Mike Lawler's bipartisanship ought to be more than just words
Regarding “We have to stay focused on bipartisanship and progress,” June 23, lohud.com:
It was disappointing to read Rep. Mike Lawler’s recent opinion article in which he claimed to favor bipartisanship over divisiveness. As a Republican who represents a predominantly Democratic district, such an approach would make sense. Unfortunately, Lawler frequently issues moderate statements at home while voting in Washington to appease the MAGA extremists who control the House of Representatives. When constituents raise the discrepancy between his conciliatory comments and hardline votes, he claims to either be misunderstood or, more frequently, a “victim” of radical attacks.
Since he was elected, local grass-roots constituent groups in the 17th Congressional District, such as ours, Take17, have repeatedly reached out to Lawler asking for details about where he stands on specific legislation, only to be ignored, stonewalled, rebuffed, or publicly called names by him and his staff. Take17, which advocates for progressive political causes, has frequently asked for regular, open, district-wide, in-person, public town halls scheduled at a convenient time for constituents to freely ask questions. Lawler, however, has not held a single such bona fide town hall meeting, instead disingenuously calling his limited-staff mobile office hours “town halls."
His refusal to meet in-person with the people he represents to hear their legitimate concerns is a dereliction of duty and his labeling of constituents whose opinions are different than his as liars and far-left radicals is inappropriate. In addition, despite repeated requests. Lawler consistently has declined to provide voters with his positions on key issues.
Unfortunately, the record shows despite Lawler’s claims of bipartisanship, when his constituents reach out to him with “asks” that are reasonable and popular, such as supporting needed social programs, gun control legislation, abortion rights, respect for veterans’ healthcare and environmental concerns, he uses political double-talk to sow confusion.
For example, Lawler refused to support a clean vote on the debt ceiling and instead proudly supported the Republicans’ budget bill, claiming bipartisanship. But the bill’s cap on discretionary spending would deeply cut budgets for almost all Federal agencies. The Republican bill he supported called for drastic Federal spending cuts, with the (eventual exception, thanks to public pressure) of Social Security, Medicare and the Department of Defense, but omitted specific protections for veterans. And now his party is once again threatening to cut Social Security and Medicare.
Despite his consistent calls to support public safety, Lawler refused to support licensing for assault weapons and favors open carry of firearms in New York. In addition, he helped pass a Republican resolution that would repeal a rule tightening federal regulations on stabilizing braces for firearms, an accessory that has been used in multiple mass shootings in the U.S.
Despite his claims to protect the environment, he voted for a Republican-sponsored bill to increase production of oil, natural gas and coal in the United States while rolling back long-standing environmental laws to limit toxic emissions, as well as clean-energy measures.
Despite his claims to support immigration, he has consistently issued misleading statements about migrants legally seeking shelter in Rockland County, stoking fears of crime and sowing division for partisan political gain.
Despite Lawler’s claim to vote against a national abortion ban, he did not support Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ appeal for just eight Republicans to join in a bipartisan effort to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would codify the reproductive freedoms Roe v. Wade had guaranteed. In fact, he supports a Republican bill that could subject some abortion doctors to prosecution.
And despite highlighting President Joe Biden’s praise of his “willingness to work across the aisle,” Lawler voted for the recent MAGA resolution to consider impeaching Biden. After saying he “would like to see the party move forward” past former President Trump, he voted to censure Rep. Adam Schiff for leading the House Intelligence Committee’s Trump investigation. Lawler also released a statement underscoring that no one is above the law but then denigrated the “competence” and “impartiality” of Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and questioned the independence of the U.S. Justice Department over its Trump indictment.
Groups like ours across NY-17 ask Lawler to reach beyond his base and communicate honestly with all his constituents so that his votes align with the values of the majority of families in his district. Such a dialogue would underscore that people want real bipartisan results, like Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, to help allAmericans move forward together during these challenging times.
Margaret Yonco-Haines and Celeste Theis are members of Take17, a grass-roots coalition of progressive constituent groups throughout New York’s 17th Congressional District in the Hudson Valley.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rep. Mike Lawler's bipartisan record needs more than words
