Taking Care of Our Veterans & Military Families

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright will take on the SNAP Challenge this Wednesday, limiting himself to $4.50 for a day’s worth of food.  This is the current average daily benefit for a recipient of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as “food stamps.”Cartwright will participate in the SNAP Challenge on Wednesday, June 19th and will keep a…

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright spoke out against the Office of Management and Budget’s Circular A-76 program yesterday.  The program, which has been in existence since 1966, reviewed whether government jobs should be handled by either public or private workers.  An independent review found that the process was biased against government workers, causing the federal government to…

Today U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright announced a U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Grant in the amount of $131,007.00 has been awarded to the Wilkes-Barre Housing Authority.The grant is to be used to assist veterans in need with shelter and health care in a cooperative effort between HUD, local housing authorities and Veterans Affairs.“At a time when 529,000 and 840,000 veterans…

Today U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright testified before the House Committee on Armed Services. Below is video and text of Cartwright’s comments.Click Here to Watch"Members of the House Armed Services Committee, I come before you today to testify about the importance of our defense industrial base, and, specifically, about military depots.  Right now, we stand at the tail end of…

Today Rep. Cartwright introduced the bi-partisan Veterans Mental Health Accessibility Act with 48 original co-sponsors.  Currently, veterans face a five-year window in which they must seek treatment for mental illnesses before losing their higher priority status.   This legislation would eliminate the five-year window and allow veterans to seek treatment for…

Legislation Would Defray Cost Of Renewing Or Transferring A Professional LicenseToday, U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Congressman Matt Cartwright (D-PA) announced that they have introduced the Military Spouses Job Continuity Act, legislation that would help military spouses more easily re-enter the workforce by offering a tax credit to any military spouse who has to renew or transfer…

Today, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on the “Options to Bring the Postal Service Back from Insolvency.” Among those testifying were Mr. Patrick Donahoe, Postmaster General and CEO, USPS and Mr. Frederic Rolando, President, The National Association of Letter Carriers. Rep. Cartwright’s statement is below:“The Postal Service…

Today Congressman Matt Cartwright introduced the bipartisan Military Family Leave Act with 25 original co-sponsors.  The bill would allow parents, children and spouses of military service members to spend time with a loved one who has received notification of impending active duty deployment.  The legislation would give certain immediate family members two weeks unpaid leave…