Springfield has colloquially been known as the “City of Firsts.”
Great inventions and manufacturing facilities have their roots here. Basketball was invented on the campus of Springfield College. The city is home to our nation’s first armory and where the first American-made automobile was crafted.
Indian motorcycles were first manufactured here and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary – the first American-English dictionary – is still headquartered on Federal Street. Innovation and revitalization have long been the cornerstone of the history of this city and a big part of what it is today.
As we embark on a somber milestone – two years since the first coronavirus case was detected in the United States – we once again look to our innovation and revitalization to continue to get us through this pandemic. We have seen resiliency and adaptability in every industry as we work to build back better.
This past year the Ways & Means Committee led congressional efforts to keep Americans healthy and strengthen our economy. The committee delivered historic investments in workers and families, bolstered economic recovery, and expanded access to quality, affordable health care. We were also able to deliver strong supports for working families, businesses, schools, and cities and towns across our country.
Through President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Package, Massachusetts received over $8 billion. The 1st Congressional District of Massachusetts alone received more than $240 million in direct relief to cities and towns; $354 million to K-12 schools; $90 million to colleges and universities; nearly $15 million to community health centers; and $191 million in child tax credits that lifted 8,400 children out of poverty. In addition, 255 businesses were supported through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund in the 1st District, and across the state more than $385 million went to shuttered venues and non-profits.
The CARES Act from March 2020 saved the American economy, the American Rescue Plan from March 2021 provided continued support at the local level, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law from November 2021 will provide us with the resources we need to come out better on the other side.
Here in Massachusetts, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will bring more than $9 billion in funding that will put residents back to work while making a once-in-a-generation investment in our infrastructure. The commonwealth will receive: $4.2 billion for federal-aid highway apportioned programs; $1.1 billion for bridge replacement and repairs; $2.5 billion for public transportation; $63 million for electric vehicle charging network expansion; and a minimum of $100 million for broadband coverage enhancements. This bill also designates over $66 billion to Amtrak, the largest investment since the creation of the service. I am committed to ensuring that western and central Massachusetts sees devoted funds specifically for improved east-west rail from Boston to Pittsfield. After supporting Boston’s Big Dig, our region is long overdue for a transportation investment of this kind.
Under President Biden’s leadership, and thanks in large part to the vaccine, our country is steadily climbing out of the devastation of the pandemic. We can see from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Jobs Report that we are having stable growth month to month and it is clear that our economy is healing. It is encouraging to see unemployment at pre-pandemic levels and labor participation rates starting to rise. Our full economic recovery hinges on our health, and now is the time to double down.
The Senate must pass the Build Back Better Act so we can continue pushing forward. We on the House Ways & Means Committee fought hard to keep key provisions like paid family and medical leave in the legislation because we cannot build back better until we recognize the needs of workers outside of the workplace. Each individual measure in this bill has the potential to change lives, and, when taken together, these investments will transform our country for the better.
As we look ahead to 2022, I remain focused on policies centered around equity and expanding opportunity: combatting climate change, reducing child poverty, ensuring health care is within reach for everyone in the nation, and creating an economy that works for all workers. Through it all, the greater Springfield community and its residents have remained committed to “making it in Western Massachusetts,” and, with support from the federal government, we will all be able to do just that.
Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, is the congressman from the 1st Congressional District of Massachusetts and chairs the House Ways & Means Committee. You can learn more about the congressman and his work online at neal.house.gov. His district office in Springfield is located at 300 State St., Suite 200, 413-785-0325.
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