In the News

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright is looking forward to leading the newest group of Democrats in the House.

"I'm very honored that they did that," said Cartwright, who has been chosen president of the 49-member freshman class of Democrats.

Cartwright, D-Moosic, oversees a district that includes Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, as well as all of Scuylkill County and parts of Carbon, Monroe and Northampton counties. He wants to use his president's post, along with his committee assignments, to serve all his constituents.

"The top overall priority for me as a congressman is to get past the toxic atmosphere that has developed in Washington," he said.

Toward that end, he and U.S. Rep. Luke Messer, R-Ind., the president of the freshman Republican class, jointly addressed a meeting of the 84 freshman representatives during a three-day educational session in Williamsburg, Va., a pairing Cartwright said was unprecedented.

"We talked about the importance of getting together regularly," Cartwright said. "It's hard to demonize somebody that you know very well."

Cartwright defeated 10-term U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, a Saint Clair Democrat, in the April 24 primary and went on to defeat Old Forge Republican Laureen Cummings in the general election.

In addition to being freshman class president, Cartwright will serve on two committees: Natural Resources, which he believes will be helpful to his constituents, and Oversight and Government Reform, where he is the ninth-ranking Democrat.

Oversight and Government Reform was one of his top choices, Cartwright said.

"They have a very broad jurisdiction," he said of the panel, chaired by U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., which investigated steroid use in baseball.

"I have no doubt they will be fricasseeing members of the government about Benghazi," he said, referring to the attack on Sept. 11, 2012, around the U.S. Consulate in that Libyan city that killed four Americans, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.

Cartwright is also excited about serving on the Natural Resources panel, even though it was not his first choice, since it has jurisdiction over mine reclamation, a hot topic across much of his district.

"The only agenda I have there is making sure things are done properly and safely," he said. "The Natural Resources Committee does have jurisdiction over things like fly ash."

Cartwright is concerned that the mines in the Susquehanna Valley in and around Pittston are full of water, which leads to flooded homes. Furthermore, Cartwright said, the iron in that water tints it orange.

"I intend to go about it the same way Congressman Holden did," Cartwright said. "He was masterful about getting government money into the county."