Reader’s Letters

To the Editor:

Mike Lawler is helping Donald Trump tear apart the fabric of our democracy, and it’s us, Hudson Valley families, who are paying the price. If we don’t act now, we risk losing everything we hold dear. The future of our community, our families, and our democracy is on the line. We cannot afford to send him back to Washington.

Cait Conley is the leader that our district needs—someone who will stand up to Trump’s dangerous agenda and fight for the people of our community.

Cait Conley is not a career politician. She’s a combat veteran, a lifelong public servant, and someone who has dedicated her career to protecting us. Cait stood up to Putin when it mattered most, while Mike Lawler and Donald Trump remained silent in the face of Russian aggression. But Cait’s leadership is not just about defending our democracy abroad, it’s about fighting for the Hudson Valley families here at home.

One of the most egregious actions Mike Lawler took was voting for Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” in 2025—a bill that has placed a heavy burden on hardworking families. Lawler sided with Trump’s reckless policies, which have driven up costs for everything from groceries to housing to healthcare.

How Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” has hurt us:

– Soaring Costs for Everyday Families: The bill included massive tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and corporations, while leaving working-class families behind. Instead of helping us, we’re now burdened with skyrocketing costs for healthcare, housing, and basic living expenses. While billion-dollar corporations saw their profits grow, middle-class families like ours are struggling to pay our bills.

– Trump’s Tariffs Still Hurting Us: The bill continued Trump’s unnecessary tariffs, which raised the price of everything from food to construction materials. Local businesses are being forced to raise prices, and families in the Hudson Valley are feeling the squeeze, all because Mike Lawler voted for these policies.

– A Broken Promise to the Hudson Valley: Lawler’s vote was a choice to protect corporate greed and give tax breaks to the wealthiest, leaving Hudson Valley families behind. We don’t need more tax breaks for billionaires. We need leaders who will put the needs of our community first and help lower the cost of living.

Cait Conley will fight for us. She’s not interested in playing political games or catering to corporate donors. She is committed to policies that lower costs, create good-paying jobs, and hold Washington accountable to ensure that working families like ours come first.

Why Cait Conley is the best person to defeat Mike Lawler:

– She’s not a politician: Cait has dedicated her life to serving this country, from her time in the U.S. Army to her work in national security at the White House and CISA. Unlike Lawler, who’s a product of Washington’s elite, Cait has always put the people first.

– A fighter: Cait will not hesitate to hold Mike Lawler accountable for his votes that have raised costs for everyday families and failed to deliver for the Hudson Valley.

Can win across party lines: Cait has worked with both Republicans and Democrats to bring people together and solve real problems.

Why Cait Conley is the best person to deliver for the Hudson Valley:

– Real, federal experience: Cait’s time at the White House and CISA proves she has the experience to make things happen at the federal level. She knows how to get results for her community.

– She understands us: Cait knows firsthand what families in the Hudson Valley need: affordable healthcare, lower housing costs, and a government that works for everyone. She’s committed to bringing those solutions to Washington.

Mike Lawler has shown time and again that his priorities lie with Trump’s corporate interests, not with the people of the Hudson Valley. His vote for Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill is just the latest in a long line of decisions that have left us paying the price.

We need someone who will fight for us, not for billion-dollar corporations. Cait Conley is that leader.

I urge my neighbors in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, and Dutchess counties to vote for Cait Conley in the Democratic primary, and then against Mike Lawler in the General Election of 2026. Let’s take back our district and ensure that our democracy is saved from Trump, Lawler, and the Republican Party.

Sincerely,

Douglas Schonenberg

Congers, NY-17

To the Editor:

I don’t think there’s a day that goes by when I don’t see amateur video of some terrible abuse perpetrated by masked men, suspected of being agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I say ‘suspected’ because frequently these men don’t identify themselves at all, as they shove people into unmarked cars. For all their victims know, these kidnappers are white-supremacist vigilantes.

It would be unfortunate, but completely understandable in my view, if such masked men were shot in self defense by those they terrorize. Contrary to what officials in President Donald Trump’s fascist administration might say, it’s absolutely legitimate to ‘dox’ ICE agents, by which I mean reveal the identity of these thugs hiding behind masks. They’re nominally public servants, after all.

So many things are wrong with our country now, but one thing that should be very clear to everyone, especially Democratic lawmakers, is ICE is a rogue, out-of-control agency. This isn’t a matter of a few bad apples. The agency itself releases sadistic propaganda videos, gleefully documenting its agents’ work to ship people to domestic and foreign concentration camps without due process.

Members of the public might assume ICE is an integral, long-standing part of law enforcement, but that’s not true. The agency was established in the last 25 years. We don’t need it, especially after ICE has been revealed as the tip of the spear of American fascism. When Democrats regain power at the national level, they must abolish the agency and investigate all of its agents for wrongdoing.

In the meantime, Democratic governors could be doing a lot more to protect their residents from ICE. For instance, instead of just trolling Trump on social media, California’s Gavin Newsom should arrest ICE agents when they flagrantly violate basic civil liberties, as I’ve seen in the aforementioned videos countless times. Democrats have power now at the state level. They need to exercise it.

Patriotic citizens should continue to do their best to record crimes committed by ICE and expose the identities of these masked thugs. Frankly, this is the least of what such agents should expect, given their actions. They are behaving like members of an occupying army in Democratic-controlled cities. It’s high time we started treating them as such. They’re anathema to a free society.

The anti-fascist coalition has a wide variety of policy goals. For instance, as an animal activist, I want to see a massive infusion of public funding into cultivated-meat research. For those who don’t know, the new protein is grown from livestock cells, without slaughter. I view development of this technology as the most promising means of reducing nonhuman suffering and premature death.

However, none of our goals can be accomplished under a right-wing dictatorship. When Trump is inevitably removed from power, Democrats must make sure the fascist takeover he’s made such terrifying progress on is never possible again. The changes necessary will amount to a new American founding. One element of this will be excising ICE from our government like the cancer it is.

Jon Hochschartner

Granby, CT

Dear Editor:

Workers deserve fair pay, safe working conditions, affordable healthcare and the freedom to retire with dignity. We deserve the right to join unions that give workers a voice; an economy that works for all families, not only the wealthy; and a democracy where every voice is heard and every vote counts.

Workers and families deserve fully funded public schools that are safe, welcoming, relevant and engaging, as well as higher education that is accessible, affordable and free from political intrusion.

President Donald Trump campaigned on making life better and more affordable for working families, and I’m sad to say that his administration has not delivered on these promises. Instead, we have seen funding slashed for schools, healthcare, child care and more—while handing tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy.

Our family members and communities will be sicker, hungrier and poorer. We deserve so much better.

Whether it’s peacefully protesting with our neighbors and co-workers in the streets, forming a union at our workplaces, or engaging with elected officials in Congress, let’s work together to fight for the future that all workers deserve. 

Sincerely,

BG Scott

Irvington, NY