In the News

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright calls the American Rescue Plan a necessary response to the economic hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

But real recovery will only come with shots in arms, he said.

Cartwright, D-8, Moosic, used his appearance as Monday’s guest on the University of Scranton’s virtual State of Scranton seminar series to repeatedly urge people to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, describing it as essential to crushing the virus.

“To help us move forward, everybody has a responsibility to roll up their sleeves and get a vaccine,” Cartwright said. “We cannot recover unless we win the race against the virus.”

The congressman’s remarks came as Gov. Tom Wolf moved up the date Pennsylvanians 16 and older can start signing up for COVID-19 vaccines to today, instead of Monday.

Cartwright, who said it is almost impossible to grasp the economic and other losses Americans have endured since the start of the pandemic, described the $1.9 trillion stimulus package passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden as “the responsible thing to do.”

“It is the grown-up thing to do, and we did it,” he said.

He reviewed some of the numbers in the package, including $20 billion for a coordinated nationwide vaccine plan. Behind those numbers is actual relief for families and businesses, he said.

“It’s shots in arms and money in pockets, people in jobs and kids back in schools,” Cartwright said. “That’s what this is about.”