Letters to the Editor

Lawler Raises Living Costs Again and Again

Congressman Mike Lawler continuously makes life more expensive.

Lawler does not have a solution.

Because he is the problem!

We are all suffering from higher grocery bills, outrageous healthcare and healthcare insurance charges, expensive gas, and crushing interest rates on mortgages and credit cards. Since Lawler entered office in 2025, prices have climbed more than 14 percent overall, with food up over 22 percent, and rent up 24 percent.

Lawler’s support of an unnecessary war with Iran sent living costs up even higher. The May inflation rate rose to 4.2%. This is way above the Federal Reserve Bank target of 2%, and it may trigger even higher interest rates.

At the same time, our national debt has ballooned to $39 trillion due to unfettered spending. Our national debt is now larger than our entire economy. Imagine that you earn $75,000 tax free and owe $80,000! That’s why U.S. household debt has reached an all-time high of $18.8 trillion.

Economists warn that when debt grows faster than the economy, it drives up our borrowing costs, slows wage growth, and increases prices for everyday goods.

Yet Congressman Lawler supported legislation that will add roughly $3.4 trillion more to the deficit over the next decade. You cannot claim to be concerned about inflation and the debt while voting to make both substantially worse.

Higher deficits put upward pressure on interest rates. That means higher mortgage payments, more expensive car loans, and record credit card rates. These higher costs hit working families directly. Meanwhile, cuts to programs like Medicaid and SNAP shift even more financial burden onto households that are already struggling to keep up.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there has been a rise of “Stealth Layoffs and Contract Work”. Many companies have moved away from traditional full-time W-2 hiring, in order to limit overhead costs like health insurance and retirement matching. Employers are favoring contract work. This trend replaces stable, reliable incomes with unpredictable earnings, no benefits, and individualized financial risk, thus cutting benefits and raising families’ costs for medical care even more.

We need leadership who will take fiscal responsibility seriously and understand that reckless policies in Washington translate into higher costs here at home. Right now, Mike Lawler’s record is making life much more expensive for the people whom he represents.

On November 3rd, I’ll be proud to vote for Cait Conley because, quite simply, we cannot afford to keep Lawler as our Congressman.

Mark A. Lieberman

Yorktown

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To the editor,

President Trump’s beloved One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) was passed one year ago. But unless you’re a billionaire, it’s hard to see the beauty in it.

If you’ve recently received a letter from your health insurance company announcing a hefty premium hike, or been priced out of insurance altogether, you can thank the OBBB.

The OBBB failed to extend the enhanced subsidies for those who buy insurance on the ACA marketplace. As a result of federal funding cuts, 450,000 New Yorkers lost their health insurance last week. In January, millions of Medicaid recipients nationwide will lose access to healthcare as new federal restrictions kick in. Those with employer-based insurance have seen their share of the cost go up, too.

Funding cuts have also hit hospitals and clinics hard, and many are at risk of closure — meaning longer travel distances and wait times for all of us.

People without insurance often forgo preventative care, showing up at ERs only when seriously ill or injured — by far the costliest way to get healthcare. When they can’t pay, hospitals cover the expense by charging the rest of us more. So, we all end up paying for those who can’t afford insurance.

Congressman Mike Lawler voted for the OBBB. He prefers to ignore its devastating effects on healthcare and instead touts the increased SALT deduction he fought for. For many constituents, though, any SALT savings are eaten up by rising healthcare costs. Fun fact: the SALT cap Trump imposed in 2017 was set to expire at the end of 2025 anyway.

Despite its glorious name, the primary beneficiaries of the OBBB have mainly been the very wealthy and large corporations. Perhaps that’s why Lawler has taken to calling it the “Working Families Tax Cut Act.” Nice try, but it’s still lipstick on a pig.

Celeste Theis

Croton On Hudson

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To the Editor:

I am saddened but not surprised to learn that the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater was prohibited from sailing in the parade of tall ships in New York City’s harbor on July 4th, because it was displaying two banners: “Save the Clean Water Act” and “Indigenous Rights, Racial Justice, Climate Solutions” which were deemed to be too political, not by the Sail 4th 250 organization, but by the US government.

The current regime is as terrified by Pete Seeger and his environmental and humanitarian legacy as in 1955 when Pete had to appear before the House Un-American Committee to defend the right to free speech enshrined in our Constitution’s First Amendment.

We all need to do what we can to preserve the values championed by the Clearwater in spite of the efforts to quash them. One of the ways is to register new voters and make sure they get out to vote in the fall. Check out rockthevote.org to find out how to help.

Judy Allen

Putnam Valley