Longtime representative Richard Neal has represented the Springfield area and the Berkshires in the House since 1989. Neal has been the dean of Massachusetts's delegation to the United States House of Representatives since 2013, and he is also the dean of the New England House delegations.
Neal was president of the Springfield City Council from 1979 to 1983, serving as mayor of Springfield from 1983 to 1989. He was nearly unopposed when he ran for the House of Representatives in 1988, and took office in 1989.
Neal has dedicated much of his career to U.S.–Ireland relations and maintaining American involvement in the Northern Ireland peace process, for which he has won several acclamations.
Neal serves on the Committee on Ways and Means and the Joint Committee on Taxation.
Representative Neal is a close ally of J Street. He has been a consistent supporter of fully funding US security aid to Israel as outlined in President Obama’s 10-year Memorandum of Understanding. He was a supporter of the President Obama's Iran nuclear agreement and advocated for a return to mutual compliance with the deal.