A boisterous crowd spanning the ideological spectrum greeted Congressman Mike Lawler at Yorktown Stage Sunday, where the energy in the room reflected the passion surrounding the issues facing the country.
Lawler, who is running for reelection in New York’s purple 17th District, discussed rising oil and gas prices, the war with Iran, the Epstein files, immigration and his support for rebuilding and reopening the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan.
“We have been fully engaged on the issues that matter to all of you, whether we agree on every issue, whether you agree with my position on an issue, we are very public, very outward facing, and show up everywhere and engage with every constituent group,” Lawler said. “I think that is a big part of the job. You have to be willing to engage, and it's why we do these events.”
He said he has held nearly 2,000 events in the district over the past three years, meeting with constituents.
To gain admission to the congressman’s second town hall of the year, attendees had to RSVP and pass through metal detectors to enter the theater. There was strong police presence both outside and inside the building, with Yorktown Police officers on site.
Lawler’s first town hall of the year was held in February at Rockland Community College.
Fellow Republican, Assemblyman Matt Slater emceed the event and pulled tickets from a raffle drum to select audience members who would be able to ask the congressman questions. Those selected were given one minute to speak.
Attendees pressed Lawler on issues affecting the country and on escalating tensions abroad.
Lawler said he supported the Trump administration’s actions in Iran.
“The strikes that the U.S. is engaged in is very much targeted to their military capabilities. We’ve been very strategic on that front,” he said. “The bombing of Kharg Island, which both from a strategic standpoint militarily, but also from the standpoint of their oil trade, is vital.”
He also responded to questions about the support he receives from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and addressed broader conflict in the Middle East. He said the issue of Iran — and peace in the region — must be resolved as part of a broader conversation that includes Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel.
Lawler said that across the region there needs to be collaboration “with the United States, with Israel, to ensure stability and peace.”
He added that “all of this is interconnected.”
“Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houtis — they are all funded by Iran. Where does Iran get the money? They get it from an illicit oil trade with China ... When you see the intersectionality between all of this, it’s not just going to be resolved by addressing Gaza over here, and deal with Iran over here, and deal with Iran and the Saudis over there.”
The discussion also turned to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, with a “free Palestine” call coming from the back of the room and others voicing opposition to Lawler’s pro-Israel stance. Lawler said any two-state solution must not include roles for Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.
“What we need is a Gaza and West Bank that are free from terrorism, that are free from Hamas and the Palestinian Authority,” Lawler said. “That’s what I support.”
The cross also expressed sharply divided views on reviving the nuclear power plant at Indian Point, with former workers defending its safety and other constituents expressing concerns.
“When you are not generating the power here, that means you have to get it from somewhere else," said Lawler, who supports bringing the facility, which once provided about 25 percent of the electricity in Westchester and NYC before shutting down earlier this decade, back online. "It means we're importing [energy] from other states, which means your delivery costs go up. You have to have an all of the above approach. It means we need natural gas. It means we need nuclear.”
Questioning Lawler’s decision not to support the bipartisan Iran War Powers Resolution, one man said, “you often present yourself as a moderate,” and argued this wasn’t reflected in his recent voting record.
“I don’t think you’d be happy unless I said ‘orange man bad’ and vote to impeach,” Lawler said to his Democratic constituents.
With protesters along the sidewalks of Commerce Street and Veterans Road, Lawler outlined his positions before a noisy, but ultimately nonthreatening audience indoors. His responses to questions on voter ID, immigration and ICE, and the Epstein files — which he voted in favor of releasing — drew both cheers and jeers, with some in the crowd shouting that he was lying.
He said the Save America Act "would allow each state the ability to promulgate the rules and promulgate which documents are necessary to be able to prove your citizenship and to be able to prove that you are, who you say are, and get a voter ID."
"We are more than happy to help fund and pay for and make sure that everybody who wants to form a voter ID has it,” Lawler said. “We require photo ID to do a lot of things, including purchase alcohol, including going to a federal building, including flying on a plane. There's no reason that we wouldn't have photo ID to require when you go to vote.”
Opponents of the act say the documents considered proof—such as birth certificates and passports, as opposed to drivers licenses and other common-use photo IDs—place an unfair burden on some. They argue that the proposal could create difficulties for women who have taken their husband’s last names, since their birth certificates would not match their current names, and could be a “burden” for those who do not know where those documents are.
One woman’s question about the timeline and compliance concerning the Epstein files sparked one of the strongest reactions of the night.
“Anybody who committed a crime, anybody who acted in furtherance of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes, anybody who sexually exploited a child, or a woman or was somehow involved should be prosecuted,” Lawler said.
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