Who Is Matt Cartwright?

Thank you to Angela Lauffenburger of Honesdale for this excellent letter, which appeared in the River Reporter:

“With the midterm election coming fast upon us, one might ask, who is Matt Cartwright and what can he do for Wayne County? After meeting Cartwright, Wayne County’s new U.S. Congressman after recent redistricting, I am finding something I don’t typically find in my representatives: someone who is there, who listens to his constituents, who works up and down the aisle to find common ground, and ranks number two in the House in gaining bipartisan support when introducing legislation. I am finding a true advocate with a proven, long-standing record for action on important issues such as programs for veterans, for rural Pennsylvania, for healthcare and for economic development, among others.

Take, for example, his record on Social Security and Medicare. Cartwright was endorsed by the National Committee to Protect Social Security and Medicare. He introduced the Social Security 2100 Act, which stands to cut taxes for Social Security recipients, provide a benefit bump for current and future beneficiaries, and keep the system strong for generations to come. He voted against last year’s budget cuts, which cut $486 billion from Medicare and would turn it into a voucher program. In fact, Cartwright strongly opposes any budget compromises that involve cuts to these programs, dating back to the Obama administration.

With Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block to make up for recent tax cuts for the wealthy, which added more than $1 trillion to the deficit, Cartwright would continue to be a much-needed champion for these programs. Not surprisingly, Chrin is running many incorrect ads about him, including one that says he voted to cut Medicare by billions citing an article from 2012, before he was even in office. In a time of fake news, cyber warfare and politics as usual, I urge voters to truly get to know their candidates; their lives may depend on it.”

Angela Lauffenburger

Honesdale, PA

You can read more here: https://riverreporter.com/opinion-letters-editor/letters-editor-10418