The Mike Spike (Johnson Edition): Two Mikes in the Hudson Valley, No Relief for Families Dealing with Rising Costs
HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Today, House Speaker Mike Johnson is in NY-17 with Rep. Mike Lawler. At the same time, New Yorkers are getting slammed with higher healthcare insurance premiums, sweeping Medicaid and SNAP cuts, higher grocery bills, gas above $4 a gallon, and skyrocketing utility bills.
In response, Empire State Voices deployed mobile billboards around the Hudson Valley. This is part of the ongoing “Mike Spike” campaign to hold Rep. Lawler accountable for his continued votes that are raising costs for New Yorkers.
Thanks to Rep. Lawler’s vote for the Republican Tax Law and support for Republicans' tariffs, Hudson Valley families are already feeling the Mike Spike, including:
Since June 2025, over 400,000 New Yorkers have lost their healthcare coverage.
Since January 2025, New Yorkers are spending $310 more on groceries.
In June alone, over 22,000 New Yorkers have lost their food stamp benefits.
New York families are spending $432 more on gas.
Utility costs are up 10 % in New York in the last year.
“The Mike Spike is real, and while Rep. Lawler is busy rolling out the red carpet for Speaker Johnson, we’re the ones left making the difficult decision between buying groceries and putting gas in the tank,” said Sasha from Pawling. “I am calling on Rep. Lawler to focus on getting his constituents some much-needed relief instead of cozying up to GOP leaders.”
“It’s a shame that Mike Lawler is welcoming the support of someone who so recklessly led countless efforts to take away our healthcare and make our day-to-day expenses unattainable,” said Paul, a retired teacher from Suffern. “We need him to start taking some meaningful action to lower our costs and stand up to the members of his party that are treating us like pawns in their political games.”To learn more about Empire State Voices, contact press@empirestatevoices.org
###
About Empire State Voices
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. To learn more about Empire State Voices, contact press@empirestatevoices.org
