Press Releases

Pearl River, N.Y. – 10/15/25… Today, Congressman Mike Lawler blasted NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani for refusing, in a live interview, to say whether Hamas should lay down its weapons. This comes after Mamdani was recently fundraising for UNRWA, despite extensive reporting that UNRWA is linked to Hamas, including a UN report that confirmed agency employees took part in the Oct. 7 atrocities.

In today’s interview, Mamdani repeatedly declined to state that Hamas should disarm and instead dodged basic questions about the terror group’s future. 

“Hamas is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization responsible for the murder, rape, and kidnapping of thousands of innocent civilians. Any candidate for mayor who can’t simply say ‘Hamas must disarm and release every hostage’ has no business leading an election district, let alone New York City. And raising money for UNRWA, an agency that employed Hamas operatives, only adds insult to injury,” stated Congressman Lawler.

“Mamdani’s answer is moral cowardice, and it tells every Jewish New Yorker their safety is negotiable. New York City needs a mayor who will confront terrorism, not coddle it. Kathy Hochul, Hakeem Jeffries, and Chuck Schumer must immediately condemn his statements and disavow his candidacy,” concluded Congressman Lawler. 

Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York's 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties. He was rated the most effective freshman lawmaker in the 118th Congress, 8th overall, surpassing dozens of committee chairs.

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