Barletta Tours War College, AHEC

Carlisle Sentinel

U.S. Rep Lou Barletta, R-Hazelton, is getting to know the Carlisle area on the heels of his announcement he will be seeking re-election to the 11th congressional district, which now includes parts of Cumberland County.

Barletta toured the U.S. Army War College and Army Heritage and Education Center Monday afternoon before attending the Cumberland County Republican Committee’s fundraising event, at which he was the keynote speaker.

With the redistricting moves, AHEC will be in Barletta’s district, not that of U.S. Rep. Todd Platts, R-19, whose district will become number 4.

“I will work close with Congressman Platts and I am sure there will be a seamless transition,” Barletta said Monday afternoon in the assembly room at AHEC.

“Todd and I get along very well. He offered to help make the transition seamless,” he added.

“It’s very obvious that this school is critical to national defense,” he said, referring to the War College. “The threats to America today are much different than two decades ago.”

Local focus

Barletta is no stranger to military institutions. The Tobyhanna Army Depot, in Monroe County, is the largest, full-service electronics maintenance facility in the Department of Defense, according to the depot’s website.

When asked how he felt about representing such a large district – it’s more than 100 miles from end to end at its longest point – Barletta said that he had been a mayor for 11 years before he was elected to Congress and he was used to “working closely together with local leaders.”

He highlighted two areas of his current district that have disparate needs – Monroe County, which sees about 40,000 residents commute daily to New York City and Columbia County, which has a largely agrarian population.

“I don’t see any problems” with representing the district, even given its size, he said.

“I’m here to make sure people get to know me. We’re looking at making sure we have a presence here. I take great pride in my constituent service area,” he added.

His view on constituents, he said, is that “we work for them. We accomplish what they need. They will see me.”

He vowed that he would be “answering all needs of Cumberland County” residents and assured people that he “can meet the needs of Cumberland County residents.”

Party lines

Barletta holds townhall-style meetings that he calls “Home to House. I take the voices of the homes to the House of Representatives, not the other way around.”

Barletta made headlines in 2006 when, as mayor of Hazelton, he and the city council introduced legislation that he vowed would make Hazelton “one of the toughest places in the United States” for illegal immigrants.

The Illegal Immigration Relief Act, as it was called, allowed for fines of up to $1,000 against landlords who leased to illegal immigrants. It also made English the official language of Hazelton and prohibited city employees from translating any document into another language without authorization.

Several groups sued in federal court to block the ordinance, which was struck down as unconstitutional by a federal judge.

‘People before party’

Given that he’s known for being tough on immigration, Barletta was asked if he wanted to be known for anything else.

“I didn’t want to do it, I was forced to do it when the federal government failed” to adequately address illegal immigration, he said.

One of the issues he feels strongly about, he said, is the federal government’s response to recent natural disasters.

“The recent flooding changed things and I’m fighting to change how we respond to natural disasters,” he said, adding that he disagreed with the federal government’s offer to loan money to American citizens at a 6 percent interest rate when it had given billions in no-strings-attached aid to Pakistan after flooding there.

“I put people before the party, even when that means going against my own party,” he said.

Circling back to the point of Monday’s visit, which was to tour the Army War College and AHEC so he could get a feel for the area, he said, “I will stand up and fight… and do all we can to protect this facility.”

“I just like to travel, stop in diners and get to know people well, and they get to know me. I’m the father of four daughters, so I am a great listener,” he joked.

Rep. Steve Bloom, R-199, who invited Barletta to tour the facilities, said Monday, “I am very pleased he would immediately take the time to invest in learning about the institutions that are so critical not just to the area’s economic well-being but also national safety.”


Posted on Cumberlink at 4:45 p.m. Monday.

Cumberland County’s soon-to-be congressman, U.S. Rep Lou Barletta, R-Hazelton, is getting to know his new district on the heels of his announcement he will be seeking re-election to the 11th congressional district, which will include parts of Cumberland County.

Barletta toured the U.S. Army War College and Army Heritage and Education Center Monday afternoon before attending the Cumberland County Republican Committee’s fundraising event, at which he was the keynote speaker.

With the redistricting moves, AHEC will reside in Barletta’s district, not that of U.S. Rep. Todd Platts, R-York, whose district had been No. 19 and is now No. 4.

“I will work close with Congressman Platts and I am sure there will be a seamless transition,” Barletta said Monday afternoon in the assembly room at AHEC.

“Todd and I get along very well. He offered to help make the transition seamless,” he added.

“It’s very obvious that this school is critical to national defense,” he said, adding that “the threats to America today are much different than two decades ago.”

Read more: http://cumberlink.com/news/local/barletta-tours-war-college-ahec/article_2330d662-408c-11e1-bd6e-001871e3ce6c.html