The LuLac Edition #4, 784, August 10th, 2022

 

 

WRITE ON WEDNESDAY

Our “Write On Wednesday” logo.

This week’s article features 8^th District Congressman Matt Cartwright who addresses real pocket book issues his constituents face. Cartwright outlines some of the things he’s done to ease the pain. He has done it through bi partisan cooperation and legislation. 

 

I’M WORKING TO LOWER PRICES, ON THE SHELVES AND AT THE PUMP

From the grocery aisle to the gas pump, we in Northeastern Pennsylvania know the pain of higher prices.

It’s a problem driven in part by a global supply chain overwhelmed by a rush of demand for consumer goods as we get past the effects of COVID-19. It’s also caused by the greed of big oil companies looking to fatten their bottom lines by overcharging us.

Our community is not immune from these forces and challenges. I’ve heard firsthand from mothers who have had to cut back on their family grocery lists. I’ve spoken to young men and women about how the cost of gas has cratered their bank accounts. Working people are living paycheck to paycheck.

There are some things Congress can do to help, and I’ve been fighting to get them done.

First, I’ve supported legislation to allow the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to crack down on big oil companies who are exploiting Americans by overcharging at the gas pump. The price of oil is falling – that is a fact – but gas prices at the pump have stayed stubbornly high, which just doesn’t check out. The bill I helped pass will hold price-gouging oil companies accountable for their profiteering.

I also helped pass a bill that will alleviate supply-chain backups and drive down prices. This legislation requires the Federal Maritime Commission to crack down on shipping carriers charging inaccurate fees and unreasonably refusing space on ships with goods headed to the United States. This will help alleviate supply chain bottlenecks and help get our national and local economy back on track, getting shelves restocked and lowering prices.

In addition, we have to increase our domestic fuel production in a responsible way, and we can create good jobs as we do it. That’s why I’ve supported energy production right here at home, helping to bring a new $6 billion plant to Luzerne County that will turn local natural gas into regular car gas, creating jobs while driving down fuel prices.

Part and parcel of that effort is making sure increasing production does not come at the cost of our local environment. We can support energy production here in NEPA while taking measures such as closing the “Halliburton loophole,” and enforcing the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. Of all of the things that people in our area understand, it is the vital importance of ensuring that energy extraction cannot despoil our land, air and water.

Most importantly, we have to make much, much more of our goods and supplies here in the United States, so that our supply chains are not so vulnerable in times of crisis. I have consistently voted for legislation that promotes re-shoring manufacturing in America, and the most recent example is the Competes Act, which will take us huge strides in that direction.

I’ve come to find there are a lot of people in government who would rather assign blame or create controversies than just do an honest day’s work and find solutions. The people of this region work hard, and deserve to know they have a representative in Congress who is fighting for them. That’s what I do every single day and that is what I’ll keep doing as long as I have the honor of serving you. I work for you.