Congressman Lawler Attempts to Pass the Buck on Rising Energy Costs
Rep. Lawler Voted to Repeal a Range of Energy Tax Credits and Defended Trump’s Tariffs, Raising New Yorkers’ Utility Costs
HUDSON VALLEY, NEW YORK — Today, Congressman Mike Lawler published an op-ed in which he attempted to deflect the blame for rising energy prices in the Hudson Valley onto Democrats and state leaders in Albany. While Rep. Lawler would have you believe that he has been a staunch advocate for lowering New Yorkers’ utility bills, his actual record is far less noble than the ‘moderate, bipartisan warrior’ he attempts to paint himself as.
So let’s look at the facts:
Last year, Congressman Mike Lawler helped to pass the Republican Tax Law, repealing a wide range of energy tax credits and raising already high utility costs for New Yorkers by an additional $140 a year by 2030 and $170 by 2035.
When President Trump attempted to block clean energy construction in New York, Rep. Lawler stood by and failed to take any action to defend the cost-lowering projects.
Rep. Lawler has also toed the party line in defending President Trump’s disastrous tariff policies, which have led to higher energy prices for American consumers.
Hudson Valley Congressman Josh Riley recently launched the Congressional Lowering Utility Bills Caucus in an effort to address the out-of-control energy affordability crisis. Rep. Lawler has not joined the caucus.
“Congressman Lawler is quick to cast the blame onto his political opponents, but I wish that he would take a look at his own voting record for once,” said Nancy, a retiree from Peekskill, living on a fixed income. “He tries to paint himself as some sort of ‘moderate, bipartisan warrior’ who's simply worried about lowering our costs, when in reality he’s toed the party line time after time and made matters even worse for families like mine. If he were so concerned about lowering costs, he wouldn’t have repealed tax credits that helped to lower our bills, and he certainly wouldn’t still be defending these disastrous tariffs that have raised prices on nearly every last thing we buy. Rep. Lawler needs to stop trying to cast the blame onto someone else and start actually fighting to lower our costs here in the Hudson Valley, even when that means standing up to his party.”
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About Empire State Voices
Empire State Voices (ESV) is a multi-year campaign dedicated to amplifying the voices of everyday working New Yorkers. ESV is fighting for economic policies that make life more affordable for constituents and holding members of Congress across the state accountable when they fail to do the same.
