Latest news with #LaLota
Politico
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Black Hawk pilot launches challenge to battleground House Republican Nick LaLota
'My entire life's been kind of grounded in service,' Gallant told POLITICO in an interview. 'I've always placed the mission first throughout all of my careers, and I'm doing the same now. This is what I want to do to make Washington and government work again for the people.' He's got a rocky road ahead. Gallant, 36, will face a two-term House Republican who defeated his last Democratic opponent by more than 10 points. LaLota and his predecessor, Lee Zeldin, now the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, have held eastern Long Island for Republicans since 2014. LaLota had a $1.7 million campaign war chest at the end of June, according to his most recent federal filing. Democrats are hoping the path to winning control of the House in 2026 will run through New York's suburbs. They want to topple LaLota on Long Island and Rep. Mike Lawler in the Hudson Valley, though both are formidable incumbents. The party is also defending four districts held by Democrats, including Reps. Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi on Long Island. LaLota bested his 2024 Democratic challenger, former CNN host John Avlon, by attacking the Democratic Party at large as too woke and portraying Avlon as a wealthy outsider, tagging him in news releases with the label (D-Manhattan). Gallant, by contrast, describes himself as a 'blue-collar guy' born and raised in Suffolk County. Both he and LaLota live just outside of the boundary of the 1st Congressional District. But the Democrat's upbringing, he said, helps him understand first-hand the cost-of-living crisis facing many Americans. 'I came back from a deployment from '22 to '23,' Gallant said of his time in the Middle East. 'I went away and was able to fill a grocery cart for $150 and came back and can hardly fill a grocery bag for $150, so it's terrible.' LaLota is seeking a third term in a district that Cook Political Report does not yet include on its list of competitive races. Lawler's seat, in contrast, is ranked 'lean Republican.' The GOP incumbent is confident about his reelection prospects. The Navy veteran, who previously was chief of staff to the Suffolk County Legislature, like other blue-state Republicans, is touting a state and local tax deduction cap increase as a hard-fought victory this year.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Key SALT Republicans reject latest offer from Senate GOP, White House
A trio of key moderate House Republicans say they are rejecting the latest offer from Senate Republicans and the White House on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap, heightening the cross-chamber standoff over one of the thorniest issues in the GOP's 'big, beautiful bill.' Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) — who has been one of the most vocal members of the SALT Caucus — told The Hill that the Trump administration, on behalf of Senate Republicans, presented the group with a SALT proposal that was valued at $200 billion, far less than the $344 billion value in the House-passed bill. The Hill first reported on the offer. 'It's such a terrible offer that is nowhere near the realm of possibility,' LaLota said. 'If you all were buying a car and you were presented a number by a salesman like it was presented by those folks today you would never go back to the lot ever again. You'd be so humiliated, disgusted and you would never go back again. I'm close to that point. They need to get real in what they will present us or this bill ain't ever gonna happen.' Shortly after, Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.), a co-chair of the SALT Caucus, and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), another key member of the group, also rejected the latest offer. 'We rejected that,' Lawler told reporters. 'We're continuing to dialogue with them and we'll see where it goes.' The House-passed measure included a $40,000 deduction cap — quadruple the number in current law — for individuals making $500,000 or less. Senate Republicans, however, reverted the proposal back to $10,000 in their version of the legislation, sparking a fierce fight between the two camps. In recent days, however, talks have zeroed in on keeping the $40,000 deduction cap in place but changing the income threshold and inflation index. SALT Caucus members would not disclose the contours of the latest offer, but he said it included a lower income cap and lower indexing for inflation. LaLota said the latest offer is 58 percent of the value of the SALT provision in the House bill. The rejection of the latest offer by the three SALT Caucus lawmakers deals a blow to ongoing negotiations over the deduction cap, which has emerged as one of the most difficult hangups in the party's sprawling tax cuts and spending package. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), who has been the lead negotiator for Senate Republicans on SALT, brushed off LaLota's rebuff of the most-recent offer, exuding confidence that the two groups will reach consensus. 'We're still looking for a spot. We're gonna be good,' Mullin said. 'We'll make it work, we'll get to [a] landing spot.' Time, however, is running out. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is pushing to put the legislation on the floor for an initial vote on Friday, which would kick off the consideration process as Republicans race to meet their self-imposed July 4 deadline. After the Senate clears the bill, the House has to give it a final stamp of approval. Aside from SALT, Senate Republicans are still grappling with a handful of disagreements, including Medicaid cuts and the rollback of green-energy tax credits. The Senate Parliamentarian delivered GOP lawmakers a significant setback Thursday morning when she shot down key Medicaid provisions in the bill, including a proposal to cap states' use of health care provider taxes to collect more federal Medicaid funding — a provision championed by conservatives that would have generated billions of dollars in savings to pay for President Trump's tax cuts. Asked if he thinks the Senate will still be able to vote on the bill this weekend, despite the lingering hangups, Mullin responded: 'Yes.' Al Weaver and Alex Bolton contributed. Updated at 4:21 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SALT Caucus, White House zero in on key agreement in Trump megabill
Moderate House Republicans from high-tax blue states and the Trump administration are zeroing in on an agreement for the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap, which has been one of the key hang-ups dogging the party's tax and spending megabill. Multiple sources familiar with the SALT talks told The Hill that the House members and Trump administration officials are closing in on a plan for SALT, but it must be sold to Senate Republicans before being finalized. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), who has been the lead Senate GOP negotiator on SALT, told The Hill, 'There's a tentative deal between the SALT and White House, but not the Senate, [which is] still talking through that.' One source familiar with the SALT talks, however, cautioned against saying there is a 'deal' on the table, because Senate Republicans — who have been opposed to increasing the deduction cap — still have to sign off on the terms. 'Having learned my lesson with the House language, the Senate needs to have buy-in here, so I'm waiting to see what their fingerprints look like,' the source said. Treasury Department Secretary Scott Bessent, who has met with SALT Caucus members in recent days, is scheduled to join Senate Republicans at their lunch Friday, two sources confirmed to The Hill, a gathering that could include discussion regarding SALT. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), who did not attend SALT talks at the Treasury Department on Thursday afternoon, said he 'heard of a deal' that includes a $40,000 deduction cap — the same number in the House bill — for five years, which would snap back to $10,000 for the next five years 'and then in perpetuity.' LaLota, one of the most vocal SALT Caucus members, said he is opposed to that proposal. 'I'm a hard no on that,' he told reporters, saying the proposal 'just affirms the very thing I've been against for so long.' It remains unclear if the plan LaLota outlined is the same proposal the SALT Caucus members and administration are closing in on. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), for his part, sounded bullish Friday about a SALT breakthrough. 'A lot of progress yesterday,' he told reporters. 'I think we'll get that resolved in a manner that everybody can live with. No one will be delighted about it, but that's kind of the way this works around here.' The news of an impending agreement is a significant development in the long-stalled negotiations over SALT, one of the thorniest issues Republicans have faced. The House bill included a $40,000 deduction cap — quadruple the $10,000 in current law — for individuals making $500,000 or less. Senate Republicans, however, enraged House SALT Caucus members by chopping that down, proposing a $10,000 deduction cap. Since then, the two camps have been engaged in fierce negotiations. In recent days, those talks have largely centered on keeping the $40,000 deduction cap from the House bill intact but dropping the $500,000 income threshold and indexing for inflation. The administration, on behalf of Senate Republicans, offered the SALT Caucus a plan Thursday that had a total value of $200 billion, far less than the $344 billion value in the House bill, according to LaLota. Several lawmakers in the group, however, rejected that proposal. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
27-06-2025
- Business
- The Hill
SALT Caucus, White House zero in on key agreement in Trump megabill
Moderate House Republicans from high-tax blue states and the Trump administration are zeroing in on an agreement for the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap, which has been one of the key hangups dogging the party's 'big, beautiful bill.' Multiple sources familiar with the SALT talks told The Hill that the House members and Trump administration officials are closing in on a plan for SALT, but it must be sold to Senate Republicans before being finalized. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), who has been the lead Senate GOP negotiator on SALT, told The Hill 'There's a tentative deal between the SALT and White House, but not the Senate [which is] still talking through that.' One source familiar with the SALT talks, however, cautioned against saying there is a 'deal' on the table because Senate Republicans — who have been opposed to increasing the deduction cap — still have to sign off on the terms. 'Having learned my lesson with the House language, the Senate needs to have buy in here so I'm waiting to see what their fingerprints look like,' the source said. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has met with SALT Caucus members in recent days, is scheduled to join Senate Republicans at their lunch on Friday, two sources confirmed to The Hill, a gathering that could include discussion regarding SALT. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), who did not attend SALT talks at the Treasury Department Thursday afternoon, said he 'heard of a deal' that includes a $40,000 deduction cap — the same number in the House bill — for five years, which would snapback to $10,000 for the next five years 'and then in perpetuity.' LaLota, who has been one of the most vocal SALT Caucus members, said he is opposed to that proposal. 'I'm a hard no on that,' he told reporters, adding that the proposal 'just affirms the very thing I've been against for so long.' It remains unclear if the plan LaLota outlined is the same proposal that the SALT Caucus members and administration are closing in on. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), for his part, on Friday sounded bullish on a SALT breakthrough. 'A lot of progress yesterday,' he told reporters. 'I think we'll get that resolved in a manner that everybody can live with. No one will be delighted about it, but that's kind of the way this works around here.' The news of an impending agreement is a significant development in the long-stalled negotiations over SALT, which had been one of the thorniest issues Republicans have had to deal with. The House bill included a $40,000 deduction cap — quadruple the $10,000 in current law — for individuals making $500,000 or less. Senate Republicans, however, enraged House SALT Caucus members by chopping that down, proposing a $10,000 deduction cap. Since then, the two camps have been engaged in fierce negotiations. In recent days, those talks have largely centered on keeping the $40,000 deduction cap from the House bill intact but changing the $500,000 income threshold and indexing for inflation. The administration, on behalf of Senate Republicans, offered the SALT Caucus a plan on Thursday that had a total value of $200 billion, far less than the $344 billion value in the House bill, according to Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), a key member of the SALT Caucus. Several lawmakers in the group, however, rejected that proposal.
The Hill
26-06-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Key SALT Republican rejects latest offer from Senate GOP, White House
A key moderate House Republican says he is rejecting the latest offer from Senate Republicans and the White House on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap, heightening the cross-chamber standoff over one of the thorniest issues in the GOP's 'big, beautiful bill.' Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) — who has been one of the most vocal members of the SALT Caucus — told The Hill that the Trump administration, on behalf of Senate Republicans, presented the group with a SALT proposal that was valued at $200 billion, far less than the $344 billion value in the House-passed bill. 'The Senate's current SALT offer falls far short—providing just 58 percent of the value in the House-passed bill. It's not a serious proposal, and it disregards the good-faith compromise backed by 99 percent of House Republicans,' LaLota told The Hill. 'I won't participate in performative negotiations like the one scheduled this afternoon until the Senate shows it's ready to engage in reality.' It remains unclear how other members of the SALT Caucus feel about the offer, which was first reported by The Hill. The House-passed measure included a $40,000 deduction cap — quadruple the number in current law — for individuals making $500,000 or less. Senate Republicans, however, reverted the proposal back to $10,000 in their version of the legislation, sparking a fierce fight between the two camps. In recent days, however, talks have zeroed in on keeping the $40,000 deduction cap in place but changing the income threshold and inflation index. LaLota would not disclose the contours of the latest offer, but said it included a lower income cap and lower indexing for inflation.
