National Security

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright released the following statement regarding President Trump’s meeting in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Friday, special counsel Robert Mueller released grand jury indictments for 12 Russian military intelligence officials, for a myriad of alleged crimes. “I don’t understand the President’s behavior Monday at…

Today, U.S. Congressman Matt Cartwright (PA-17) issued the following statement after President Trump announced United States' withdrawal from the Joint Comphrehensive Plan of Action: “Like the product of most multilateral negotiations, the Iran deal was not perfect. But I supported the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) because it is the best option for preventing Iran from…

A bipartisan amendment offered by Rep. Cartwright to protect federal civilian jobs, including jobs at the Tobyhanna Army Depot, passed the House of Representatives yesterday. This amendment prohibits the Department of Defense from using funds to conduct new A-76 studies. The A-76 process reviews the possibility of outsourcing federal civilian jobs. These studies rely on a process that…

An amendment offered by U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright to cut government costs was included in the FY18 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that passed the House today. This amendment would require the Secretary of Defense to brief Congress on compliance of a cost-savings program authorized in the FY17 NDAA. A 2016 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that the…

Today, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright re-introduced legislation that would guarantee leave for military families. The bipartisan Military Family Leave Act allows military families to spend time with a loved one who has received notification of impending active duty deployment. Currently, parents, children, and spouses of military personnel are allowed 12 weeks of unpaid leave if a…

Washington, DC – Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) confirmed that, in the face of global climate change, more can be done in the United States to share useful climate data so that leaders at the federal, state, and local level, as well as those in the private sector, can better prepare for future extreme weather events and prevent billions of dollars in damages.

Washington, DC – In response to a request from U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a new report outlining the vulnerabilities federal agencies still face due to lack of planning for extreme weather events. This work follows up on GAO’s previous High Risk Reports of 2013 and 2015 which also identified extreme weather as a significant source of fiscal exposure to the federal government.

Today, U.S. Representatives Matt Cartwright (D-PA) and Richard Hanna (R-NY) introduced the bipartisan A Necessary and Targeted Impediment to Viruses Act (ANTI Virus). The ANTI Virus Act requires hacked government agencies that lose control over personally identifiable information to provide victims with personal licenses for one year’s worth of antivirus software to help protect…

Today, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) re-introduced the Safeguarding America’s Future and Environment (SAFE) Act, legislation that would safeguard the country’s natural resources from the increasingly harmful effects of climate change.  “Climate change poses an immediate and long-term threat to the natural resources and…

Today, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright announced that the U.S. Department of the Army has awarded a military contract valued at $301,640,000 to Scranton’s General Dynamics plant, and Medico Industries, Wilkes-Barre Township. This contract provides for manufacture, assemblage, inspection, packaging and delivery of 155mm artillery M795 metal parts assemblies.  The M795 155mm…