In the News

SPRINGFIELD — Promising to get the Ways and Means Committees work on infrastructure done by July and hopeful of getting something passed the House by the August recess, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal praised President Joe Biden’s Wednesday night speech to a joint session of Congress.

“That speech he gave last night was Joe Biden,” Neal, chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, said at a Thursday news conference after returning from Washington. “There is no malice in his voice or his tone.”

Neal and Biden spoke briefly Wednesday night in the House Chamber. And while Neal wouldn’t reveal specifics, he said and Biden did share their mutual appreciation for institutional knowledge. The Springfield Democrat was first elected to the House in 1988. Biden famously served in the Senate from 1973 until becoming vice president in 2009.

“He gets the rhythms of legislative life,” Neal said.

Biden laid out an ambitious program Wednesday, including a $1.8 trillion program for families and education including universal prekindergarten and free two-year community college, as well as that $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan.

Earlier in the week, Neal laid out a proposal for universal paid family and medical leave, guaranteed access to child care and for the child-tax credit to be made permanent saying it offers a path back from the lingering economic troubles of the pandemic.

“His embrace of the American Families Plan is something I support fully,” Neal said.

Thursday, Neal said Biden had embraced the Ways & Means plan in his speech in his address.

“I thought last night that President Biden laid out a very healing vision of how he foresees America in the coming decade,” Neal said. “And I thought that the plan that he laid out last night spoke to American resiliency and American resolve highlighting the early achievements that his administration offered and recognizing that when we reach our potential, our potential expands.”

But how to pay for it.

Neal’s committee controls tax policy. Biden has talked about basically rolling back the Trump tax cuts passed by the Republicans in 2016 and 2017. It would be $1.5 trillion of tax hikes over the next decade on the wealthiest households, the Associated Press said.

Neal said the tax cuts benefited only the wealthiest of households.

[Congressman Richard E. Neal]

Congressman Richard E. Neal speaks at a press conference, Thursday, April 29, 2021 in the U.S. District Courthouse on State Street, Springfield. (Don Treeger / The Republican)

Biden wants to raise the top tax rate on the wealthiest Americans from 37% to 39.6%. The rate had been 39.6% before the 2017 tax cuts, the Associated Press said.

“I think that it would be a mistake for members of congress to volunteer revenue right now,” Neal said.

Talking about revenue now would only allow the opposition to mount.

“Tell us what you really want,” Neal said. “What your desires are. And if you really want it, what are you willing to support in terms of casting revenue for the outcome?”

Neal spoke of the need for roads, bridges, water systems, rail.

“Infrastructure used to be something we could all agree with,” “I’m optimistic that we can find a path forward.”

He’s supportive of the early childhood education plans, saying that its supported by research and would be needed as America competes with China.

“I do think it is helpful that some Republicans are talking about childhood poverty,” Neal said.  “I think it’s  very helpful in fact.”

The community college plan is good as well, Neal said, citing success at Massachusetts community college system. But he said each state has a slightly different set up for community colleges. Some states already have generous grant programs, some don’t have community colleges but four-year institutions that offer two-year degrees.

So states need to smooth out those differences to fit in with a federal program, he said.