Reader’s Letters

To the Editor:

Congressman Mike Lawler held a raucous press conference last week to take credit for the raised cap on SALT deductions, his signature issue. 

Previously, homeowners could deduct the full amount of their state and local taxes on their federal tax returns. In 2017, President Trump imposed a cap of $10,000 on those deductions. Rep. Lawler is taking a victory lap for getting that limit raised to $40,000 as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill that recently passed by one vote in each house of Congress. Now, those who itemize their federal returns can take this larger SALT deduction. 

So why all the fuss about this big “win”?  Who would object to a tax deduction? It turns out  there’s a reason that President Trump wanted this Big Mac of a bill passed quickly. Because just like a Big Mac, it’s stuffed with things that are not so good for you. Dozens of Lawler’s constituents showed up to the press conference to remind him that in voting for the raised SALT cap, he also voted to slash funding for Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps), and the federal subsidies that help people to buy health insurance. He also voted to increase the funding for ICE to $75 billion, turning our country into a police state where masked officers can abduct our neighbors without due process and send them off to inhumane detention centers. Lawler also voted to give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans, exploding the federal deficit to the point where it will trigger the PAYGO Act, resulting in mandatory cuts to Medicare.

But Mike Lawler is hoping that you’ll just be happy with your extra SALT Big Mac and not notice all the really nasty stuff inside. 

Celeste Theis

Croton on Hudson, NY 10520