Press Releases

Today, Congressman Richard E. Neal voted to pass the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, which includes six domestic funding bills that will address the needs of American families, lower costs, confront the climate crisis, and deliver for our nation’s veterans.

“Even in the minority, Democrats continue to deliver for the American people when it matters most,” said Congressman Neal. “As we have said time and again, Democrats stand ready to work in a bipartisan manner to better serve the interests of the American people. After confronting a looming shutdown on four separate occasions, we have delivered legislation that will lower costs for working families, invest in our continued efforts to confront climate change, and ensure our veterans receive the benefits they have earned.”

This first government funding package invests in America’s future and delivers for the American people by:

• Helping with the high cost of living, creating and sustaining tens of thousands of good paying jobs, fighting inflation, and providing full funding for key lifelines such as food assistance and more affordable housing and homeownership.
• Protecting women’s rights by blocking attempts to limit women’s access to reproductive health care and by increasing funding for gender-based violence prevention and prosecution programs.
• Confronting the climate crisis, fighting climate change, and ensuring America’s energy independence with robust, transformative investments in deploying clean energy technologies in communities across the country, and providing funding for cutting-edge scientific and climate-related research.
• Honoring our commitments to our veterans by ensuring they receive the care and benefits that they have earned and investing in veterans’ health care, including targeted investments that advance women's health, mental health, and homelessness assistance.

In addition, the legislation includes Community Project Funding secured by Congressman Neal that will directly benefit the First Congressional District of Massachusetts:

• $1,000,000 for the Town of Lee and Town of Stockbridge’s Combined Public Safety Building
• $1,000,000 for the Town of Southbridge’s Fire Station Construction
• $959,752 for the City of Easthampton’s Water Infrastructure Upgrades
• $928,000 for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission’s Belchertown Mobile Community Water Project
• $959,752 for the Town of Spencer’s Sewer Collection System Upgrades
• $1,050,000 for American International College’s Center for Financial Literacy and Economic Prosperity
• $850,000 for Western New England University’s Center for Next-Gen Workforce Development in Robotic Welding
• $1,000,000 for the Springfield Jewish Community Center’s Child Care Facility Improvements
• $1,000,000 for North Adams’ Adventure Trail
• $850,000 for the Town of Pittsfield’s Fire Training Facility
• $4,116,279 for Springfield Union Station’s Streetscape Upgrades
• $500,000 for the Williamstown Meetinghouse Rehabilitation Project
• $750,000 for Yankee Rowe’s Access Road Upgrades

“I am particularly pleased to have secured nearly $15 million in Community Project Funding to address some of the most pressing needs in western and central Massachusetts,” said Congressman Neal. “Congress has the fundamental responsibility to oversee the expenditure of the public purse, and investments like the ones being announced today will have a tremendous impact on our region, spurring economic development and making a real difference in our communities.”

A detailed summary of the legislation is available here.

The remaining six appropriations bills for fiscal year 2024 are expected to be released in the coming days and voted on ahead of their expiration on March 22, 2024.

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