National Security

U.S. Congressman Matt Cartwright will hold his first Schuylkill County “Coffee with your Congressman” in Pottsville on Monday, April 28, 2014.  The event is a casual, come-and-go opportunity for constituents to visit directly with the Congressman.  This is a part of an ongoing series of events Congressman Cartwright will hold across the Seventeenth District…

Building on his efforts to reopen the government, Rep. Matt Cartwright today called for protecting American families from the cost of a dangerous default by taking long-term action on the debt limit.  The need for action is highlighted by a new analysis by Ways and Means Committee Democrats that shows the consequences families in Pennsylvania would face under a default. …

House Democrats wrote to several Pennsylvania House Republicans today who have expressed support for a clean government funding bill and urged them to sign onto a discharge petition this Saturday that will allow an up or down vote on a clean bill to reopen the government as early as next week.  Unless House leadership schedules an immediate vote on a clean bill, a discharge petition…

Today, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright introduced a bipartisan resolution commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) with the support of 26 additional members of Congress.  Companion legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL).Since 1994, more than 39,000 Pennsylvania residents have…

Rep. Matt Cartwright released the following statement today after the announcement made by the Tobyhanna Army Depot that they have reduced civilian defense workers furloughs from 11 days to 6:“The Tobyhanna Army Depot has informed its 3,500 civilian employees that the 11-day furlough instituted last month have been reduced to six.  The decision means that today is the sixth and…

Last night, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright led the charge against the proposed Chabot Amendment, which aimed to zero out the funding for the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).   The amendment, which failed by a vote of 273-147, was offered as part of the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.“ARC’s purpose is to close the economic gap…

Today, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (PA-17) issued the following statement prior to President Obama’s speech in regards to climate change that is set to take place tomorrow:“We’ve reached 400 ppm carbon dioxide pollution and are quickly reaching catastrophic atmospheric tipping points.  If we do not slow, stop and reverse climate change, the consequences will be…

Today the U.S. House of Representatives failed to pass the Federal Agricultural Reform and Risk Act, commonly known as the Farm Bill, by a vote of 234-195.  Below is U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright’s statement on the action.“While the Farm Bill had many provisions that would have streamlined and improved our nation’s agriculture policy, I could not vote in favor of a $20…

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 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…