Cartwright names Dupont resident as virtual guest to Biden’s address

DUPONT — U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright Monday announced he has invited a Dupont resident John Cardoni as his “virtual guest” to President Joe Biden’s Joint Address to Congress on Wednesday.

Since the enactment of the American Rescue Plan, Cardoni has been fully vaccinated and able to keep up with expenses.

The joint address, which is President Biden’s first speech to a Joint Session of Congress, marks 100 days into the president’s first term.

In the past, members of Congress have often invited constituents to join them as guests to such speeches. While COVID-19 safety protocols mean this year’s in-person attendance will be limited, Cartwright, D-Moosic, said inviting Cardoni as his virtual guest is an important way to honor the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania and share their stories.

“As we approach 100 days into our work with this administration, we are finally turning a corner in our fight against this pandemic,” Cartwright said. “We’re not out of the woods yet, but we are making important strides with the American Rescue Plan helping to deliver shots in arms, money in pockets, children in schools and people in jobs,” Cartwright said. “So many Americans have experiences from this pandemic like John does. Americans like him are the true heroes of this recovery, and I am proud to name him as my virtual guest to the presidential address.”

Cardoni lives in Dupont with his wife, Agnes Cardoni, Ph.D., and their son, Christopher. He is the facility director for the Scranton Cultural Center, a position from which he was laid off early in the pandemic as so many who work at large event venues were.

He has since returned to work for reduced hours and pay, and stimulus payments and enhanced unemployment assistance from the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan helped Cardoni and his wife keep up with their mortgage and meet out-of-pocket medical expenses.

He has also been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and looks forward to returning to work full-time and expanding event capacity at the Scranton Cultural Center this year.

“It wasn’t easy going from having a steady salary for so long to being suddenly laid off overnight. Fortunately, the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan made it possible for us and the Scranton Cultural Center to survive,” Cardoni said. “Now that most of the administrative staff and I at the Center are on their way to being fully vaccinated, I’m optimistic we will again be the vibrant cultural hub that we were before the pandemic. I’m grateful for the work Congressman Cartwright is doing for our area and I’m honored to be his virtual guest for the President’s Joint Session speech.”

Cardoni plans to watch the speech at home in Dupont. While safety protocols prohibit him from attending in-person, Cartwright will honor him and mark his virtual attendance by submitting his story into the Congressional Record and presenting him with a copy.

Cartwright said the American rescue Plan has enabled:

• More than 220 million vaccine doses and counting to be administered. More than 90 million Americans are fully vaccinated. More than half of the adults in the U.S. have received at least one dose, according to CDC data.

• In the Pennsylvania Eighth Congressional District counties, more than 300,000 have received at least one vaccine dose, according to Pennsylvania Department of Health data.

The American Rescue Plan also recently sent $6 billion to local Community Health Centers to help them distribute vaccines, including $11 million for federal Community Health Centers in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

About 159 million stimulus payments have made their way into the hands of hardworking Americans with most eligible families receiving $1,400 per family member.

Over 18 million Americans, including 1.3 million Pennsylvanians, are able to pay their bills due to unemployment benefits that were extended, including the extra $300 per week.

• Invested $130 billion to help schools reopen safely, stay open safely and make up for lost learning time. K-12 schools in the Eighth Congressional District counties received a total of more than $250 million.

• Recently sent $39 billion to states to help keep childcare providers on the job and lower costs for working families. Pennsylvania received $1.18 billion.

• Created nearly 1 million jobs in March. In fact, “Job growth boomed in March at the fastest pace since last summer, as stronger economic growth and an aggressive vaccination effort contributed to a surge in hospitality and construction jobs,” according to CNBC.