Head to WWLP.com for a full interview with Congressman Richard Neal on a wide variety of topics, including war aid funding, immigration and the West-East Rail.
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Congressman Richard Neal made a special visit to 22News this week. Neal sat down with 22News to discuss a series of topics ranging from immigration to the West-East Rail.
Following a series of votes in Washington for war and humanitarian aid, the Congressman discussed that and other local issues impacting us here in western Massachusetts.
Funding for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and Gaza civilians
A total of $95 billion in war aid is being sent from Washington to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and civilians in Gaza. President Biden signed the legislation after House lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to pass these bills over the weekend and the Senate followed suit late Tuesday night. Congressman Richard Neal was in Washington for the House vote on Saturday, voting yes on the funding bills following a months long delay.
“These, by the way, are traditional Democrat-Republican positions that would have not been uncommon in the Reagan years, Bush years, Clinton years, Obama years. These would have been what we would have considered our obligations to NATO,” said Neal.
Immigration Reform
The bills did not include any immigration reform, something Governor Maura Healey has been pushing the federal government for as the state continues to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on the emergency shelter system. Neal says there is an estimated 11 to 12 million undocumented immigrants living here in U.S. right now.
“We need to get them to come out of the shadows of American life. Register and get in line so we know who you are. The social security system is going to depend upon them. When you consider that they now pay $8 to $10 billion a year in social security that they are never going to draw because they use false identities. A lot of the argument about immigration is that it needs some tuning,” said Neal.
West-East Rail
Locally, Congressman Neal has been focused on getting West-East Rail up and running. He helped the state get $9 billion from the federal government to help improve infrastructure, including commuter rail.
“We don’t want this money just going to the MBTA, which we know is going to require a huge investment. We already pay a cent on the sales tax for the MBTA. But our constituents don’t exercise that opportunity to use the MBTA. So I want a corresponding effort from Boston to central and western Massachusetts,” said Neal.
By next spring, Neal says track improvements will begin between Worcester and Boston. There are also talks to add stops in Palmer, Springfield and Pittsfield… something that could help rural areas in western Massachusetts.
Healthcare
Congressman Neal says another issue impacting rural towns is healthcare, “There’s a lot of people who are nearly shut in, in these rural towns, maybe on the Vermont border or the hill towns. The elderly in particular.”
Although some hospitals in the state have closed recently, North Adams Regional Hospital actually reopened after being closed for a decade. Neal says this will help people living in northern Berkshire County avoid the 30 minute drive down to Pittsfield to get the care they need.
“We were able to change language in terms of actually what winter is like in the Berkshires. How traveling from North Adams to Pittsfield would be very difficult during the winter months,” said Neal.
Will Neal be running to re-election?
Watch our full interview with Congressman Richard Neal in the video player above. Neal also talks about the current status of the U.S. House and the future of Congress politics.
Taylor Knight is a morning anchor and I-Team reporter who has been a part of the 22News team since 2018. Follow Taylor on X @TaylorKNews and view her bio to see more of her work.