In the News

When President-elect Donald Trump officially takes office on Monday, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal will be there.

“Members can make their own determination,” Neal said of other government officials decision whether to attend the 47th president's inauguration. “I’ve not missed one since I’ve been elected … That doesn’t mean we relinquish our points of view.”

Despite months of campaigning that painted a Trump reelection as an existential threat to democracy, Neal will join most dignitaries and elected officials who will adhere to the tradition of attending the inauguration. Though, tradition has been set aside somewhat as Trump announced Friday afternoon that the swearing-in ceremony will be moved inside the Capitol Rotunda because extreme cold is forecast.

But once the ceremonies conclude, Neal will be tasked with a familiar set of challenges, for at least the next two years, in legislating alongside Trump.

Over the course of two interviews, one with news media when Neal was in North Adams last week, and one with The Eagle on Wednesday, the Western Massachusetts Congressman said his biggest concern when it comes to another Trump presidency is the president-elect’s unpredictability. Neal also spoke to how Democrats can manage a slim Republican majority in the House, and the party’s stance on protecting Social Security and Medicare.

Neal’s chief worry about Trump is “the chaotic nature of his proposals, and the mind-changing that takes place oftentimes within hours.”

He said Trump’s talk of “seizing the Panama Canal, or invading Greenland, or changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico, makes it difficult to focus facts.”

Neal infers that Trump is making these headline-grabbing statements to distract from policy issues.

While Neal said it’s difficult to pinpoint Trump's policy positions, he did offer some thoughts on big issues the country faces and how he plans on navigating the choppy legislative waters in the current political climate.

TAX CUTS AND DEBT CEILING

Regarding Trump's promise to extend the tax cuts his administration implemented in 2017, during his first time in office, Neal says supporters should be reminded of the $2.3 trillion borrowed to finance those cuts, which are scheduled to expire at year’s end.

Neal said Trump’s tax proposals would favor the wealthiest people: Those making more than $1 million would save $80,000, and those making less than $50,000 would save $286.

Neal, who chaired the House Ways and Means Committee from 2019 to 2023, warned against cutting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, “so they can provide tax cuts to wealthy people.”

The first showdown Neal expects with Trump will be over the debt ceiling. He urged the majority party to get on with raising the debt ceiling now rather than waiting until the final minutes and causing widespread panic.

“American families are tired of these threats to shut down the government,” Neal said. “Real people get hurt in these kinds of discussions.”

SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE

Neal foresees battles over whether to raise the Social Security eligibility age. Each year the age is raised by one month, so the optimal benefit for Social Security is now 67 years old.

“We’re not going to allow them to cut any social security, nor Medicare benefits,” Neal said, pointing out that the issue is especially important to his constituents. 

According to credit rating agency Fitch Ratings, Berkshire Health System reported 53.7 percent of gross revenues for fiscal year 2024 came from Medicare.

That sort of dependency on federal health care programs in the Berkshires makes the issue of protecting Medicare even more urgent.

“The revenue at Berkshire Medical Center, more than half of their revenue comes from Medicare and Medicaid,” Neal said. “It’s a stunning number … I have to think North Adams’ numbers are way up there.”

One area Neal hopes he may find agreement with Republicans is on Medicare fraud, of which he’s long been a critic.

“It’s estimated it costs the American taxpayer $50 billion a year,” he said. “I have suggested in the past … adding an Assistant U.S. Attorney at many of these offices across the country, that might deter Medicare fraud.”

MANDATE?

Trump is claiming a the American voters have given him a "mandate" with his electoral win, though his margin was relatively slim at 1.4 percent. Neal also noted that Republicans will have a small two-to-three seat majority in the House.

He said it’s likely the Republican Party’s regional factions will “rear their heads” and complicate the majority when it comes to issues like taxes.

“I heard him say yesterday he won in a landslide,” Neal said of Trump. “He didn’t really win in a landslide. These Congressional election cycles come pretty fast. We’re down by three and likely to have two special elections in the next three-to-four months.”

In explaining the Democrats’ election defeat, Neal said the party needs to move away “from arguments like open borders, defund the police. I think those are very harmful in terms of public perception.” Neal acknowledged that Vice President Kamala Harris ran to the center, and never made the cases he was criticizing.

“It’s fair to say some of these national issues leaned against her, even when she had not been a participant in making those decisions,” Neal said. He urged Democrats to think about how to build support “in the heartland of America.”

Neal downplayed how much Trump will get done despite his victory and Republican majorities.

“I think Trump is effective as it relates to using his Twitter account to make news,” Neal said, “but substantive legislation is far more difficult to accomplish.”