. With the extra $600 weekly jobless benefits in the CARES Act ending in the next few days, Senate Republicans and House Democrats are still at odds over a new stimulus package, leaving many families to scramble. ‘I think the HEROES Act is likely to pass in some version,’ Neal noted.”
The Washington Post
“Expanding the credit has been a major cause of a group of Democrats that includes Sens. Michael F. Bennet (Colo.), Cory Booker (N.J.) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio), as well as Reps. Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.), Suzan DelBene (Wash.), Richard E. Neal (Mass.) — and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.).”
“The Massachusetts State Council of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has endorsed Congressman Richie Neal for re-election, citing his leadership in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and his ongoing work on behalf of working families everywhere… “As Richie Neal was creating emergency relief legislation in the wake of COVID-19, he was also making sure that our economy was supported with stability measures like the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), grants for child care and development, and Election Assistance Grants,” said Kwesi Ablordeppey, a Springfield worker at the Holyoke Soldiers Home and member of SEIU 888.”
iBerkshires
“Neal said that the country cannot afford to get complacent about the COVID-19 pandemic or to stop finding ways to stimulate the economy. And he said that recent spikes in the novel coronavirus around the country will make it hard for his colleagues on the other side of the aisle to vote against stimulus packages when Congress returns from its July 4 recess.”
WWLP (22 News)
“Congressman Richard Neal met with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Executive Director to announce a $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration. According to a news release sent to 22News, the funding was made possible through the passage of the CARES Act and provides the EDA with $1.5 billion for economic development assistance programs across the country aimed at helping communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic.”
CNN
“People simply cannot return to their jobs if they're unable to find care for their children. For the economy to reopen fully, Congress must provide meaningful, robust child care relief for families and providers. That is why we introduced the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act, legislation that addresses the most pressing needs of millions of working parents and families, like those we represent in New York and Massachusetts. The legislation builds on congressional efforts to address the varied needs now being recognized in the child care space, including stabilizing the child care sector through the Child Care is Essential Act, and improving child care facilities for the health and safety of children.”
WBUR News
“The Moving Forward Act’s investments aren’t just big, they’re smart and responsible too,’ said House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal from the floor of the House. ‘The legislation promotes investment in clean energy technologies, incentivizes the ‘greening of the fleet’ and rewards renewable energy projects engaging in responsible labor practices that prioritize workers’ rights and wellbeing.’”
Masslive
“The economic impacts of COVID-19 have ripped through the country, and here in Western and Central Massachusetts we have seen it first-hand. But we are resilient. While it may take time for us to recover fully, we have a unique opportunity to improve our communities, create new jobs, make critical infrastructure investments, and come out stronger than ever.”
MassLive
“Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives on Wednesday unveiled a sweeping health care package to strengthen the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, lowering the costs of insurance premiums, expanding eligibility for premium tax credits and allowing states to create state-based health insurance marketplaces… The Congressional Budget Office estimated that drugs subject to negotiation could see price drops of up to 55% if the bill passes, according to a news release from the office of Rep. Richard Neal, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. ‘The well-being and security of American families and the workers of our nation are at stake,’ Neal said.”
The Recorder
“Standing on a platform Friday morning at Union Station, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal touted a $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill unveiled by House Democrats last week that includes $19 billion in federal grant funding that he said will benefit east-west rail. Calling the proposal ‘the most ambitious infrastructure plan’ since former President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act in 1956, Neal said the legislation would pave the way for federal funding across a variety of sectors, including improvements to roads and bridges, municipal broadband internet, affordable housing, green energy and rail.”
MassLive
“For years, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, has been a dogged supporter of an east-west rail line that would connect all parts of Massachusetts, bolster the economy and greatly reduce the self-defeating economic imbalance between the state’s eastern and western ends.”
MassLive
“Speaking over the rumbling locomotive of the 12:05 Amtrak train to Hartford, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal touted a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan he and his fellow Democrats introduced with a Friday visit to Springfield’s Union Station. ‘This is the first substantive step the Congress has taken toward east-west rail,’ said Neal… referencing the long-held goal of improving passenger train service from Boston west through Worcester and Springfield.”
Mass Transit Magazine
“U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal unveiled a bill that would pump billions into passenger rail funding -- and touted how it could lay the tracks for the long-discussed East-West Rail as both men fight for re-election. The two announced what they called the "Brain Train" Act, which would authorize $5 billion in spending nationally on passenger rail a year for the next five years.”
MassLive
“The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority will receive $36.6 million in Federal Transit Administration funding under the CARES Act, the major package of legislation designed to offer relief during the coronavirus pandemic.”
MassLive
“The men and women of the U.S. Postal Service have never ceased delivering mail under trying circumstances, and for that reason U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal stopped in Springfield to deliver his support for them. Neal, speaking in front of the city’s main post office branch at Main and Liberty streets, said the U.S. Postal Service is an essential service and needs to be treated like one.”
The Reminder
“Congressman Richard Neal, the chair of the House Ways & Means Committee, said that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has called the new relief legislation a “non-starter.” Neal explained though at a press conference on May 13 that McConnell had said similar things before other legislation designed to help citizens and businesses survive through the pandemic… In a written statement, Neal said, “The Heroes Act is another step forward on our road to recovery from the devastating effects of this virus. It is a necessary investment in the American economy and in science-based strategies to fight the pandemic.”
WWLP
“As Massachusetts launches Phase One of reopening the state, there are plenty of questions about what to expect. To answer some of those questions, 22News is bringing together members of Massachusetts’ delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives, community and business leaders for “COVID-19 Virtual Town Hall”... Congressman Richard Neal told 22News that the Heroes Act bill includes another round of stimulus payments that is needed now more than ever.”
The Reminder
“Congressman Richard Neal, the chair of the House Ways & Means Committee, said that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has called the new relief legislation a “non-starter.” Neal explained though at a press conference on May 13 that McConnell had said similar things before other legislation designed to help citizens and businesses survive through the pandemic… In a written statement, Neal said, “The Heroes Act is another step forward on our road to recovery from the devastating effects of this virus. It is a necessary investment in the American economy and in science-based strategies to fight the pandemic.”
MassLive
“‘People across our nation are hurting, and Congress must take extraordinary, immediate action to provide them with relief,’ Rep. Richard E. Neal said earlier this week. ‘Families are feeling the pain of a terrible one-two punch – a national public health emergency coupled with a historic economic downturn. The gravity of our new reality demands substantial solutions, and that’s what Ways and Means Democrats offer in this latest response package.’”
Berkshire Eagle
“In times of depression and war. And in a pandemic... That's when government must dig deep to help citizens, the Berkshires' representative in Congress said Wednesday. For that reason, the crisis brought on by the coronavirus will again persuade lawmakers to overcome partisan division, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal told reporters outside his office at the U.S. District Court in Springfield…”
MassLive
“U.S. Rep. Richard Neal said Wednesday he is confident that the new $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill that he and his House Democratic colleagues unveiled a day earlier will soon get money flowing to states and to cities and towns grappling with the enormous expenses and revenue shortfalls of COVID-19. ‘We are moving to stabilization and recovery,’ Neal said of the legislation, about two-thirds of it falling under the purview of the House Ways and Means Committee he chairs in Washington.”
MassLive
“U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said work on another round of federal stimulus for the coronavirus-ravaged economy will be public in ‘a few days’. It will have money for hospitals, Neal said, as well as money for state and local governments struggling with revenue losses and increased expenses from the coronavirus crisis. It’s possible there will be more payments to individuals as well.”
Forbes
“The IRS ruled that a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) borrower who spends PPP funds on normal business expenses cannot deduct those expenditures for federal tax purposes. But its position, which left many in Congress wondering if the IRS missed the 335-page memo, may not be the last word. Today, a bipartisan group of congressional leaders formally alerted the Treasury Department that they “believe the position taken in the [IRS] Notice ignores the overarching intent of the PPP, as well as the specific intent of Congress to allow deductions in the case of PPP loan recipients.” In other words, they believe the IRS got it dead wrong.
The group of congressional members is headed by Chuck Grassley and Richard Neal, the chairmen of the top tax committees in the Senate and the House, respectively.”
New York Times
“The U.S. government should suspend all tariffs on products needed to combat the coronavirus pandemic for 90 days and take steps to boost domestic production of medical supplies and drugs, a key U.S. lawmaker said on Monday. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal called the pandemic a "wake up call" that revealed serious deficiencies in U.S. medical supply chains, urging a major restructuring to improve readiness for future crises.”
MetroWest Daily News
“The White House may be trying to pump the brakes on the next round of economic relief being discussed in Congress, but U.S. Rep. Richard Neal said Monday that it’s full steam ahead for House Democrats, who want to provide more aid to state and local governments, as well as hospitals, families and the unemployed. ‘We’re writing it now,’ Neal told the News Service in a phone interview from Springfield on Monday afternoon.”
MassLive
“Kevin and Jennifer Chateauneuf can’t let folks eat at the dining stools at Nick’s Nest, the 99-year-old hot dog stand on Northampton Street they’ve owned for 15 years. And everyone — even U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, who visited Thursday to talk about the federal Paycheck Protection Program — has to wear a mask when they come in to order… The Chateauneufs hosted Neal, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, along with two other loan recipients, Peter Rosskothen, owner of the Log Cabin banquet facility, and Michael Zaskey, owner of Zasco Productions in Chicopee, and others. ‘I can’t imagine Holyoke without Nick’s Nest and without the Log Cabin,’ Neal said Thursday.”