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Chairman Lawler Introduces Bill to Strengthen State Department Hiring and Passport Services

| Posted in Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – 7/15/25… Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), introduced the Cutting Passport Backlog Act.   This legislation amends the Department of State Authorization Act of 2023 to extend the special hiring authority for passport specialists from three to five years. This will…

Reps. Lawler, Strickland Tackle Extreme Heat and Modernize Transit Corridors

| Posted in Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – 7/15/25… Today, Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17) and Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) introduced the Cool Corridors Act of 2025. The bipartisan legislation focuses on mitigating extreme heat in urban areas by investing in tree canopies and shade infrastructure along transit corridors, sidewalks, bus stops, school zones, and underserved neighborhoods.  “In…

Reps. Lawler, Salazar, and Escobar Introduce Historic Bipartisan DIGNITY Act to Finally Fix America's Broken Immigration System

| Posted in Press Releases

Washington, D.C., 7/15/25... Today, Reps. Mike Lawler (NY-17), María Elvira Salazar (FL-27), and Veronica Escobar (TX-16) introduced a new and improved version of the DIGNITY Act – the DIGNITY Act of 2025: a bold, historic, and commonsense immigration reform bill at a press conference at the Capitol.  Key provisions of the Dignity Act…

Lawler Urges President Trump to Restore Key Funding for After-School Programs in the Hudson Valley

| Posted in Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – 7/11/25… Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17) is urging President Trump to release federal funding for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which provide vital before- and after-school programs across the Hudson Valley. These programs are particularly impactful for low-income students in low-performing schools. Local recipients of this funding include the New Square…

Chairman Lawler Introduces Bipartisan Bill Enhancing Abraham Accords Security Ties

| Posted in Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – 7/10/25… Today, Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, introduced the Abraham Accords Defense Against Terror Act, bipartisan legislation that will expedite arms sales to U.S. partners that have normalized relations with Israel and are actively working with the United States to counter Iran…

Congressman Lawler Celebrates Release of High School Haitian Student from Spring Valley

| Posted in Press Releases

Pearl River, N.Y. – 7/9/25… Last week, Congressman Mike Lawler's office was made aware of the detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of Alan Junior Pierre, a refugee from Haiti and a student at Spring Valley High School. Congressman Lawler’s office acted promptly, intervening after Pierre’s family reached out following unsuccessful attempts to seek assistance from Senator…

Reps. Lawler, Riley, and McDonald Rivet Introduce CROP For Farming Act to Support Conservation and Agriculture

| Posted in Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – 7/7/25… Today, Representatives Mike Lawler (NY-17), joined by Josh Riley (NY-19) and Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08) introduced the Conservation and Regenerative Optimization Practices for Farming Act, or the CROP for Farming Act, a targeted, bipartisan proposal to strengthen conservation efforts and equip farmers with new tools to improve soil health, enhance…

MENA Chairman Lawler Targets Spy Threats with New Bill to Protect U.S. Diplomats Abroad

| Posted in Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – 7/7/25… Today, Chairman Mike Lawler (NY-17) of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), today introduced the Protecting American Diplomats Act, legislation requiring the State Department to evaluate and report on the adequacy of counterintelligence (CI) training for personnel assigned to high-risk diplomatic posts. The…

Congressman Mike Lawler Delivers Historic Tax Relief with Passage of the OBBB

| Posted in Press Releases

The OBBB protects Americans for the largest tax hike in generations, delivers historic tax relief to middle and working class families, strengthens Medicaid, lowers energy costs, and delivers record funding for securing our border. Washington, D.C. — 7/3/25… Today, Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17) issued the following statement after the House voted to approve the final version of…

Times Union: Higher SALT cap deal struck by NY Republicans expected to stick

| Posted in In the News

WASHINGTON — Eight years after Republicans in Congress voted to cap the level of state and local tax deductions that primarily benefit residents in high-tax states like New York, they’re now on track to partially reverse that change. Filers who itemize their deductions would be able to deduct up to $40,000 in state and local taxes on their federal returns — four times as much was…