In the News

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – 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… Read more »

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Congressman Richard Neal held a news conference Thursday afternoon to discuss recent legislative achievements. Congressman Neal discussed recent legislation including multiple programs that impacts local residents. One of those being a proposal for $19 billion to be authorized for railroad projects across the country including the East-West rail… Read more »

House Democrats passed a sweeping $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill yesterday, which includes funding for everything from schools, hospitals and clean drinking water to broadband and the energy grid. The climate-friendly legislation stands little to no chance in the Senate, but it does serve as a vessel for Massachusetts lawmakers to present a host of climate-friendly… Read more »

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- The U.S. Economy gained a whopping 4.8 million jobs in June, bringing the unemployment rate down to around 11 percent, but legislators have said that the nation still has a long way to go, and are looking at another round of stimulus checks. Congressman Richard Neal told Western Mass News he’s hopeful the House and Senate can reach an agreement by the… Read more »

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Labor Department released the latest jobs report for June which includes the creation of almost 5 million new jobs. Investment professionals say the recent numbers are a positive trend but there’s still more work to do to get back to where the economy was before the pandemic. The newest jobs report by the Department of Labor says jobs in the… Read more »

SPRINGFIELD — The U.S. House and Senate are likely to pass another stimulus payment program and the federal government might extend a $600-a-week enhancement for unemployment insurance recipients, payments meant to soften the blow the coronavirus dealt to the economy, said U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield. Neal spoke Thursday to reporters gathered outside his… Read more »

BOSTON (WWLP) – The House is expected to vote Monday on a bill that would protect and expand the Affordable Care Act. The Trump administration has joined a number of states in a lawsuit to overturn the law-known popularly as Obamacare. Democrats have called the idea “crazy” to eliminate a plan that provides health insurance for millions of Americans in the midst of a… Read more »

HOLYOKE, Mass. — A Massachusetts congressman is working with a coalition that is calling for more changes at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home following a massive COVID-19 outbreak at the veterans facility. Rep. Richard Neal, who represents the state's 1st District, held a news conference on Saturday with members of the Holyoke Soldiers' Home Coalition, which is made up of former… Read more »

HOLYOKE — A coalition of veterans, their families and local advocates are raising concerns with changes announced by Gov. Charlie Baker that are intended to improve oversight and operations at the Soldiers’ Home. Called the “Coalition to Fund the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Now,” the group demanded Friday that none of the governor’s… Read more »

HOLYOKE, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- Congressman Richard Neal held a press conference at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home today, and he is now calling for change to happen at the facility where more than 70 veteran residents died from the coronavirus. The Holyoke Soldiers' Home has been under the microscope since the coronavirus spread throughout the facility. The killing of at least 76 veteran… Read more »