Talk may be cheap, but is Neal saying the words more Dems should say? (WMP&I)

Donald Trump has launched a trade war with Canada and Mexico. Elon Musk is doing his best to play aviation gremlin to the federal airship midflight. Both ongoing acts of economic and civic vandalism touch the jurisdiction of the Ways & Means Committee and therefore its ranking member Springfield Congressman Richard Neal.

Neal’s party does not control Congress, but Democrats have faced broad criticism for failing to meet the moment. Practically, there is little they can do that Republicans cannot override. Still, many Democrats pine for at least some fire from party leaders as the wires and sprockets fly out of the economy and financial system. Could that come from Neal, despite some history as a bête noire to many on his left?

“Every promise made by the President during the campaign about lowering costs, reducing inflation, and putting the working and middle-class first was a lie,” Neal said Saturday when Trump inexplicably imposed 25% tariffs on the nation’s neighbors. “These reckless tariffs take a sledgehammer where a scalpel is necessary, and the American people will pay the price.”

Although in text form, it was a fiery tone for a pol who generally keeps his public indignation under wraps. Yet, it was not even his first broadside. On Friday, Neal took aim at Musk’s seizure of normally humdrum bureaucracies including the feds’ personnel office and central payment entity.

While many Democrats have been rightfully raising the alarm about abstract but dangerous Constitutional implications, Neal zeroed in on the safety net and Americans’ personal information.

Musk in government. Yes, this visual metaphor is too kind. (still via Warner Bros)

“A purge and hostile takeover of the federal government, one that invades Americans’ privacy and enriches the wealthy class, is underway,” Neal said. “The President and his allies have made clear that Americans’ private and sensitive Social Security, Medicare, and tax information is for sale to his billionaire kitchen cabinet as they seek to consolidate executive power, use insider information to secure federal contacts, and supercharge their own enrichment.”

While serving as Ways & Means Chair from 2019 to 2023, Neal played prominent roles on trade, pensions and healthcare. Ways & Means has jurisdiction over these as well as Social Security.

As is common for national issues, Neal relayed this week’s statements through Ways & Means staff rather than his district office. That broadens reach, although so far only his tariff statement has gotten attention in business publications.

Democrats’ options are few right now. The House is a purely majoritarian body. In the Senate, Democrats could slow down nominations and withhold unanimous consent. This burns only so much time. Republicans do not seem especially interested in legislation they cannot pass via reconciliation, which bypasses the filibuster.

Thus far, the only effective countermeasures to Trump have come from courts. Judges have blocked both Trump’s patently illegal recission of birthright citizenship and a memo that seemingly halted billions in federal spending in contravention of law. In response to a temporary restraining order arising a suit states including Massachusetts brought, Trump’s Office of Management and Budget issued broad guidance to allow funding to flow even in contravention to Trump’s executive orders.

That does not mean Democrats’ at best foggy and at worst flat comms have been acceptable. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer has seemingly tried to prod Trump over lying about battling inflation. The leader of Neal’s caucus, New York Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, has increased the forcefulness of his criticisms. Yet, he comes off a low baseline. Their messages have not clearly put front and center the risks these executive activities pose.

So far, Neal has not relayed his condemnations on camera, something many Dems may want before the substantive damage begins. Nor would the comments likely placate critics of his resistance to Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.

While he voted against nearly all of Trump’s agenda the first time—at least the parts he could not shape like Trump’s now-trashed Canada/Mexico trade deal—he limited his televised condemnations. He has long avoided national media hits, save the odd CNBC cameo to talk tax policy.

Neal met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa as part of crafting a revised trade pact in 2019. Trump–who pushed for the revision–tore it asunder this weekend with new tariffs. (via Office of the PM).

Local media outings are a different matter. However, these are usually staid affairs about grants or matters of public concern. For example, while announcing electric school buses last week in Springfield he offered warnings about Trump’s actions but little venom. This was typical for the last eight years.

That said, things may have started changing in December. Neal blasted Republicans for backing off a spending deal at the behest of Musk, the power behind Trump’s throne. The speech prompted a comically empty threat from Musk.

Within the viper pit of Springfield politics and acid baths of the Washington Beltway, Neal has survived with a mix of policy wonkiness, personal affability and tactical ruthlessness. Perhaps this is not unique among national Democrats. Still, how did distill the alarm that it seems many people want to hear?

The answer may partly lie in his origin story. Neal credits Social Security for his family’s survival after the death of his parents. Moreover, the compromise of federal funds—whether individual grants or the aqueduct of Medicare and Medicaid money that are essential for his district’s hospitals—would be an existential crisis for his district substantively and Neal politically.

Yet, Neal’s comments also hit on more ordinary fears that can trigger Americans’ attention. He highlighted that Musk now has access to personal information.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has let the Muskovites look under the hood and see transaction data including info concerning ordinary Americans. (via wikipedia)

“The American people must be able to trust that their information is being safeguarded, especially from those whose only interest is their own wealth,” Neal said in his Friday statement. “It is unconscionable that respected public servants with superb reputations, who have served the American people diligently for decades, are being pushed out by this Administration for refusing to bend the knee. It is dangerous and jeopardizes the safety and economic security of every citizen.”

Democrats are furtively coalescing around messaging about the oligarchy Trump has empowered. The difficulty is putting that into terms that can activate voters. Many are not entirely tuned in, including many reliable Democratic voters.

Unlike accessing personal information, the tariffs may be more esoteric until the price hikes begin. Here, Neal focused on the hypocrisy.

“In fact, Trump is treating China better than our friends. The question is why,” he said in his Saturday statement. “His weakness after spending the entire campaign promising a tough-on-China approach wreaks of back-door favors that benefit his billionaire cabinet.”

Hypocrisy used to be fairly effective in politics. It may still be, although hypocrisy has yet to scratch Trump. It may yet wound the GOP.

Ultimately, Democrats can only do so much without Congressional Republicans. In theory, Trump’s power should have begun to drain as soon as January 20. Never to appear on a ballot again—barring tyranny—and a lodestone to Republicans in every non-presidential election, he will have less and less value to the GOP over time. Perhaps Republicans fear Musk’s money or the pardoned January 6^th rioters who beat up cops and erected a gallows with noose.

To that end, even if Neal is hitting the right note, it may not matter as much unless courts intervene or the country staggers to a national election in 21 months.