U.S. Rep. Cartwright talks to Republicans every day

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright has introduced more bipartisan bills than any other House Democrat. Calm, polite, and mild-mannered, he is quite comfortable reaching across the aisle.

“I talk to Republicans every day," he said. "What your political party is, is just a small part of you.”

Easy for him to say. He is one of four brothers, two Democrats and two Republicans.

Cartwright has been in Congress since 2013 and has introduced more than 60 pieces of legislation, many of them bipartisan. He served in the 17th Congressional District (Schuylkill County and parts of Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Carbon, and Northampton counties) until 2018, when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court redrew and renumbered the state’s Congressional districts.

He ran for the new 8th Congressional District, which now includes all of Lackawanna, Wayne, and Pike counties, as well as portions of Luzerne and Monroe counties. He is very happy about serving the 8th District, since it is less spread out than his previous district and allows him to visit more of his constituents. He loves to talk to his constituents, especially the dairy farmers in Wayne County.

Cartwright was elected by his colleagues to serve on the extremely powerful House Committee on Appropriations, which sets funding levels for the $1.4 trillion federal budget. He also serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice, and Science and the Subcommittee for Financial Services and General Government. In addition, he sits on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. His presence on these subcommittees helps him bring money back to his district. Cartwright says his priorities include strengthening the middle class, creating jobs, ensuring quality health, supporting veterans and military families, and protecting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

“There are proposals now to slash Medicare by $500 billion over ten years, and slash Medicaid by $900 billion over ten years," he said. "And these cuts would hurt seniors, rural hospitals, and people living in nursing homes.”

He says it irks him when people call the, “entitlements.”

"They are not a gift," he said. "They are people’s hard-earned money."

Cartwright is up for re-election this year. He's proud that Vanderbilt University’s Center for Effective Lawmaking in Tennessee has called him “The fourth most effective Democrat in the US Congress.”

He has five offices throughout the district, in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Hazelton, Tannersville, and Hawley, in addition to his office in Washington, D.C. He invites people to be in touch with his office and to receive his email news updates. To receive updates, sign up at cartwright.house.gov/contact/newsletter. To email him about your concerns or to ask him a question, visit cartwright.house.gov/contact/email-me.

Editor's note: This story has been revised from the original to include the correct size of the federal budget.