Cartwright and Republican Congressman Steve Stivers from Ohio.

I’m so proud that we will have someone in the White House we can claim as our own in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Joe Biden knows the way of life of people here as well as the struggles they go through. He will bring that perspective to governing and be a great partner in helping Northeastern Pennsylvania come back stronger than before this pandemic.

He will help us achieve real relief for our families and businesses, and make long overdue infrastructure plans a reality. The President also knows our nation is deeply divided. During his speech he acknowledged that we would have disagreements, but he reminded us that we can't let disagreements lead to disunion. He wants to bridge our divides by working with both Democrats and Republicans to solve the challenges we face in this nation. I'm looking forward to helping advance these important efforts.

Did you know that the National Guard has been activated more times over the past year than any other time since World War II? These activations are hard on them and their families. This afternoon, I stopped by to thank one of the groups of National Guard members from Pennsylvania who were deployed to Washington.

Altogether, Pennsylvania National Guardsmen make up 10 percent of the troops in our Capital right now. I am so grateful to all of our servicemembers and law enforcement officers who protected us and the peaceful transfer of power this week.

Although it was far from perfect, the year-end coronavirus compromise Congress enacted in December extends a number of relief lifelines, such as enhanced unemployment insurance, food assistance and small business aid. To learn more about the resources now available to you, your family or your business, visit my COVID-19 resource page.