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Candidates › MA-01 race › 2025–2026
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Richard E. Neal
D Democratic nominee for U.S. House, MA-01
Representative since 1989
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The same platforms’ other accounts, such as a congressional office’s or an earlier campaign’s.
- On the ballot
- On the general election ballotNov 3, 2026 · Massachusetts US House 1
- Where to vote
- Find your polling place (opens in a new tab) · More ways to vote
- Top priorities
- JOBS & THE ECONOMY
- ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE
- GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA
- HEALTH CARE
- IMMIGRATION
- In Congress
- Representative since 1989 · votes with their party 99% of the time. See the record · Office phone 202-225-5601
- Money
- $3.1M raised, $5.1M spent, $1.9M cash on hand (through Oct 14, 2026). Where it comes from
- Who gives
- 1.6% of individual money from donors at $200 or less · 33% from Massachusetts · largest committee giver SAMMONS ENTERPRISES INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE, $12K
- Outside groups
- $61.5K supporting Neal
- Backed by
- MASSACHUSETTS AFL-CIO · International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers · Human Rights Campaign and 9 more. As the campaign lists them
- Sponsored most in
- Social Welfare, Taxation, Immigration
12 priorities from nealforcongress.com, in the order they are listed there. Every heading and the text under it is copied exactly, as one passage for each page it is from, and links to that place on the page; hover a source to see which passage it opens.
One of Richie’s highest priorities is making sure that everyone who wants a job can find one. He knows that middle-class families are the engine that powers America’s economy, and he will never stop fighting to grow and protect the middle class. In his view, everybody should get a fair shot at opportunity, and everybody should be rewarded fairly for hard work.
He is focused tirelessly on those core goals, in good times and bad. Back in the first two months of the pandemic, 22 million people lost their jobs overnight through no fault of their own, and the unemployment rate shot up from a fifty-year low to the highest point since the Great Depression.
As Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee during 2020 and 2021, Richie led Democratic and bipartisan efforts to swiftly meet the needs of workers, employers, and communities as they struggled to survive the unprecedented economic shocks. These emergency relief measures included:
- stimulus checks to help low- and middle-income taxpayers;
- a more generous Child Tax Credit available to more parents;
- higher unemployment benefits available for longer durations, expanded for the first time to serve gig workers and the self-employed; and
- the Paycheck Protection Program, which helped small businesses keep their employees on the payroll.
Once President Biden took office, Richie worked closely with him to pass the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act, spurring investments and sending the job market roaring back to life.
These measures have been enormous successes: our current economic recovery has been the strongest and most broadly-shared of our lifetimes, far outpacing every other major country’s. We’ve won back every lost job plus another 2.5 million. Unemployment has been below 4 percent for nearly two years—the longest stretch in more than fifty years. Almost 16 million new business applications have been registered since the beginning of the Biden Administration. Wages are rising, more people are streaming back into the workforce, and inflation is cooling.
This recovery was never guaranteed—it was the result of the bold leadership of President Biden and his allies in Congress like Richie, who were determined to put workers and families first, usually over Republican objections.
But there’s more work to do. Big corporations are hiking prices and raking in record profits, but too many families in our district are struggling to afford necessities like housing, healthcare, groceries, and gas. Richie is leading the charge supporting middle-class tax cuts and an expansion of the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit. He is also a champion of tax incentives for affordable housing.
Now it’s time to plan for the future. Our economy is changing fast. Artificial intelligence, automation, globalization, and the transition to clean energy are reshaping the job markets in our district and all over the world. Adapting to these changes may not be easy, but if we do it right, with smart, forward-looking policies, Richie knows we can once again open up tremendous opportunities for MA-01 workers, families, and employers.
Higher Education and Training. ↗ (opens nealforcongress.com/economy at this heading)
The best way to help families prosper is to make sure that every American who’s looking for work can find a quality job. As jobs increasingly demand more advanced skills, it’s never been so important to invest in our people and their education and training. We cannot afford to waste talent. Putting higher education and quality workforce training within reach of everyone will lift our entire economy.
Higher education should be affordable and accessible for everyone who wants to pursue it. Students and their families shouldn’t have to mortgage their futures to pay tuition. Richie supports expanding and increasing the American Opportunity Tax Credit and other tax incentives that provide aid to students, their families, and those repaying student loans.
Workforce training is critical to the economy of the future. Two-thirds of U.S. adults don’t hold a college degree—they aren’t the right path for everyone, and our evolving economy needs growing numbers of workers with technical skills, from the electricians bringing to life the green energy future to the skilled caregivers who tend to our sick and elderly. Registered apprenticeship programs, certificate programs, on-the-job training, technical schools, and other workforce development programs can help usher workers into well-rewarded and secure careers and help employers meet their human resource needs. Richie consistently seeks out ways to support community colleges, skills training, registered apprenticeship programs, and other workforce development initiatives.
In 2022, Richie received the National Education Service Award, which goes to “a national leader who makes massive contributions to national policies and resources that support education, training and higher education.”
Time and again, Richie has delivered federal support for our district’s education and workforce systems.
He secured almost $2 million in grants to help UMass provide computer science support to Springfield elementary school students.
He delivered $1 million to Springfield Technical Community College to promote science and engineering in local schools.
He secured $1 million for the Springfield Innovation Center.
He delivered $1 million to Elms College to expand its education and social work programs.
He delivered $1 million to Bay Path University to support a Student Success Center.
He secured $1 million to help expand the nursing and health sciences programs at Westfield State University.
Organized Labor. ↗ (opens nealforcongress.com/economy at this heading)
Strong labor unions are one of the best ways to protect workers and ensure fair wages. Richie is proud to be labor-endorsed and will always fight for the right to organize. The AFL-CIO scored Richie’s 2023 voting record at 100%, with a lifetime score of 98%.
“As a proud lifetime member of the UFCW Local 1459, I am unwavering in my support for my brothers and sisters in organized labor. Union jobs with good wages and benefits built the middle class. If we are to level the playing field for working families, organized labor has to be part of the solution.” - Rep. Richie Neal
Pensions. ↗ (opens nealforcongress.com/economy at this heading)
Richie worked for years to pass the Butch Lewis Act, reforming the multiemployer pension system to protect the retirement security of more than 1 million union members and retirees.
“What we did, what Richie Neal did, what we all did, they said it couldn’t be done. But this wouldn’t have happened if Richie Neal hadn’t stayed on it.” — Teamsters General President
Clean Energy Apprenticeships. ↗ (opens nealforcongress.com/economy at this heading)
One of Richie’s most important accomplishments has been developing and passing the green energy provisions adopted as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, which are the most significant climate investments in our nation’s history. Bringing those investments in clean energy to life will require millions of skilled workers. Richie set up prevailing wage requirements and significant incentives for these projects to use registered apprenticeships to make sure that green jobs are good jobs.
The Infrastructure Law. ↗ (opens nealforcongress.com/economy at this heading)
Richie fought for passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which so far has granted western Massachusetts more than 70 federal awards totaling over $200 million. Already, two dozen cities and towns are seeing much-needed upgrades and repairs to roads, bridges, rail projects and other initiatives.
Both freight and passenger rail activity are improving in western and central Massachusetts, helped by Richie’s commitment to redevelopment of Springfield’s Union Station and Worcester’s Union Station. Soon, our area’s rail connections will benefit from the $108 million grant Richie and Governor Healey announced last September.
The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority won a $54 million Federal Transit Authority grant under this law to support low-emission and no-emission bus programs.
Investment Tax Credits. ↗ (opens nealforcongress.com/economy at this heading)
Richie has also worked hard to foster local economic growth through tax credits that boost job creation and investment. He has delivered more than $60 million in New Markets Tax Credits and Historic Tax Credits for projects around the district, including:
- $3.1 million for Ludlow Mills
- $6 million for Eagle Mill in Lee
- $5.5 million for Holyoke Health Center
- $11 million for Bostwick Gardens in Great Barrington
- $14.5 million for the Holyoke Public Library
- $1.1 million for the Maple Street House in Springfield
- $20 million for the Paramount Theater and Massasoit House Hotel project
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · nealforcongress.com/economy
Climate change and other environmental risks pose a profound threat to our way of life and the security of future generations. Richie understands the urgent need for action and smart solutions.
Prior to his tenure as Chairman, the Ways & Means Committee hadn’t even held a hearing on climate change in over a decade. But under Richie’s leadership, the Committee developed and passed into law the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the largest federal investment to fight climate change in U.S. history, totaling $370 billion.
The IRA supercharges our national efforts to fight climate change, using generous tax incentives to unleash the speedy development and deployment of clean energy production, energy efficiency, clean fuels, clean vehicles, and clean manufacturing. Together, these provisions are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 40 percent by 2030, support over 1.6 million high-quality jobs, and make significant strides toward environmental justice. Furthermore, the investments are expected to bring down the average American family’s energy bills by $500 per year.
Richie’s work on the IRA is already yielding significant clean energy results. By early 2024, just a year and a half after the IRA’s passage, the American Clean Power Association reported 117 new utility-scale energy manufacturing facilities, representing $421 billion in investment, $4.5 billion in consumer savings, and more than 42,000 new jobs.
The IRA is a generational investment to fight climate change, but Richie knows we can’t stop there. He has led the Ways and Means Committee to recognize that sustainability and protection of the environment have to be part of how we approach every other policy challenge, from international trade to infrastructure investment to health care.
Richie is recognized as a champion of climate and conservation efforts in Congress. The League of Conservation Voters has awarded Richie’s environmental voting record a 95 for 2022 and 93 over the course of his entire career.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · nealforcongress.com/environment
Richie has long been a supporter of stronger gun safety measures. Too often, our failure to implement stronger rules on guns has harmed the most vulnerable in our society. From Columbine High School, to Sandy Hook Elementary, to Parkland, FL, and Uvalde, TX, Richie grieves for the lives lost, and stands in solidarity with the families of the victims.
In 2018, hundreds of students from Pittsfield High School and Taconic High School walked out of their classrooms following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Afterward, Richie met with the students who organized the protest to thank them for their activism, hear their concerns, and collaborate on initiatives that he could bring back to his colleagues in Washington.
“As a father and grandfather, I don’t think parents should have to worry about the safety of their children when they drop them off at school in the morning.”
After meeting with the students, Richie renewed his call for the implementation of 10 common-sense gun safety measures, to curb this senseless violence.
Federal Assault Weapons Ban: assault weapons are made for battlefields, not our neighborhoods. Richie was proud to support the 1994 assault weapons ban and urges his colleagues to join him in supporting a new assault weapons ban.
Bump Stock Ban: the 2017 Las Vegas shooting was the deadliest mass-shooter attack in American history. Bump stocks, like the one that the Las Vegas shooter used to slaughter nearly 60 people, must be banned.
Universal Background Checks: a universal background check law would ensure that people prohibited from purchasing firearms cannot do so through an unregulated sale from an unlicensed or online seller or at a gun show. Closing this background check loophole is critical to making sure criminals and other dangerous people do not have access to firearms. It is also a policy supported by 90 percent of Americans.
Domestic Abusers Should Not Have Access To Guns: expand firearm prohibitions for domestic abusers to include dating partner abusers and convicted stalkers.
No Fly, No Buy: if an individual cannot get on a plane because of their status on the "No Fly List," then that person should not be able to purchase a gun.
Allow The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) To Fund Gun Violence Research: in order to effectively solve this public health crisis, our country must begin to fully understand it. Richie supports funding that allows the CDC to research gun safety measures. This research is critical for policymakers to understand and recommend effective solutions for making schools and communities safer.
Mental Health Background Checks: Richie supports changing the law to require states to report records of individuals prohibited to carry guns to the FBI’s background check system. This way, individuals deemed unsafe to carry firearms due to mental health reasons cannot purchase dangerous weapons through loopholes.
Do Not Arm School Teachers: recent polling has found that while 75 percent of individuals believe that Congress must do more to reduce gun violence, only 20 percent think giving educators guns is the answer. Our teachers need more funding for educational materials, curriculum support and school supplies to help our kids succeed.
Impose Minimum Age Requirement To Buy Guns: the minimum age to purchase all firearms in America must be 21 years old in all 50 states.
Pass The Bipartisan Thompson-King Public Safety And Second Amendment Rights Protection Act: this bill would give states resources to help them submit information to the background checks system. It would also expand the system to cover all commercial firearm sales, closing the gun show, internet, and classified-ad loopholes. It currently has over 200 Democratic and Republican co-sponsors, and Richie is proud to be one.
In Congress, Richie:
- Voted YES on passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act – the first significant gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years. This legislation:
- Improved the background check system by broadening the definition of licensed gun dealers.
- Established enhanced background checks for buyers under age 21.
- Addressed dating violence by partially closing the dating partner loophole.
- Expanded community violence intervention programs.
- Expanded access to mental health services.
- Voted YES on making it easier to sue gun manufacturers for firearm deaths.
- Voted NO on prohibiting suing gunmakers & sellers for gun misuse.
- Voted NO on decreasing gun waiting period from 3 days to 1.
- Earned an F rating from the NRA, for his pro-gun safety voting record.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · nealforcongress.com/gun-violence
When it comes to achieving health care coverage for every American, Congressman Neal’s focus has always been on what Congress can do to deliver positive change to the people, right away. That’s why he helped write the Affordable Care Act, which finally made health insurance obtainable for tens of millions of Americans.
While Republicans tried to take affordable healthcare away from nearly 130 million people with pre-existing conditions, Congressman Neal is working to cover more people and make coverage more affordable.
His commitment to protecting health care for those across the Commonwealth is unwavering.
Access to Care ↗ (opens nealforcongress.com/health-care at this heading)
Rep. Neal pushed the Administration to provide critical flexibilities in where critical access hospitals can reside— thanks to this change, the North Adams Regional Hospital will be able to reopen providing a vital health care access point to the region.
Rep. Neal lowered the cost of health insurance premiums by an average of $2,400 per family for people who buy coverage on their own and prevented more than three million Americans from losing their health insurance coverage by extending vital tax credits for the ACA marketplaces through 2025.
Rep. Neal ushered through important changes to prior authorization in Medicare, cracking down on insurance companies making patients jump through unnecessary hoops to get needed care in Medicare. Neal passed these in Committee and off the House floor, but were finalized through Medicare rules. With the endless ads telling seniors to enroll in plans, Rep. Neal also supports programs that provide unbiased information about Medicare to help them make enrollment decisions and navigate the program.
Rep. Neal is investing in more physicians and other health professionals. Massachusetts trains the top doctors in the world, and Rep. Neal is investing in graduate medical education to reduce the physician shortage in the United States.
Rep. Neal led efforts to protect patients from surprise medical bills. Recognizing that millions in the US still don’t have insurance, he demanded that fair cost estimates be made available for the uninsured and fought for continuity of care protections for Americans with chronic conditions.
Prescription Drugs ↗ (opens nealforcongress.com/health-care at this heading)
Americans should not have to pay three times more for medications than people in other countries do. The top drug companies had $110 billion in profits last year, paying their CEOs an average of about $36 million each. Yet, many Americans don’t take their medications because of high drug prices. Prescription medicines cannot work if people cannot afford to take them, and high drug prices are keeping too many Americans from the health care they need.
Rep. Neal’s historic steps to take on high drug prices and bring down out-of-pocket prescription drug costs:
- Empowered Medicare to negotiate lower prices with drug companies.
- Capped out-of-pocket prescription costs at $2,000 for people with Medicare Part D.
- Capped the cost of insulin for people on Medicare at $35 per month.
- Eliminated out-of-pocket costs for vaccines in Medicare.
- Required drug companies to pay a penalty to Medicare if they raise prices faster than inflation.
- But there is more work to be done. Rep. Neal introduced the Lowering Drug Costs for American Families Act (HR 4895), building on the successes above – which expands the number of drugs Medicare has the power to negotiate, allows people with private insurance to get access to these negotiated prices, and require drug companies pay a penalty when they raise prices faster than inflation for people with private and employer-based health insurance.
Cures and Innovation ↗ (opens nealforcongress.com/health-care at this heading)
Rep. Neal has tirelessly invested in health research, bringing funds back to the Commonwealth. Just last year, Rep. Neal was instrumental in bringing the Investor Catalyst Hub for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a part of the National Institutes of Health that focuses on accelerating innovative health care solutions.
Rep. Neal spearheaded the Coalition for Health Advancement and Research in Massachusetts (CHARM), a public-private partnership that led to ARPA-H choosing Massachusetts as a hub and bringing millions in investment and research to the Commonwealth.
Ensuring Dignity for Older Americans ↗ (opens nealforcongress.com/health-care at this heading)
Congressman Neal was the lead author of The Elder Justice Reauthorization and Modernization Act, introduced in the 117th and 118th Congresses. It commits dedicated funding to vital programs shown to address the needs of vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities. The addition of updated and new policies to address medical-legal needs, social isolation, and post-acute and long-term care workforce investments further address policy gaps to protect seniors.
To address the issues facing nursing homes, he introduced the Nursing Home Ownership and Accountability Act. It provides investment in the foundation of nursing home care, filling much-needed gaps in transparency, accountability, quality of care, and staffing to ensure nursing homes are better prepared to face future public health emergencies.
Health Equity and Rural and Underserved Healthcare ↗ (opens nealforcongress.com/health-care at this heading)
To address the needs of rural and underserved communities, Congressman Neal released a report titled "Left Out: Barriers to Health Equity for Rural and Underserved Communities.” It analyzed the barriers to health care in underserved communities and the challenges associated with scalable, sustainable solutions. The report includes new qualitative analysis to help inform the current debate.
Climate Crisis and Health ↗ (opens nealforcongress.com/health-care at this heading)
The healthcare industry is responsible for an estimated 8.5 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the country.
Beginning in March 2022, Chairman Neal sent out a series of requests for information (RFIs) to hospitals, health systems, other facility-based health providers, and group purchasing organizations to better understand how climate events have impacted the health sector, as well as steps the health care industry is taking to address its role in mitigating the climate crisis. These are ongoing efforts so the health care industry can identify ways to move towards greener alternatives where appropriate.
“As we strive for universal coverage at the federal level, I continue to look at Massachusetts’ success. This means continuing to protect and improve the Affordable Care Act.”
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · nealforcongress.com/health-care
Richie believes that immigrants make America great. As the grandson of immigrants, he rejects claims by the former President that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country.” Richie believes that the fabric of our nation is made up of immigrants – it is their hard work and enduring spirit that has made our country what it is today.
With the recent influx of migrants in Massachusetts, Richie has called for comprehensive immigration reform – the first in nearly 40 years. He supports commonsense solutions like expediting work visas, which would allow migrant families to earn an income and create financial independence.
Richie is also a supporter of the DREAM Act, and he worked closely with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to craft an amendment extending Affordable Care Act benefits to DREAMers.
As the grandson of immigrants myself, I won’t turn my back on today’s DREAMers. We need real, comprehensive immigration reform.”
He believes that we must do more to create pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, to welcome new Americans, to live up to our reputation as the Land of Opportunity, and to protect immigrant communities from all forms of intolerance.
He supports a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers.
He supports birthright citizenship.
He voted to expand America’s work visa program.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · nealforcongress.com/immigration
Richie has long been an ally of the movement for LGBTQ+ human rights. In this fight, actions speak louder than words – and as Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, Richie has been a champion of legislation that advances LGBTQ+ equality.
After more than fifty years after the Stonewall riots, Richie shepherded legislation called the PRIDE Act through committee, leading to the bill’s passage by the House. The act corrected long-standing discriminatory practices in our tax system that affected the LGBTQ+ community. The progress made with this bill states loudly and clearly that the federal government respects the dignity and equality of all married couples, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.
“I will always use my position as Chairman to ensure that LGBTQ+ people receive fair treatment, and to reaffirm the declaration that there is no place for hate here in America.”
In his role as Ways & Means Chair, Richie has also:
- Cosponsored the Protecting LGBTQ Youth Act, because it's on all of us to keep kids safe. ️
- Spoken out against Trump's hateful decision to ban trans people from military service. ️
- Cosponsored the Equality Act, to guarantee full civil rights protections to all LGBTQ+ people. ️
- Invited PULSE Nightclub shooting survivor Brandon Wolf to testify on Capitol Hill. ️
- Highlighted the problem of tax exemptions for organizations that promote hate and intolerance.
- Applauded and supported the Supreme Court ruling protecting all Americans, regardless of orientation, from workplace discrimination.
These milestones, while significant, are not enough.
Richie believes that it is the moral duty of Congress to codify these equal rights. He wholeheartedly supports the Equality Act to create clear and consistent protections for LGBTQ+ people across the board.
Richie’s record as an ally has been steady over the years, both legislatively and as an advocate.
In Congress, he has:
- Voted YES to repeal the discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy
- Cosponsored the Student Non-Discrimination Act, to protect LGBTQ+ students in schools;
- Repeatedly voted YES for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would prohibit job discrimination based on sexual orientation;
- Repeatedly voted NO on a proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman;
- Voted NO on legislation that would have banned same-sex couples in the District of Columbia from adopting;
- Voted YES on the Gay and Lesbian Youth Suicide Prevention Act;
- Signed an Amicus Brief in support of a lawsuit challenging the Defense of Marriage Act.
“There’s always more work to be done, and as an ally, I’m always listening and learning. But you can also count on me to take action - because Love Wins, but not without a fight.”
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · nealforcongress.com/lgbtq-rights
“Everyone has a family member or knows someone who is in the grips of opioids. I will continue to work with my colleagues to address this public health issue.”
According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, there were 2,357 confirmed opioid-related and overdose-related deaths in 2022. This is unacceptable. The opioid epidemic does not discriminate: it affects all ages, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds throughout our communities. I continue to work to expand treatment and prevention efforts instead of enacting stricter criminal penalties.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · nealforcongress.com/opioid-crisis
“Everyday our community firefighters and police officers risk their lives to protect us. They deserve up-to-date technology, gear and other measures to keep them safe while protecting the public.”
Our local fire and police departments put their lives on the line to protect our communities from crime, fire, and other situations that threaten public safety. It is critical to protect and enhance programs that provide fire and crime prevention but also provide support for fire, and crime recovery efforts. Although we enjoy many beautiful historic structures in Western and Central Massachusetts, it also means they are more vulnerable to fire. And as the opioid epidemic continues to plague our neighborhoods, community policing is more important than ever.
Congressman Neal has long backed our community’s police and fire fighters and taken steps to enhance federal funding for them, including:
- Supported $450,000 in federal funding to help purchase 73 firefighter breathing apparatuses and seven intervention packs for North Adams
- Helped secure over $1.2 million for Holyoke Fire Department used to hire 10 new firefighters. In addition, he supported a $200,000 grant used to provide those new firefighters with 50 new sets of gear
- Supported $375,000 federal funding used to provide more police for Holyoke
- Helped secure a $220,000 grant for Worthington Fire Department to update equipment and purchase a new tanker truck
- Supported a $88,343 grant for Heath Fire Department to modernize their breathing apparatuses
- Supported a $90,000 grant for Southwick Fire Department to purchase new technologically updated breathing apparatuses
- Supported close to $150,000 in federal funds to expand communications and technology for the Springfield Police Department which would be used to increase police officer safety and technology efficiency
- Supported and helped secure federal funding for a land transfer to make the Paul J. Fenton Public Safety Annex in east Springfield a reality, which allowed critical parts of the policing community including the police academy, tactical response unit, property division, and youth services to be housed
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · nealforcongress.com/public-safety
Richie recognizes that insidious racism impacts the lives and livelihoods of people of color in countless ways. He believes that every Member of Congress has a responsibility to carry out our nation’s fundamental promise of equal justice for all Americans, and to affirm that Black Lives Matter.
Reforming Law Enforcement ↗ (opens nealforcongress.com/racial-justice at this heading)
Richie knows that we must address police brutality and excessive force, which disproportionately affect people of color.
Richie signed on as an original cosponsor of the Justice in Policing Act of 2020. The bill, passed by the House of Representatives, will bring meaningful reform by:
- Banning all chokeholds.
- Eliminating the qualified immunity doctrine, which makes it nearly impossible to hold police officers accountable for wrongful conduct.
- Banning no-knock warrants in drug cases.
- Establishing a National Police Misconduct Registry, so that problematic officers who are fired from one department can’t simply be shuffled to another jurisdiction without any accountability.
- Ending racial, religious and discriminatory profiling.
Richie’s record has always been one of working to create meaningful change to the way we police our citizens, handle incarceration, and create a more just society:
- He has advocated for barring military force from being used against American civilians.
- He cosponsored legislation to make lynching a federal hate crime.
- He has consistently condemned police brutality, racial profiling, and the use of excessive force.
- He cosponsored a bill calling for a National Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation, and serves as an advisor to a project creating model commissions in communities across America.
- He voted no on more prosecution and sentencing for juvenile crime.
- He voted to fund alternative sentencing instead of more prisons, and to expand services to help formerly incarcerated people re-enter society.
Lastly, he has fought tirelessly against the death penalty, voting repeatedly to end the practice, and to make it harder to carry out.
Addressing Inequities in Health Outcomes ↗ (opens nealforcongress.com/racial-justice at this heading)
Richie has used the power of the Chair’s gavel to shine a light on issues that disproportionately impact people of color - and one issue that often goes unaddressed is differences in health care outcomes.
After assuming the chairmanship, he called a hearing to draw the Ways and Means Committee’s attention to the critical problem of racial and economic disparities in the maternal mortality crisis. Afterward, he took action, cosponsoring a bill aimed at providing solutions.
When COVID-19 hit, Richie called the first virtual hearing in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives to discuss racial disparities in the infection and death rate. He has pressed the Trump administration to account for how relief money was allocated to communities of color, and has offered support to bills that provide solutions to these policy issues.
Closing the Education Achievement Gap ↗ (opens nealforcongress.com/racial-justice at this heading)
As a lifelong educator, Richie believes high-quality, affordable education is essential to a functioning society. He knows all too well that students of color face countless barriers to entry and challenges within the educational system, and he is determined to find solutions.
“I was afforded the opportunity for education through public school, community college then eventually a four-year degree, and I am committed to ensuring this for all that seek it.”
That’s why he voted for an 85 million dollar grant program for Black and Hispanic colleges; voted to permanently fund HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions with $225 million in federal dollars annually; and voted to lower barriers to education by lowering interest rates on college loans. He also backed legislation to streamline financial aid forms, making it easier for all kids to apply for aid and afford a higher education.
Supporting Minority-Owned Small Businesses ↗ (opens nealforcongress.com/racial-justice at this heading)
Richie’s commitment to supporting small and minority-owned businesses has been a constant throughout his career. In his second term in Congress, he warned that President Bush’s banking reform plan could harm such businesses - so he wrote an amendment requiring the administration to take steps to ensure that they weren't negatively impacted. Despite his lack of seniority at the time, his skill as a consensus-builder led to the amendment passing, and being incorporated into the final bill.
Today, Richie is once again working to have the backs of minority-owned businesses, as the impact of the pandemic continues to ripple across our economy. After Congress passed the CARES Act, Richie quickly saw that despite the massive investment in America, more help was needed. He ensured that the next bill included $300 billion for small businesses, distributed through community banks, credit unions and microlenders with the explicit goal of getting to minority-owned and women-owned businesses. Richie has also worked to ensure that minority-owned and women-owned businesses have access to the historic funding included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · nealforcongress.com/racial-justice
Millions of Americans depend on Social Security for their income because so many people can no longer rely on a traditional employer-sponsored pension. Millions more are currently contributing to the program through their paychecks. As Chairman of the Ways & Means Committee, Richie has worked to strengthen and enhance Social Security for all Americans.
Richie has used his Chairmanship to highlight the importance of Social Security, and has worked to protect and improve the program by:
- Co-sponsoring legislation and holding hearings on increasing benefit amounts for beneficiaries.
- Writing the bill to fix the Windfall Elimination Provision for almost 90,000 Massachusetts residents. His bill, the Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act, will provide monthly payments to current WEP retirees.
- Enacting legislation to reform the Social Security payee program, ensuring robust oversight of a program that is critical to protecting the most vulnerable.
Protecting Social Security benefits for our veterans, who have sacrificed for our country, because more veterans currently receive benefits from Social Security than Veterans disability or pension benefits.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · nealforcongress.com/social-security
The American retirement system has been successful in helping many workers prepare for retirement, especially those who work for large employers and the government. However, nearly half of American private sector employees work for an employer that does not offer a retirement plan. Richie believes we need to do more to ensure that every American has an opportunity to save and prepare for a financially secure retirement.
“Every American deserves to be financially secure in retirement. One of my long-time priorities in Congress is to help Americans meet that goal.”
Richie has been a long-time champion of reforms to help Americans prepare for financial security in retirement, including:
- Passing the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (SECURE Act) and the SECURE Act 2.0 of 2022, which became the biggest expansions of retirement saving opportunities for middle class Americans in decades.
- Enacting the Butch Lewis Act, which saved the pensions of about 1.3 million workers and retirees in multi-employer plans.
- Passing enhancements to the Saver’s Credit, to ensure that middle-class families are provided with an incentive to save.
- Fighting to make it easier for part-time workers to save by ensuring that long-term, part-time workers can participate in their employer’s 401(k) plan.
- Encouraging employers to offer lifetime income options in defined contribution retirement plans and making it easier for workers to manage their assets in retirement.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · nealforcongress.com/social-security
“Tax reform should help middle-class families, and those striving to reach the middle-class, succeed and prosper. That means creating jobs and boosting wages – and giving hardworking, middle-class families the tax relief they need to get ahead.”
Our tax system is too complicated and favors the wealthy and corporations over middle-class families. Republicans recently enacted a tax bill that makes matters even worse. The bottom line is if we’re going to require Americans to pay taxes every year, the least our federal government should do is create a system that everyone can understand. As the lead Democrat on the Ways & Means Committee, which handles taxes, you have my commitment that I will always put middle-class families first when reforming our Tax Code. That means focusing on tax relief for working families and a creating a simpler and easy to understand tax system.
Congressman Neal has been a long-time leader on tax legislation providing tax relief to middle-class families, promoting small businesses, and encouraging economic development, including:
- Introduced legislation to provide tax relief to middle-class families, including strengthening the Earned Income Tax Credit by expanding eligibility and expanding the Child Tax Credit to help middle-class families care for young children
- Working to provide middle-class families with a well-deserved “raise” through our Tax Code to address years of income stagnation
- Focusing on simplifying our tax system to make it as easy as possible for families and small businesses file their taxes each year
- Introduced legislation to encourage economic development in our nation’s urban and rural communities, including making permanent the New Markets Tax Credit program and enhancing the Low-income Housing Tax Credit and Historic Tax Credit
- Working to encourage innovation by providing tax incentives to start-up companies and small businesses, the engines of growth in our economy
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · nealforcongress.com/taxes
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