Op-Eds from Mike

Having both served in state and local government, we know first-hand the impacts of the fentanyl epidemic in the Hudson Valley. Substance use disorder and fentanyl are ripping families and communities apart across the country, and it is incumbent on all of us to work together, in a coordinated effort at the federal, state and local level, to put a stop to this deadly scourge. At the… Read more »

It is our duty as members of Congress to defend the pocketbooks of our constituents.’ We were surprised to read your editorial “Republicans Return to the SALT Mines” (Aug. 4) questioning our stance on the state and local tax-deduction law (SALT) that has been crippling hardworking, middle-class families in New York for the past six years.  The 2017 law, which limits state and… Read more »

Having served in Washington for almost a half-year now, I’ve learned that it’s good practice to tune out the noise and the nay-sayers, and stay focused on the job I was elected to do. For months, dark money political groups and far-left activists have been stoking irrational fears about a default that never happened, and threatening that cuts to everything from veterans services to… Read more »

With Memorial Day just having passed, I wanted to take a moment and set the record straight on a critical aspect of our federal government’s work - funding and providing services for our veterans. For weeks, Democratic dark-money groups and far-left activists have been lying about the Limit, Save, Grow Act and its impact on funding for our veterans here in the 17th Congressional… Read more »

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-17th District) met with President Biden on Wednesday. He writes this open letter: Dear Mr. President, First, let me again say thank you for inviting me today and taking the time to speak with me privately prior to your speech. As we discussed then, I encourage you to move past the divisive rhetoric around the debt ceiling debate and instead seek common ground with… Read more »

In combating communism and promoting democracy, Ronald Reagan employed the doctrine of “peace through strength” — a policy that helped end the Cold War, bring about the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall, and put America on the path to global superiority. Today, with military and economic threats emanating from the unholy alliance of Russia, China, North Korea and… Read more »

Let me be unequivocally clear — I do not support cuts or negative changes to Social Security or Medicare. The U.S. government made a promise to Americans and we must keep it. I saw first hand, after contributing the maximum to social security for years, how my father benefited from Social Security Disability while he battled Multiple Sclerosis and Melanoma, before ultimately… Read more »

Families and seniors in New York’s Hudson Valley are facing an affordability crisis brought on by sky-high state taxes courtesy of Albany politicians, record inflation due to reckless federal spending and sagging retirement and savings accounts due to a struggling market. Making all of this even worse is the $10,000 cap on your ability to deduct state and local taxes on your federal… Read more »