Press Releases

Today, Congressman Lawler, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement after news broke of a deadly attack against US troops carried out by Iranian-backed proxies.

“I am deeply saddened to see that 3 American service members lost their lives in the line of duty last night, with over two dozen others injured,” said Congressman Mike Lawler. “My prayers are with them and their families in this difficult time.”

“Iran and its proxies have been escalating their attacks in recent months since Hamas’ horrific October 7th attacks on Israel, and it’s time we take the gloves off and give these proxies a full taste of their own medicine,” continued Congressman Lawler. “President Biden must now consider widening the field of targets and increasing the scope of our response. Any government or terrorist group that takes the lives of Americans must pay a steep price for doing so.”

“We must also strike at the heart of the funding for these proxies - Iran’s illicit oil trade,” concluded Congressman Lawler. “I urge President Biden and Senator Schumer to pass the SHIP Act, legislation we passed through the House months ago, which would directly target and reduce Iran’s ability to wage a shadow war in the Middle East, and beyond.”

New York's 17th Congressional District is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties.