In the News

It’s not always easy to put faces and names to the impact that congressional budgets have on a particular populace. By visiting Riverside Industries in Easthampton on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal tried to do just that.   Neal, whose district in Massachusetts includes the cities of Easthampton, Holyoke and Springfield as well as several other communities in Hampshire County, took… Read more »

This 250th anniversary of the American Revolution — the opening shots of Lexington and Concord rang out in April 1775 — is a major business opportunity for the state’s $23.6 billion-a-year travel and tourism industry.   “We’re going to have, starting in April, a great 250th celebration,” Gov. Maura T. Healey told reporters Tuesday after the first day of the Governor’s Conference on… Read more »

The federal budget, under President Donald Trump, shows plans to cut over $130 billion worth of funding targeting things like food assistance programs. Congressman Richard Neal told us this is something everyone should be concerned about in Massachusetts and beyond. “America is a land of great bounty. The idea you’re going to balance the federal government by cutting nutrition is… Read more »

The idea has been floated before, but this time it has the backing of key members of Congress.   Friends of Ireland Caucus Co-Chairs Congressman Richard E. Neal (MA-01) and Congressman Mike Kelly (PA-16), along with Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) and bipartisan members of the Caucus, have introduced legislation to establish a commission to study the creation of a National… Read more »

Big US companies with operations in the Republic of Ireland will protect their interests in Ireland, even if they will try to avoid public clashes with US president Donald Trump, a leading congressman has said.   Much of the big corporations’ attitudes will remain publicly unspoken for now as they try to calibrate how to deal with the Trump White House, the long-serving… Read more »

The new class will see 30 emerging leaders from across Northern Ireland and Ireland venture state-side this summer, as part of the unique transatlantic leadership and peace-building program.   Co-hosted by WIP and Ulster University, the special event saw WIP Founder Carol Wheeler conferred with an Honorary Doctorate in recognition of her outstanding contribution to peace and… Read more »

Donald Trump has been urged to appoint a special envoy to Northern Ireland as US lawmakers warn of “genuine concern” over the future of American investment in the region.   Leading Irish-American members of Congress said naming a representative was needed to protect US interests in Northern Ireland amid anxieties over rocky politics and rising trade… Read more »

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal ran through a list of ongoing and upcoming achievements Friday at the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Outlook 2025 lunch: west-east rail, the F-35 fighter jets coming to Westfield, American Rescue Plan Act, the inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law the CHIPS and Science Act.   It’s typical for these types of… Read more »

The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, continues cutting costs by canceling the leases of several federal offices across the country including several buildings here in Massachusetts. But what does that mean for us at home?   Congressman Neal told us point blank that he feels very little thought has gone into these terminations and he would not be surprised if they were… Read more »

Local shelter providers are worried changes within the Department of Housing and Urban Development could gut their response to housing insecurity and homelessness in the Berkshires.   President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, an entity known by DOGE and overseen by Elon Musk, is planning sweeping staff cuts at HUD and promising to root out so-called spending… Read more »