Press Releases

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright’s (PA-08) record of fighting corruption in Washington was recognized with an ‘A’ rating on the 2019 legislative scorecard released last week by the End Citizens United Action Fund. Released ahead of today’s anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, the scorecard tracks support among members of Congress for legislation to end the unfair influence of big money in politics and restore ethics in Washington.

“I’ve heard the concerns of Northeastern Pennsylvanians who are frustrated that government isn’t working for them,” said Rep. Cartwright. “A major reason for this dysfunction is the recent surge of big money in politics, which has tipped the scales of political power in favor of the wealthy and well-funded and made it more difficult for Democrats and Republicans to work together. I’m fighting the influence of special interests in Washington because it’s a critical step to advancing real solutions that will benefit Northeastern Pennsylvanians, like bringing drug prices down and fixing our economy so it works for everyone.”

“Congressman Cartwright knows that to make progress on issues important to his constituents, from lowering the cost of prescription drugs to a tax code that rewards working families not special interests, we need to end corruption in Washington and give everyday people a bigger voice in our elections. We're proud that he has earned an 'A' on our 2019 legislative scorecard,” said Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United Action Fund.

About Rep. Cartwright’s ‘A’ Rating

Rep. Cartwright received this ‘A’ rating based on his support for legislation to clean up corruption in Washington, shine a light on dark money groups and strengthen our election security. For example, Rep. Cartwright supports:

• The For the People Act (H.R. 1), a transformative anti-corruption bill that would expose secret foreign money in our politics and crack down on lobbying, among other provisions;
• The DISCLOSE Act (H.R. 2977), which would require all organizations that spend money in federal elections to disclose their donors;
• House Joint Resolution 2, a proposed constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision and enable Congress and state governments to set limits on political fundraising; and
• The SAFE Act (H.R. 2722), which would improve election security across the country by providing states with much-needed resources to protect their voting systems.

The full scorecard is available online here.

About the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United Ruling

Ten years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that a ban on corporate and certain kinds of special interest spending in politics was unconstitutional on the grounds of free speech. As a result, wealthy donors, big corporations and dark money groups have been permitted to spend unlimited sums of money to advance their interests, while everyday Americans struggle to make their voices heard.