Congressman Mike Lawler, representing New York’s 17th district since 2023, has been vocal about various issues affecting his constituents. On May 16, 2025, he addressed concerns related to property taxes and community engagement through a series of posts on social media.
In a post from May 16, Lawler highlighted the high property taxes in New York’s 17th Congressional District, stating that it includes “3 of the highest property-taxed counties in the country.” He expressed that residents are leaving not due to “the weather or the typography,” but because of “the cost of living.” “In New York’s 17th Congressional District, we have 3 of the highest property-taxed counties in the country. People aren’t leaving New York because of the weather or the typography, they’re leaving because of the cost of living.”
Later that day, Lawler shared his involvement with local environmental efforts. His team participated in a cleanup event at Spring Valley’s Keep Rockland Beautiful Tiger’s Den alongside Sherry Scott from the Martin Luther King Multipurpose Center. “My team joined the Keep Rockland Beautiful Tiger’s Den cleanup in Spring Valley with Sherry Scott from the Martin Luther King Multipurpose Center.”
Additionally, Lawler discussed his legislative efforts regarding state and local tax deductions. He argued against perceptions that increasing these deductions would benefit only wealthy individuals. Instead, he asserted that “the current $10,000 cap unfairly penalizes middle-class families—cops, firefighters, teachers, nurses, blue-collar tradespeople—in high-tax states like” New York. “My efforts to achieve a higher deduction for state and local taxes would not amount to a giveaway to the wealthy. In reality, the current $10,000 cap unfairly penalizes middle-class families—cops, firefighters, teachers, nurses, blue-collar tradespeople—in high-tax states like”
Lawler has served in Congress since replacing Mondaire Jones in 2023 and previously held office in the New York State Assembly from 2021 to 2022. Born in Suffern and currently residing in Pearl River at age 36, he graduated from Manhattan College with a BS degree.
