Pennsylvania US Representative District 8
Description of office: The US Constitution requires that the House of Representatives be composed of Representatives from each state, elected in proportion to population. There are 435 members of the House of Representatives, with 17 Representatives allotted to Pennsylvania after the 2020 census. A US Representative must be at least 25 years old, have been a citizen of the United States for the past seven years, and be a resident of the state they seek to represent at the time of the election (though not necessarily the same district). The House of Representatives is responsible for introducing and voting on bills, resolutions and amendments, and for approving the budget. Representatives also serve on various policy committees. The House may send Articles of Impeachment of elected officials to the Senate and elects the President if there is a tie in the Electoral College.Term: 2 yearsSalary: $174,000Vote for ONE.
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Matt Cartwright
(Dem)
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Rob Bresnahan, Jr.
(Rep)
What do you see as the most pressing issues facing the country, and how would you address them?
What changes, if any, would you support that would help Congress function more efficiently and effectively?
What legislation would you support to protect voting rights and safeguard access to free and fair elections?
How do you view the role of the US in responding to challenges facing the international community?
County
Lackawanna
Occupation
US Representative for Pennsylvania’s 8th District; formerly a trial lawyer for 25 years
Education
University of Pennsylvania Law School (JD), Hamilton College (BA)
As our economy continues to grow, too many people are being left behind and life remains too expensive for the working people who make our country run. I have been honored to fight in Congress against the big corporations who continue to raise prices at all of our expense, including taking on Big Pharma to bring down the cost of prescription drugs and cap the cost of insulin for seniors.
Northeastern PA’s economy in particular has been badly hurt as our country continues to lose jobs overseas. That’s why I fight so hard in Congress to bring our fair share of federal dollars back to PA-08 and to deliver on promises like reestablishing passenger rail in our area, which will bring with it an additional $84M of economic activity every year.
Congress needs to get its financial house in order. As of this writing, we’re more than five months into the 2024 fiscal year and yet we haven’t actually figured out how much Congress is going to spend this year. I was proud when we passed the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to America last year that neither added to the deficit. Unfortunately, this year, Congress can’t seem to function at all, but I’m working with both parties to bring common sense back to how Congress spends money.
I wrote the Time Off to Vote Act, and I am a strong supporter of several additional pieces of legislation - including the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act - that all have the same goal in mind: to make sure that all Americans who have the right to vote can do so and that every American can trust that their election is secure.
America is the greatest country in the world because we stand up for freedom every chance we get. That includes defending and expanding upon the freedoms enjoyed in this country by every one of our citizens, and it includes standing up for freedom around the globe against authoritarians. As the strongest country in the world, we have kept Americans and the world more safe by leading this fight for freedom.
But now, China seeks to displace us as the global superpower. China has grown by taking our jobs, forcing minorities into inhumane work camps, and trampling over its citizens' god-given freedoms. A world with China at the top is a world where our freedoms are at risk, and we must do everything we can to win this race against China.
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