Hudson Valley Families Rally on May Day to Call Out Corporate Greed and Rising Costs
Photo Credit: Empire State Voices
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Workers, advocates, and constituents blast Rep. Mike Lawler for backing policies that raise costs and reward billionaires
MOHEGAN LAKE, NEW YORK — Today, Hudson Valley residents, workers, union members, and advocates gathered outside the Walmart in Mohegan Lake to mark May Day and call out Rep. Mike Lawler for supporting policies that raise costs on working families while delivering massive tax breaks to billionaires.
The rally, hosted by Indivisible YorktownNY, Empire State Voices, Indivisible Scarsdale, Northern Westchester Indivisible, Putnam Progressives, and CWA, brought together community members and local leaders to highlight the real-world impact of rising costs on Hudson Valley families. The action is part of a broader national push to hold lawmakers like Rep. Mike Lawler accountable for policies that increase costs while benefiting corporations and the ultra-wealthy.
Speakers emphasized that Rep. Lawler’s support for the 2025 Republican Tax Law has cut critical services like Medicaid and threatens food assistance through SNAP—all while corporations like Walmart stand to gain billions in tax breaks.
In New York’s 17th Congressional District, 66,704 people rely on SNAP, which generates $238 million in economic activity, and 211,500 residents depend on Medicaid for health care programs now at risk under the policies Lawler has backed.
“These days, I’m balancing everything, caring for my son, managing my own responsibilities, and supporting my aging parents,” said Karen, a NY-17 resident and family caregiver. “My mom is 88 and living with Alzheimer’s, and my dad is 94. They depend on Medicaid for the full-time care they need. Cutting that care so billionaires can get tax breaks is wrong, and families like mine are the ones who will pay the price. Hudson Valley families can’t afford Mike Lawler’s broken policies.”
“I’m happy to see so many people out today, our country was built on the backs of our labor force and we need to make sure labor is protected, said Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg, The only way we can do that is by taxing the millionaires and billionaires that are getting richer and richer...Everyone needs to be paying attention and needs to hold their elected officials accountable, please continue to make your voices heard and advocate for everything this country was built on.”
Mark Lieberman of Indivisible Yorktown shared, “It’s time for working people to activate. Working people have been decimated by the wealthiest. They’ve cut benefits, implemented AI to replace workers and they never brought jobs back to America. It’s been empty promises costing workers benefits and jobs. On May Day we’re highlighting how the rich have little regard for workers. The rich focus on stock prices while the rest of us focus on food prices. No more silence. Speak up for your job, your benefits and your families.”
Maurice Larry, 1199SEIU area political coordinator for the Hudson Valley, said, “On this International Workers’ Day — as we face unprecedented attacks on healthcare, on our immigrant neighbors, and on our most basic rights — it’s more important than it has ever been to make our voices heard and our power felt in the streets, at the ballot box and in our communities.”
“Hudson Valley families are being squeezed from every direction—higher grocery bills, rising health care costs, and fewer supports to fall back on. But instead of fighting for his constituents, Rep. Lawler is backing policies that take from working families and hand it to billionaires. That’s not just wrong, it’s a betrayal,” said Dylan Wheeler, Senior Organizing Director, Empire State Voices.
To learn more about Empire State Voices, contact press@empirestatevoices.org
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Empire State Voices is a multi-year campaign dedicated to amplifying the voices of everyday working New Yorkers. We are 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.
