How the pandemic disproportionately affects communities of color
POLITICO Pulse
“WAYS AND MEANS LOOKS AT COVID IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES OF COLOR — The 11 a.m. hearing is intended to explore how the outbreak is disproportionately affecting minority communities. Early evidence suggests that black populations and other communities of color are seeing elevated rates of coronavirus infections and deaths. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has faced persistent scrutiny over ongoing data gaps about how the virus is hitting minorities. What RICHARD NEAL plans to say: The committee chair wants to use the hearing to focus on longstanding issues of inequality that he says have contributed to the current Covid-19 outbreak, according to prepared remarks shared with PULSE. ‘While the factors driving these inequities are complex and multifaceted, their impact on health outcomes are clear,’ Neal plans to say. ‘That is why we convened this hearing — to unpack these circumstances and begin to unravel the roots of our own history that have brought us to this point.’”
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Feed The Fight campaign provides free meals to health care workers
22 News
“On Tuesday, Congressman Richard Neal teamed up with Peter Pan Bus Lines and local restaurants to get free meals to health care workers in Springfield… Congressman Neal and volunteers distributed hundreds of boxed lunches to Mercy Medical Center employees just before noon. Neal purchased about $3,200 worth of lunches from local restaurants for Tuesday’s meals donation. ‘These are the people we count on and they have done a superb job. I would have done whatever they would have asked. I think the better emphasis is to thank the workers in this small but significant way,’ said Neal.”
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Rep. Richard Neal calls mail delivery ‘essential service’, calls on Congress to pass emergency funding for US Postal Service
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.”
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House passes Heroes Act, next step is passage by Senate
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.”
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22News ‘COVID-19 Virtual Town Hall’ with Massachusetts Business and Community Leaders
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.”
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House passes Heroes Act, next step is passage by Senate
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.”
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Holyoke Soldiers' home receives 4,000 masks
Daily Hampshire Gazette
“On Sunday, U.S. Congressmen Richard E. Neal and Joseph Kennedy III, joined by Dr. Michael Kauffman, the CEO of Karyophaem Therapeutics, delivered the masks that will help ensure the safety and well being of those who live and work there. Neal said in a statement that the Soldiers’ Home is a special place. “The residents there have served their country with honor and distinction, and their health and safety, along with that of the staff, has always been top priority,” Neal said.”
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House to vote on $3 trillion coronavirus stimulus HEROES Act on Friday
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.’”
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Neal calls to invest now to 'stem tide of disease'
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…”
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UMass students receive $8.3M in coronavirus emergency aid
MassLive
“Emergency federal financial aid grants totaling $8.3 million were distributed to more than 7,700 undergraduate students this week by the University of Massachusetts in Amherst in response to financial distress due to the coronavirus pandemic… U.S. Reps. Richard Neal and Jim McGovern said the funding was crucial to helping students maintain their academic journey without interruption caused by unexpected financial burdens.”
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Congressman Neal firing back about second round of stimulus money
Western Mass News
“One day after House Democrats unveiled the HEROES Act, the bill calling for more stimulus money in the pockets of Americans, Congressman Richard Neal, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, was in Springfield with a strong message. He's firing back after Senate Republicans spoke out Tuesday. Some Senate Republicans are warning that the bill will not pass the Senate, but Neal said he understands it’s a document of negotiation. ‘It should not be a partisan issue,’ Neal said.”
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Rep. Richard Neal calls for action on $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill
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.”
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Outdoor funding essential to Massachusetts’ economic recovery from COVID-19
MassLive
“The pandemic has vividly shown many of us how our nation’s open spaces, forests, mountains and waterways keep us more fully alive. It has underscored the importance of taking care of our treasured landscapes so that they can take care of us. I am grateful that our Congressman Richard Neal of Massachusetts' 1st congressional district has recognized the bonds connecting protected public lands, public health and economic prosperity. Congressman Neal has achieved an outstanding record for supporting conservation issues.”
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US Rep. Richard Neal: SNAP expansion will be part of next recovery bill
MassLive
“U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal says that with lines growing at food banks across the country, an expansion of SNAP food benefits and money to pay for it will be part of the next recovery bill now taking shape in Washington. It’s a continuation, the Springfield Democrat said, of the ongoing efforts to get money out into the economy through the hands of people and businesses that will spend it.”
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Coronavirus stimulus funding should include support for local media, Rep. Richard Neal says
MassLive
“On trips to his neighborhood 7-Eleven during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal notices local newspapers coming off the shelves. ‘I can tell you the people are picking up these local papers as well as the national papers,’ Neal said in an editorial meeting with The Republican and MassLive on Zoom Thursday.”
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U.S. Rep. Richard Neal predicts next stimulus bill in a few days
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.”
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Congressional Leaders Tell Treasury That PPP Borrowers Should Be Entitled To Deductions
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.”
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Excel Dryer creates device proven to remove high percentage of viruses
22 News (WWLP)
“U.S. Representative Richard Neal is scheduled to tour the Excel Dryer manufacturing facility in East Longmeadow Wednesday morning. According to a news release sent to 22News, at 11:00 a.m., Neal will be guided through a factory tour that displays the Excel Dryer’s XLERATOR Hand Dryer which includes a HEPA Filtration System proven to remove 99.999 percent of viruses from the air stream.”
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U.S. Should Drop Tariffs on Pandemic-Related Goods for 90 Days: Key Lawmaker
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.”
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Rep. Neal pressing ahead with Phase Four relief package
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.”
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