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WESTFIELD \u2014 Pointing to ongoing needs for health care, Social Security, infrastructure and aid to Ukraine\u2019s defense, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal said Friday Republicans controlling the House should negotiate a debt ceiling deal soon and not drag it out as a political issue.<\/p>\n
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Friday the federal government is on track to max out on its $31.4 trillion<\/a> borrowing authority as soon as this month, according to the Associated Press. <\/p>\n \u201cWell, there is also some room that the Treasury secretary has on the order and the sequencing which obligations are paid,\u201d U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal said Friday in Westfield.<\/p>\n \u201cThe debt ceiling should not be demagogued,\u201d Neal continued. \u201cThis is not about new spending. The debt ceiling is about previous spending.\u201d<\/p>\n Neal said both parties agreed on the CARES Act, which saved the economy during the pandemic, and on spending for national defense.<\/p>\n Speaking in Westfield with its large Ukrainian-American population, Neal also pointed to America\u2019s role in helping Ukraine mount a self defense against the ongoing Russian invasion.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope that the other party agrees on spending for Social Security and Medicare,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n