Lawler Faces Divided Constituency

Congressman Mike Lawler (R NY 17) knew he was in for a rough night. During last Sunday’s town hall, the first of four assemblies planned throughout his district, Lawler faced boos, jeers, sporadic applause, and more than a few unsolicited questions from audience members demanding that the Congressman take a hard line against the Trump Administration. 

Standing in front of a packed house in the Clarkstown South High School Auditorium, the Congressman fielded questions from a crowd of over 700 people all pre-screened to confirm that they resided within New York’s 17th district. 

 Security was tight at the town hall, and more than one attendee was removed from the proceedings as some of Lawler’s responses were met with outright hostility. “Tax the rich” and “defend the constitution” were all shouted liberally by frustrated residents, who often forced the Congressman to stand in silence  and wait for the rancor to die down before he could continue to engage the crowd.

  Sunday’s appearance was a tight rope walk for Lawler as he attempted to both convince his constituents  that he was unafraid to challenge the administration or his fellow Republicans on key issues, and defend some of Trump’s most controversial behavior and avoid the ire of a party leader well known for his capacity to hold a grudge. 

Unfortunately for Lawler, many of his attempts to strike a conciliatory tone fell flat, some right out of the gate.

“Please tell me we are not objecting to the pledge of allegiance,” said Lawler when his choice to begin the town hall with the recitation drew a chorus of jeers from the assembly.

As he continued his introduction stating “We have a strong united country that is rooted in shared values and shared beliefs,” the congressman was met was met with viscous laughter.

Lawler managed to win back the crowd to some degree when pressed with his first question of the night, which was meant to gage his support for a bill that would make it illegal for sitting members of Congress to engage in stock trading. 

“I don’t care what party you belong to. The fact is if you are a member of Congress, you are aware of information that the general public just is not aware of period,” said Lawler who promised to vote in favor of a ban.

By turns sarcastic, confident, and conciliatory, Lawler addressed questions drawn at random from moderators Teresa Kenny, the Supervisor of Orangetown , and Ramapo Deputy Supervisor Brendel Logan-Charles, but was not averse to answering heckles and unsolicited questions shouted out from the assembly.

“At what rate?,” asked the congressman in response to repeated chants of tax the rich. As Lawler stated that no amount of increased taxation would close the federal deficit, one audience member shouted “Do it anyway,” before being removed from the auditorium.

When questioned on cuts to Medicaid, Lawler repeatedly stated that he would not support significant cuts to either program and was one of “a group of about twenty” Republicans who had petitioned the administration to leave social spending intact during a meeting in January.  

Though Lawler admitted his support of a budget reconciliation bill that would cut $880,000,000,000 from Medicaid, the Congressman stressed the procedural nature of the vote stating “The issue is getting a budget resolution, which was the first step in getting the reconciliation process passed. That is what we did. We passed a budget that has a framework, as far as I’m concerned, that is as good as the paper it’s written on. I’ve been very clear, I will not support a reconciliation bill that cuts benefits to eligible recipients.”

As the representative of a swing district Lawler is in the uniquely difficult position of appealing to a divided consistency; almost every question leveled at the congressman focused on the actions of President Trump, as Lawler was made to answer for his tacit approval, and in some instances vocal support, of Trumps tumultuous agenda and controversial  cabinet appointments. 

When pressed on tariffs Lawler said they were a viable strategy for combating trade barriers put in place by other countries, but did not comment directly on those put in place by the Trump administration. 

When asked his stance on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the messaging  app Signal to discuss classified war plans, Lawler was willing to condemn Hegseth’s less than clandestine actions, but argued that the mission in question was still successful; a conclusion that drew further frustration from the assembly 

Throughout the night Congressman Lawler appeared more than willing to verbally spar with his most vocal critics in the audience, though he repeatedly called for decorum as the proceedings dragged on.

“If you take the opportunity to listen, instead of yelling, you might hear the answer to the question,” Lawler told the crowd as he was cut off mid-response to a question regarding his support for extending tax cuts put in place by President Trump during his first administration. Lawler defended his choice, sighting the removal of the SALT (state and local income tax) deduction cap as the condition of his support for the extension. 

“We all know this is one of the most expensive places in the country to live” said Lawler, who argued that allowing New Yorkers to once again fully deduct local taxes from their federal tax burden would help every resident of the state. 

As previously reported by the RCT, Mike Lawler has become the target of many Hudson Valley residents unhappy with President Trumps sweeping efforts to reshape the American government: Lawler has faced multiple protests outside of his own office and at Sunday night’s town hall, a surprise demonstration during his appearance at an Rockland County Business Association meeting last month, and regular abuse in our letter section from readers urging him to totally reject Trump’s agenda. Time will tell if Lawler, who prides himself on “being one of the most bipartisan members of Congress” will risk alienation from his own party to appease an increasingly frustrated 17th District.