(Video from CNN Newsource)
Republican Congressman Mike Lawler, who represents New York’s 17th Congressional District, was greeted with a mixture of loud boos and applause when he walked on stage at Clarkstown South High School in West Nyack for a town hall meeting last evening. That set the tone for the rest of the meeting, which included Lawler’s backers sending up rounds of boos and hisses at the mention of former President Joe Biden and Lawler’s critics voicing loud reactions when Lawler praised actions taken by the Trump Administration or claimed that he is opposing cuts to Medicaid, Social Security, education and other high profile federal programs. Lawler began by asking his general counsel to lead the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.
While there were some empty seats in the auditorium, approximately 700 people had signed up in advance to attend the event. Another estimated 125 protesters were outside of the venue.
“During my time in Congress, I’ve been rated the fourth most bipartisan member of Congress,” Lawler said. “I also have been rated the most effective member of the 118th Congress, and that is precisely because I’ve been able to get things done on behalf of our community.”
He said that he managed to have 11 pieces of legislation passed into law, six of which were signed by President Biden.
“To those of you who feel that you’re not being represented, the fact is that I’ve been doing the job effectively on behalf of our district and working with folks in both parties as I always have and always will,” Lawler said. “The fact is that we as a country whether people like the outcome of an election or not, the fact is that we are a strong, united country.” Many members of the audience broke into loud laughter after Lawler said that.
Lawler drew applause when he said he is against members of Congress being allowed to buy and sell stocks while in office, an issue that has arisen in view of concerns about inside trading occurring as a result of wide fluctuations in the stock market as a result of President Trump’s various announcements on the imposition of tariffs.
A questioner drew loud applause when she asked what exactly Lawler is doing that warrants the label “moderate.”
“My record speaks for itself,” Lawler said, again drawing laughter from a large portion of the audience. “Unlike many of my colleagues, I actually do work across the aisle; I actually do sit down with my colleagues. There’s not a single one of my Democratic colleagues in the Congress who can say I don’t do that.”
When the audience reaction continued, Lawler admonished his critics to listen to his answers. He then proceeded to point out that when it comes to the economy, the current administration is trying to undo the economic policies of the Biden Administration.
“Right now we are 36 trillion (dollars) in debt. We are spending 7 trillion (dollars) on an annual basis with 2 trillion (dollars) in deficit spending and 1 trillion (dollars) in interest payments on our debt,” Lawler said. “At the end of this year the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is going to expire. If the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expires, do you know what will happen? The standard deduction (on federal income tax returns) will be cut in half. That will be the largest tax increase in American history. The corporate tax rate is set at 21%. I don’t support lowering it; I don’t support changing the corporate tax rate. I do support lifting the cap on SALT (state and local tax deductions) which directly impacts all of us in this room.”
Lawler expressed his support for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth remaining in the position despite the controversy surrounding some of his actions to date. He called for Congress and the judiciary to defend their Constitutional powers.
Local police helped escort a few highly demonstrative audience members from the event.
