Letters

Constituents in 17th Congressional District Deserve Answers From Lawler

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If Rep. Mike Lawler is so opposed to the cap on the SALT deduction, why did he work to get Donald Trump re-elected in 2020?
In 2017, Donald Trump and congressional Republicans passed a tax bill capping the SALT deduction specifically to punish blue states like New York that denied Trump electoral votes. In doing so, they made middle-class Hudson Valley homeowners worse off financially.

Despite this, Lawler and his political consulting firm, Checkmate Strategies, worked to get Donald Trump re-elected in 2020. They were unsuccessful, luckily for all of us. But why take the business in the first place?
Since 2015, there have been principled Republicans who swore never to support Trump because of his bigotry, misogyny and obvious unfitness for office. If Lawler were truly the moderate he claims to be, he could have – would have – been one of them. Even before Trump got into office, it was clear to anyone taking an honest view of the facts that the man had serious character problems and posed a special threat to our national security.
But since 2017, Hudson Valley homeowners have had an additional reason to resent Trump; he intentionally increased our tax burden, out of spite.

So what could possibly motivate Lawler to try to help Trump in 2020? What about Trump and his platform appealed to Lawler? Was he just willing to sell out his neighbors for money, or is he on board with Trump’s agenda?

The 17th Congressional District deserves answers.

Robin Esser
Brewster

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