Matt Cartwright

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Nathan Gray, who lost his battle with childhood cancer on January 6, 2022. In his eight years of life, Nathan's courage, positivity, and bright smile inspired many, raised awareness for childhood cancer, and banded a community together, inspiring others to do good. Nathan was born on July 16, 2013 to Jeffrey and Patricia Gray, and he was the beloved brother of ten year old Jeffrey and six year old Natalie. When Nathan was two years old, he was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, a rare form of kidney cancer. He fought cancer with the bravery of a superhero, enduring 221 doses of chemotherapy, 26 surgeries, 33 days of radiation, an oral inhibitor, and more than 100 blood platelet transfusions. Despite the challenges of his illness, Nathan attended St. Nicholas-St. Mary's School and enjoyed swimming, playing video games, and riding his bike. Nathan's bravery and joy garnered local attention in August 2016 when the Facebook page ``Nathan the Super Hero'' was started by his family lo document his battle with cancer. Thousands of people have followed the page, sharing words of encouragement. celebrating the joyful moments, and offering comfort and support during the challenging ones. Nathan quickly became a local celebrity, inspiring members of the community with his infectious simile and relentless courage. The community rallied around Nathan. cheering him on and making him feel special. In February 2020, the Wilkes-Barre Area Wolfpack named him honorary team captain before they played their inaugural home game at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium. In August 2020, Wilkes-Barre police and fire department vehicles paraded past his home while well-wishers delivered gifts, and, in December 2021, carolers visited Nathan to spread some Christmas cheer. Just last month, the Wilkes-Barre council unanimously voted to rename the Barney Farms Park in Nathan's honor. Nathan's family's willingness to be open and share their son's experiences with Wilms tumor helped shed important light on the issue of childhood cancer and the need for more aggressive research and increased funding for prevention and cures--so that children like Nathan do not have to suffer. I am honored to recognize the life and legacy of this brave young man. Nathan's memory will live on with his beloved family and friends and the large community that he inspired with his determination and positivity.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, over the last 2 months since we passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, House Democrats have been spreading the good news. In fact, we have had over 1,000 events across this Nation where House Democrats bring home to Americans what we have done with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, strengthening our water systems and sewer systems, rebuilding our roads and our bridges. We just had a catastrophic bridge failure in Pittsburgh that brings home the need to do these things. Expanding broadband internet into the rural places that need them the most, this is a wonderful thing that is highlighting the fact that Democrats delivered with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. That is not the wonder, Madam Speaker. The wonder in all of this is that we had 200 House Republicans voting no, voting against investing in America and helping our companies and our country compete with China, Europe, and places abroad. They voted no. They voted against infrastructure, and they need to explain why.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Frank W. Zardecki for his 62 years of service to our country. A veteran of the United States Air Force, he has served as the Deputy Commander of Tobyhanna Army Depot for 32 years, supporting the organization and the 4,000 personnel who perform diversified logistics, administrative, and related support missions. On January 6, Frank was honored for his contributions and achievements in the role. Frank answered the call of duty and joined the United States Air Force in 1960 and served until 1964. On January 4, 1966, he began working as an electronic test equipment repairer at the Tobyhanna Army Depot. In 1972, he was promoted to his first supervisory role in the avionics branch, and, by 1976, he was named a general foreman. From 1982 to 1984, Frank served as the Depot's first Force Modernization Officer. He served as Chief of the Production Engineering Department, chosen for his experience, technical ability, and managerial skills. In 1985 and 1986, he was selected by DESCOM, the two-star headquarters command, for a special assignment as the Civilian Executive Assistant at the Sierra Army Depot in California, where he was responsible for directing the ammunition and special weapons missions performed at the instillation. When he returned, he was promoted as the Chief of the Shops Division in the Maintenance Directorate. In 1988 and 1989, he served as the Deputy Director of Maintenance. In December 1990, he received a temporary promotion to Acting Deputy Commander, and in June 1991, he was permanently installed in the role, beginning his three-decade tenure in the position, making him the longest-serving Deputy Commander in Tobyhanna Army Depot history. The Depot has thrived under Frank's direction, transitioning from a traditional repair depot to a state-of-the art logistics service center that provides comprehensive maintenance, repair engineering, and logistics services for the entire Department of Defense as well as thousands of jobs in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Secretary of the Army named Tobyhanna Army Depot the Center for Industrial and Technical Excellence for Communications, Electronics. Avionics, and Missile Guidance and Control Systems. The Department of Defense has also recognized the Depot with the Robert T. Mason Depot Maintenance Excellence Award, and the Depot has been the recipient of seven Shingo Awards for manufacturing excellence. For his efforts and expertise, Frank has been called to serve on numerous Department of the Army and Department of Defense special studies on military logistics, and he is widely recognized as a leader in depot maintenance. Throughout his career, Frank has received many awards for his contributions to the field. He has received the Department of Defense Exceptional Civilian Service Award, two Department of the Army Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service Awards, the Meritorious Civilian Service Award, four Superior Civilian Service Awards, the Commander's Award for Civilian Service, and other performance and special service awards. I am honored to join Tobyhanna Army Depot in recognizing Frank for his six decades of service to the nation as a veteran of the United States Air Force and dedicated public servant at the Tobyhanna Army Depot. Frank has been instrumental in the growth and success of the Depot, and we are grateful for his vision and dedication. I wish him the best in his retirement.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dave Williams for his two decades of service to the Pennsylvania agricultural community as a farm broadcaster, owner of the Pennsylvania Farm Country & American Farm County Radio Network, and producer of Pennsylvania Country Roads TV. In February 2021, he received the 2021 Gerald W. Reichard Impact Award from the Pennsylvania Farm Show, and he received the Barn Raiser Award at the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau's 71st Annual Meeting on November 16, 2021. Dave was born in Wayne County, Pennsylvania and raised on a five- generation family farm in Cherry Ridge. At age twelve, he took over a herd of 30 dairy cows and was active in 4-H. Dave then joined the military, and, after his service, he helped manage a 5,000-acre cattle ranch in Texas. With his late wife, Melba, he leased a 50-acre mule farm while working in the oil drilling business. When he returned to Wayne County, he worked as a fleet manager in the trucking industry while returning to his agricultural roots on the weekends, farming and raising sheep and cows. He was named the president of the Pocono Mountains Antique Farm Association, doing shows at local fairs. In the fall of 1998, Marilyn Shaffer of the Wayne County Farm Bureau, who was a fellow member of the antique machinery club, asked Dave to do a radio show for Honesdale's radio station. Dave pitched his idea for a radio show that would not only target farmers and their concerns but also the consumers who buy and eat the food. The station gave Dave the green light, and his first show featured Leroy Van Dyke, a popular country singer, as his initial guest. The show would go on to host state and federal legislators, governors, and state agricultural officials. One of the highlights of his program is the ``heartland stories'' from farmers themselves, and Davie shares his own stories of growing up on and managing his family's farm. Dave is especially skilled at building a rapport with farmers and encouraging them to use their voice and the radio show platform to share their successes and concerns, helping consumers understand the agricultural process. Dave joined the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau first as an officer and later as state director, and he served as a state delegate to the American Farm Bureau Association, through which he met Orion Samuelson, host of U.S. Farm Report, who told him he needed to be a National Farm Broadcaster. Dave then joined the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB), and later hosted Samuelson on his show. After connecting with Pennsylvania Cable Network at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, he was invited to have his own show on the network which reaches an audience of 3.5 million. I am honored to recognize Dave for his storied broadcasting career. His work has contributed immeasurably to the visibility of the agricultural community both in Pennsylvania and across the country, and I am grateful for his efforts to champion farmers' voices. I wish him continued success with his broadcasting and agricultural endeavors.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank the gentleman particularly not only for authoring and helping out all the rest of us cosponsor this important legislation, but in particular for mentioning the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania here late this afternoon. It was Pennsylvania that was instrumental in actually passing the Social Security Act back in the thirties. It was a huge fight. It was a time when Republicans called the concept of Social Security, Madam Speaker, communism. They called it that. They said it would lead to horrible things. They said it would be the ruination of the American economy and the American democracy, and it was communism. That is what the Republicans called the whole idea of Social Security when the Roosevelt administration came up with it. And the Roosevelt administration was having a huge fight with the Republican-dominated Supreme Court of the United States. They were against it. And they kept ruling that Roosevelt's programs, the National Labor Relations Act, all of these programs that Roosevelt came up with, the Securities and Exchange Commission, all of these programs that Roosevelt came up with to try to work our way out of the Great Depression, the Supreme Court was invalidating as unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause. And it was actually a member of the United States Supreme Court, a Republican member named Owen J. Roberts who saved the day, Congressman Larson. He saved the day because he changed his mind about the commerce clause and how it applied to the Social Security Act. Owen J. Roberts was a terrific trial lawyer from Philadelphia. He was a prosecutor. He was in the U.S. Attorney's Office. And he personally handled the Teapot Dome scandal. He prosecuted the criminals who perpetrated the Teapot Dome scandal back in the twenties. And his career flourished. He started a law firm where I actually practiced for 2 years as a young lawyer myself in Philadelphia. And Owen J. Roberts went on to join the Supreme Court of the United States as an associate justice, he was one of the Republican members. There was great controversy about whether Social Security would be ruled constitutional. Roberts thought about it, and to his great and everlasting credit and to the credit of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, he changed his mind. He changed his mind, and he validated the Social Security Act. And as a result, it was signed into law and it was held constitutional. The Social Security Administration took off, and all of a sudden, American life included this promise, as the gentleman stated, a sacred trust. This promise that if you work your whole life, you pay into the system, you pay your FICA taxes all the way through, you continue to pay every quarter all the way through your career, that is the promise, that when you retire you will not be left destitute. You will not be relegated to poverty and to privation, that you will have food on your table and a roof over your head because you will have money coming in that is your money. It is your money. You paid into it. It is not the government, it is an insurance program, as the gentleman from Connecticut astutely noted. And it is a promise that has been kept every day, every week, every month since the 1930s. We are talking about 80 years of keeping a promise for Social Security. In my district it makes a very big difference. The gentleman from Connecticut is right. There is an awful lot of people who are over the age of retirement who are depending entirely on Social Security checks to survive. Yes, in some places it is around 25 percent, that might be the average. But I can tell you that there are places that are hurting in this country where the people surviving on Social Security checks and nothing else coming in approaches 40 or 50 percent. You can see who it is, and you feel for them, and you know that every year they see what they call the COLA increases, the cost-of-living adjustment increases. It is all worked out by a mathematical formula. It is called CPI, and it is the Consumer Price Index, and it rises in accordance with what formula is used. Over the years, Social Security has been attacked by Republicans. It was attacked savagely at the outset as communism. In the first decade of this millennium, the Republicans wanted to privatize Social Security, make it so that the money went into the stock market. Now, imagine that, into the stock market. And then when we had this enormous stock market crash in 2008, the retirement savings of all of these people who paid into this wonderful insurance program for retirement would have been wiped out. But it was Democrats who fought day in and day out in that time. You were there, Mr. Larson.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. The gentleman is exactly correct. It was an attempt to privatize Social Security in those years. And it was only by the stalwart, staunch defense of the Social Security system by the Democrats--Democrats present here in this Chamber today--who did that and fought it off. And thank God they did. Because it is true, the stock market crash of 2000 would have thrown millions and millions of seniors right into poverty if the Republicans had got away with it, had privatized Social Security. And it did not stop there. I was not in Congress in those years, but I came into Congress. I was elected in 2012. And in 2013, I was sworn in for the first time. And here I am, a freshman Democrat, and about 4 months into my very first term, something happened. The Republicans were pushing this scheme called chained CPI. And chained CPI was a $50 expression that means lower cost of living adjustment increases, lower increases year after year. The idea was, well, we have to make ends meet at Social Security so let's cut increases for seniors. That was their plan. And they called that chained CPI. Now, there was a big fight over that, of course. And at least at that point, the Republicans weren't calling Social Security communism, but they were still trying to cut it for seniors, and that is no good. And the Democrats fought back hard against that. Well, along comes 2013, and in the springtime, the President comes out with a budget. And President Obama at the time, he wanted to extend an olive branch to the Republicans, it might be recalled. And President Obama incorporated this chained CPI notion in his budget. He put that in his budget. I wasn't having it. I joined a bunch of people--I think the congressman from Connecticut was with me--and we went out on the lawn of the Capitol to protest against the President of the United States, a Democratic President of the United States extending this olive branch to the Republicans by putting chained CPI in his budget. We were protesting. We Democrats were protesting against a Democratic President going along with that notion just to try to get along with the Republicans. In the end, to his everlasting credit, President Obama withdrew that offer and never brought it up again. And now, under Social Security 2100, there is a real cost of living adjustment formula in there, something that actually takes into account the things that seniors has to buy; the things that seniors can't afford unless they get the increase; the things that seniors need to live in any kind of reasonable style of living. There is a reasonable cost of living adjustment in Social Security 2100, and I am proud to be on that bill. Look, workers paid into this fund all their careers; it is their money. And the promise is not that you will get some money, the promise is that you are going to get enough money to make it out of poverty in your retirement. And if you have other things coming in, fine, but there are people who rely entirely--that is their sole source of support--the Social Security checks that they get. Madam Speaker, in my district, 140,000 people, relying on those Social Security checks coming in. And my suggestion this evening, as we talk about Social Security 2100, let's pass it and keep the promise.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the continuing resolution. At the same time, I join my colleagues in calling on the other side of the aisle to join in helping enact a year-long appropriations act, the way we are supposed to do, rather than relying on this kind of stop-and-go government funding or a full-year continuing resolution, as has also been threatened. Look, a full-year continuing resolution would be disastrous to our country in so many ways. It would greatly limit or reduce essential investments in our Nation's future. As for the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, as reported out of committee earlier this year, it provides funding increases aimed at creating jobs in distressed communities, enforcing our trade laws, fighting crime and supporting community involvement with law enforcement, ensuring civil rights, advancing American scientific research, fighting the opioid epidemic, confronting the climate crisis, among so many other critical public investments. These funding increases are only possible with an appropriations agreement. I urge support, both for the short-term CR, and to quickly finalize a full-year appropriations agreement.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, together with President Biden, this country has already created 5.6 million jobs this year alone. Growth is up, wages are up, and unemployment is at a figure that is at a low of a couple of generations at this point. And in the middle of all of this, Democrats had the temerity to enact the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a historic occasion. The infrastructure law the Democrats delivered will create millions more good-paying jobs--American jobs, union jobs, family-sustaining jobs, jobs that cannot be outsourced or sent offshore. The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was signed into law the week before last makes the largest Federal investment in public transit ever. It makes the largest Federal investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak. It makes the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the Interstate Highway System. It makes the largest investment in clean drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in American history. It ensures that every American has access to reliable high-speed internet. It helps tackle the climate crisis by making the largest investment in clean energy transmission and electric vehicle infrastructure in history. Madam Speaker, rebuilding our infrastructure means shoring up our American middle class. It means jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, and more jobs. It means, maybe most importantly to a lot of us, honoring the work and the sacrifices of the Greatest Generation, those folks that Tom Brokaw called the Greatest Generation. They came back from World War II, from defeating fascism in the Pacific and the Atlantic, and they came back after making all of those sacrifices, suffering all of those hardships and deprivations and what did they do? They immediately set to work sacrificing more for their children and their grandchildren, for us. They sacrificed for us, and they didn't stop sacrificing.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, to honor the memory of a 104-year-old hero of World War II and a survivor of the infamous Bataan Death March, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan). Moment of Silence Honoring Brigadier General Ben Skardon

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Will the gentleman yield for a question?

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Well now, of course, the press has noted with interest that it took us weeks and months to sort out all the details and finally get it to the White House for signature. Here is my question: Contrast those weeks and months with how long will this country benefit from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act? How long?

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Will the gentleman yield for another question?

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Paul Tonko from the 20th District of New York for his insights and also for helping me introduce our next speaker, the dynamic Representative Ross from the Second District of North Carolina, where innovation is second nature. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Ross).

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, may I ask how much time is remaining.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Costa).

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Duncan for that fine tribute, and I ask, in harmony with Congressman Duncan, that this House observe a moment of silence in honor of the memory of this World War II hero, Colonel Ben Skardon. Madam Speaker, this week, Democrats delivered on infrastructure. Over the past number of years, we have had infrastructure week after infrastructure week. Eventually, infrastructure week became a joke. Now, under the current administration, we have made good on our promise to rebuild the arteries of America. We have delivered a once- in-a-century investment in all the infrastructure that makes our Nation run. It is the kind of investment that will create millions of good-paying jobs and make our Nation more competitive with every other country in the world. When President Biden signed into law this bill, this act, yesterday, it was the largest investment in rebuilding bridges since the construction of the Interstate Highway System, the largest Federal investment in passenger rail since the original establishment of Amtrak, and the largest investment in clean drinking water in American history. So important for my district in northeastern Pennsylvania, this will put northeastern Pennsylvania back on the passenger rail map, bring broadband internet to every rural area in my district, and support our efforts to reclaim all the abandoned mine land sites that have scarred our landscape for decades and fouled our watercourses for that length of time as well. It will create millions of jobs, good-paying jobs, American jobs, union jobs, jobs that cannot be outsourced across the ocean. This is truly a transformative law that will help us build a stronger middle class and a brighter future for our entire Nation. What we are here to talk about this evening is what it means to us, this kind of investment, this kind of belief in our future here in America, what it means to us individually, in our particular districts. I have here this evening my fellow Pennsylvanian from the Second Congressional District of Pennsylvania, Representative Brendan Boyle. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Brendan F. Boyle) so he can tell us what it means to him that we have made this historic investment in America.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Will the gentleman yield for a question?

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. You mentioned being number one and competing. What are you talking about, being number one, on what list? And who do we have to compete with?

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. It was chilly.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Boyle for his insights about the competition aspect. By delivering this infrastructure bill yesterday afternoon, as we did, Democrats are delivering millions of good-paying union jobs, jobs that will put pipefitters and plumbers to work replacing lead water pipes so every child in America can drink clean water. No more will we have the Flint, Michigans where little kids get poisoned by lead in their drinking water, because we are going to rip out all that 100- year-old piping with the lead in it so that won't happen again. We will transform roads, rail, bridges, public transit, modernize our ports and airports and freight rail, manufacture solar panels, wind farms, batteries, electric vehicles to grow clean energy supply chains that we can export to the rest of the world. This is a transformational moment not only for the American economy but for the American future and the American people. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the 4th Congressional District of Pennsylvania, Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, to elucidate further on what it means that we enacted this law yesterday afternoon. So far it is all Pennsylvanians.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Will the gentlewoman yield for a question?

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. It is a sad question, I have to say, because we call it the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, but the truth is, despite their best efforts to claim credit in local news across the country, 206 House Republicans voted against this bill. They voted against good-paying American jobs, they voted against roads, bridges, and rail systems, water systems and sewer systems, against broadband, and clean drinking water. They voted against the tools that we need to compete and win in the global economy as Representative Boyle pointed out. My question is why? Why would they vote against this belief in our country, this investment in our future? Why would they vote against it?

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. It is an afternoon we won't soon forget.