In the News

SPRINGFIELD –  A key member of Congress believes the American Jobs Plan, proposed by President Joseph Biden, will not only address long-standing infrastructure issues, but create millions of jobs to help stabilize the nation from the economic downtown due to the pandemic.

At a press conference at Union Station on April 1, Congressman Richard Neal, chair of the House Ways & Means Committee described Biden’s plan as “very visionary.”

He noted that while repairing the nation’s infrastructure is a main part of the plan, it is not all of the plan.

“It’s not just the road to get us to work, it’s the childcare that keeps us at work,” Neal noted. He added the plan is “grounded in forward thinking” and “will touch on every corner of this country.”

The chairman added the next step would be hearings for the bill. He noted that three members of the Massachusetts delegation serve on the House’s infrastructure committee.

According to the press release issued by the White House, the proposed legislation would accomplish the following:

• “Fix highways, rebuild bridges, upgrade ports, airports and transit systems. The President’s plan will modernize 20,000 miles of highways, roads, and main-streets. It will fix the 10 most economically significant bridges in the country in need of reconstruction. It also will repair the worst 10,000 smaller bridges, providing critical linkages to communities. And, it will replace thousands of buses and rail cars, repair hundreds of stations, renew airports, and expand transit and rail into new communities.”

• “Deliver clean drinking water, a renewed electric grid, and high-speed broadband to all Americans.”

• “Build, preserve, and retrofit more than two million homes and commercial buildings, modernize our nation’s schools and child care facilities, and upgrade veterans’ hospitals and federal buildings.”

• “Solidify the infrastructure of our care economy by creating jobs and raising wages and benefits for essential home care workers.”

• “Revitalize manufacturing, secure U.S. supply chains, invest in R&D, and train Americans for the jobs of the future.”

Neal then noted how the plan could directly affect Wester Massachusetts. He said Massachusetts still has issues with broadband access, especially in rural areas. The investment in repairing bridges could also help the region and the investment in rail cars could be a boon to Springfield and CRRC. The extension of passenger rail could provide the funding necessary to see a much-improved east-west passenger rail system in the Bay State, something Neal called “a huge opportunity.”

The White House statement noted, “The nation’s rail networks have the potential to offer safe, reliable, efficient, and climate-friendly alternatives for moving people and freight. However, unlike highways and transit, rail lacks a multi-year funding stream to address deferred maintenance, enhance existing corridors, and build new lines in high-potential locations. There are currently projects just waiting to be funded that will give millions more Americans reliable and fast inter-city train service. President Biden is calling on Congress to invest $80 billion to address Amtrak’s repair backlog; modernize the high traffic Northeast Corridor; improve existing corridors and connect new city pairs; and enhance grant and loan programs that support passenger and freight rail safety, efficiency, and electrification.”

Neal compared the broadband portion of the plan to bringing electric service to rural areas during the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. “For people in Red States, this is a huge issue,” he noted.

Upgrading veterans’ hospitals is certainly a concern here, Neal noted and money that would help clean brownfield sites would be important to further economic development.

“There a lot of industrial sites across New England and the Northeast that are under-utilized because of what’s in the ground,” Neal said.

Although Biden has proposed a tax increase on the people who make more than $400,000 a year as well an increase in corporate tax, Neal said it would be up to his committee to determine how the plan would be funded.

Neal believes elements of the Biden plan would appeal to Republican members of the House, especially repairing the infrastructure and improving  broadband access.

“This a something we all could agree on – infrastructure,” Neal added.

He added, “I’m going to try hard to get Republicans to participate [in the legislative process].”

Congressman James McGovern, whose district includes Northampton told Reminder Publishing, “We have ignored our infrastructure for decades, and quite frankly, it shows. It’s not just roads and bridges and airports – it’s our energy grid, schools, internet access, and a lot more. That’s why we can’t go back to normal once the pandemic ends – normal wasn’t good enough. We need to build back better, and that’s what the President’s American Jobs Plan does.

“President Biden’s plan is bolder than what many others have proposed, and it will invest in our country in a way that hasn’t been done in half a century, creating millions of good-paying jobs, reimagining and rebuilding our infrastructure, and positioning us to meet the great challenges of our time.

“After decades of neglect, the American Jobs Plan focuses our attention on rebuilding the tools for shared prosperity that we all rely on – clean water, safe roads, better public transit, reliable and renewable energy, broadband internet, affordable housing, and child care.

“But perhaps most importantly, the American Jobs Plan also takes action to undo the long-standing and persistent economic inequality and racial injustice that still prevents far too many people in this country from reaching their full potential.

“President Biden’s plan is an ambitious vision for American success, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to build upon the President’s plan to create an even bolder package that rises to the unprecedented challenges we face as a country.”