In the News

A Republican rival to Kathy Hochul blasted the governor’s stance against massive Con Edison rate hikes — calling it a “gimmick” as he blamed her green energy policies for the sticker shock. Rep. Mike Lawler, who’s eyeing a run for governor in 2026, accused Hochul of trying to cover her butt by urging the state utility regulator to reject Con Edison’s proposed double-digit rate… Read more »

Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and 55 other House members are set to reintroduce the Antisemitism Awareness Act on Wednesday, a priority piece of legislation for the Jewish community that ultimately failed to pass the Senate last year after securing bipartisan support in the House. Lawler told Jewish Insider that, in the wake of continuing… Read more »

Reps. Mike Lawler (NY-17) and Linda Sánchez (CA-38) have introduced the Keeping Drugs Out of Schools Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at combating youth opioid abuse. The proposed legislation seeks to facilitate partnerships between schools and Drug-Free Communities to educate students on the dangers of synthetic opioids. Companion legislation has been introduced in the Senate by… Read more »

President Donald Trump has maintained his opposition to congestion pricing in New York and has spoken to Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) twice in the past week about it. Hochul wants to keep the program, which has resulted in 1 million fewer vehicles entering the congested spots in Manhattan since its start on Jan. 5, and she is trying to convince Trump to keep… Read more »

Deadbeat drivers racked up $5.1 billion in unpaid MTA tolls and violations over four years — a number likely sent skyrocketing since “cashless” systems replaced the old payment booths, records reveal. The flailing Metropolitan Transportation Authority estimated total uncollected “toll violations” at more than $1.4 billion in 2024 alone and $3.7 billion combined from 2021 through 2023,… Read more »

Republican lawmakers from high-tax New York and New Jersey are pushing to hike the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap for their residents to as much as $100,000 as part of President-elect Donald Trump’s highly anticipated tax package later this year. The GOP lawmakers, who flew down to Palm Beach, Fla, last weekend for some face time with the incoming president, are… Read more »

Hudson Valley Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) preemptively slammed Gov. Kathy Hochul’s “State of the State” speech Tuesday — deeming her promises as worthless as her leadership. “She is a feckless and failed governor who needs to be replaced in 2026,” he said in the Albany state Capitol building hours before the governor’s big, policy-setting speech. Lawler, a Republican who is eyeing a… Read more »

Representative Brittany Pettersen, a second-term Colorado Democrat, was not planning to have a second child at the age of 43. “As if our life wasn’t complicated enough!” she said with a laugh as she arranged herself on a couch in her office on Capitol Hill earlier this week, staring down at her pregnant belly just weeks from her due date. She blamed the “mistake” on the confusion of… Read more »

A key Republican congressman is reintroducing legislation to increase the write-off on state-and-local dues for federal taxpayers, doubling down on a proposal to partially restore relief for individuals and families in high-tax states.  Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), a swing vote on Republicans’ marquee tax package this year, re-filed his bill that would increase the current… Read more »

Congressman Mike Lawler (R-Pearl River) said late last week that he will support House Speaker Mike Johnson to retain his role and called out Republican hardliners who have called for Johnson’s ouster as leader. Speaking late last week on WABC Radio’s Cats & Cosby show, Lawler urged all of his GOP colleagues to put aside petty party differences and confirm Johnson as speaker when the… Read more »