Michael Vincent Lawler (born September 9, 1986) is an American politician serving as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for

New York's 17th congressional district New York's 17th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in Southern New York. It includes all of Rockland County and portions of central and northwestern Westchester County, i ...

since 2023. From 2021 to 2022, he was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the New York State Assembly from the 97th district in

Rockland County Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is about from the Bronx at their closest points. The county's population, as of t ...

Early life and education

A native of Rockland County, Lawler graduated from Suffern High School. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and finance from Manhattan College. Lawler was named

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...

of his graduating class.

Career

Lawler is a partner at the political communications firm Checkmate Strategies. He previously worked in the Westchester County Executive's Office as an advisor to

Rob Astorino Robert Patrick Astorino (born May 3, 1967) is an American politician, radio producer and television host who was the county executive of Westchester County, New York from 2010 to 2017. He was the Republican nominee for Governor of New York in 201 ...

and executive director of the

New York State Republican Party The New York Republican State Committee, established in 1855, is the New York State affiliate of the United States Republican Party (GOP). The party has headquarters in Albany, Buffalo, and New York City.

. Before winning his election, he served as deputy town supervisor of

Orangetown, New York Orangetown is a town in Rockland County, New York, United States, located in the southeastern part of the county. It is northwest of New York City, north of New Jersey, east of the town of Ramapo, south of the town of Clarkstown, and west of th ...

, working with Teresa Kenny, town supervisor. Lawler was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020 for a two-year term. He ran against incumbent Ellen Jaffee and won the general election.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2022

Lawler was the Republican nominee in the 2022 general election in

, having won the August 2022 primary. He defeated Democratic incumbent and DCCC chair

Sean Patrick Maloney Sean Patrick Maloney (born July 30, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative from from 2013 to 2023. The district includes Newburgh, Beacon, and Poughkeepsie. A member of the Democratic Party, Malone ...

in the November general election.

Committee assignments

Committee on Financial Services The United States House Committee on Financial Services, also referred to as the House Banking Committee and previously known as the Committee on Banking and Currency, is the committee of the United States House of Representatives that oversees t ...

* Committee on Foreign Affairs

Tenure

On January 4, 2023, Lawler reserved judgment on his colleague

George Santos George Anthony Devolder Santos (; ; born July 22, 1988) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for , serving since 2023. A member of the Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the ...

after numerous discrepancies in Santos's resume came to light. Lawler said on

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

, "His election has been certified so he will be seated in this Congress, but ultimately, obviously, we will see what the investigations come back with." On January 12, 2023, he called for Santos to resign. Lawler voted for

Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician, serving as House Minority Leader in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as House Majority Leader under spea ...

in the 2023 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election. McCarthy was unable to win the speakership on the first 14 ballots. Lawler said of the matter, "It's time for everybody to unify. It's time for everybody to move forward because the reality is the American people didn't elect us to fight over rules." On January 9, Lawler voted in favor of the House rules package. Afterward, he gave his first House speech, in favor of a bill that would defund the IRS of the money allocated in the

Inflation Reduction Act The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) is a landmark United States federal law which aims to curb inflation by reducing the deficit, lowering prescription drug prices, and investing into domestic energy production while promoting clean ener ...

. On January 19, Lawler and Representative

Josh Gottheimer Joshua S. Gottheimer ( ; born March 8, 1975) is an American attorney, writer, and public policy adviser who has served as the U.S. representative for since 2017. The district stretches along the northern border of the state from New York City's ...

reintroduced the Anti-Congestion Tax Act, a bill to stop the MTA's attempt to institute congestion pricing. Lawler said, "For too long, Hudson Valley commuters have gotten the short end of the stick. With reduced service, no one-seat ride for Rockland County residents, and subways that have become increasingly dangerous, it's no wonder that ridership is down as more folks commute into the city by car or by telecommuting. Which is why congestion pricing, a ludicrous tax grab by the country's most mismanaged authority, should be stopped dead in its tracks." Lawler voted to remove Ilhan Omar from the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Political positions

Abortion

Lawler opposes abortion rights except in cases of rape or incest or if the mother's life is at risk. He also opposes a federal ban on abortion.

Personal life

Lawler lives in

Pearl River The Pearl River, also known by its Chinese name Zhujiang or Zhu Jiang in Mandarin pinyin or Chu Kiang and formerly often known as the , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name "Pearl River" is also often used as a catch-a ...

with his Romanian-born wife, Doina. They have a daughter who was born in the spring of 2022. Lawler is

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

.https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/PF_2023.01.03_congress_LIST.pdf

Electoral history

References

External links

Congressman Mike Lawler
official U.S. House website
Campaign website

State assembly website
, - , - 1986 births 21st-century American politicians Living people American Roman Catholics Catholics from New York (state) People from Suffern, New York Manhattan College alumni Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) {{NewYork-politician-stub