Latest news with #MichaelLawler
Washington Post
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Republican at odds with Trump on Haitian migrants gears up for tough reelection
Republican Rep. Michael Lawler's suburban New York district is home to one of the largest concentrations of Haitian immigrants in the country. President Donald Trump's decision to crack down on them has put him in a difficult spot as he gears up for reelection, interviews with local leaders show. Lawler, a moderate Republican who announced Wednesday that he will seek a third term rather than run for governor, has repeatedly objected to Trump's move to revoke temporary protected status for hundreds of thousands of Haitian migrants and his order restricting travel from Haiti, a nation gripped by gang violence, political instability and extreme poverty. At the same time, Lawler has been careful about not directly assailing Trump, who endorsed Lawler in May, calling him a 'Highly Effective Representative' and 'true America First Patriot' in a Truth Social post.
Washington Post
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Lawler says he won't run for New York governor, clearing GOP path for Stefanik
Rep. Michael Lawler (R-New York) said he has decided to run for reelection, forgoing a run for governor and clearing the way for Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) to potentially face Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) next year. 'While I fundamentally believe I am best positioned to take on Kathy Hochul and offer New Yorkers a real choice for governor, I have made the decision to run for re-election to the House and continue the important work I've been doing over the past two and a half years,' Lawler said in a statement Wednesday.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bipartisan House coalition demands RFK Jr. reverse Trump's plan to end LGBTQ+ suicide prevention hotline
A bipartisan group of U.S. House lawmakers is urging Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to block the Trump administration's plan to eliminate the LGBTQ+ youth services within the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline—an emergency support network that has served more than 1.3 million contacts since its full implementation in 2023. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. The Wednesday letter, signed by Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat from Illinois, New York Republican Michael Lawler, Massachusetts Democrat Seth Moulton, and Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Pennsylvania, calls on Kennedy to stop a 30-day phaseout announced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on June 17. According to internal agency guidance, the LGBTQ+-specific branch of the hotline, which allows callers to 'press 3' to connect with affirming counselors, is set to be dismantled by July 17, according to SAMHSA. Related: Advocates and health experts worry Trump's suicide prevention hotline cuts will increase LGBTQ+ youth deaths 'This is not some kind of hotline set by a liberal Democratic administration,' Krishnamoorthi said in an interview with The Advocate Thursday morning. 'It was actually signed into law by President Trump. Various Republicans in the Senate and the House supported it.' Since the line became fully operational in 2023, he noted, 'it has received an astonishing 1.3 million calls, texts, and other forms of communication' and was 'averaging 2,900 contacts every day' as recently as February. Krishnamoorthi, who serves as a ranking member of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services, raised the issue sharply during a Wednesday hearing on diversity, equity, and inclusion policy rollbacks. 'In the name of expunging DEI, the Trump administration has lurched from the farcical to the cruel,' he said, highlighting the crisis line's termination as an especially harmful example. 'These actions are wrong, but do not compete in cruelty with the ending of a suicide hotline for LGBTQ youth.' The LGBTQ+ subnetwork of 988 was developed under a bipartisan mandate to offer tailored support to high-risk groups, much like the veteran-specific track within the program. In addition to young people, it has provided critical services to adults experiencing distress related to anti-LGBTQ+ violence, legislation, and rejection. Related: Trump administration finalizes plan to eliminate LGBTQ+ 988 crisis services during WorldPride At the hearing, Krishnamoorthi pressed conservative legal activist Daniel Lennington on whether he disputed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from the Trump administration showing LGBTQ+ youth face significantly higher suicide risk. Lennington replied he was 'not aware of anything to do with the suicide hotline,' prompting Krishnamoorthi to respond, 'That's the problem—a lack of awareness.' Krishnamoorthi told The Advocate that the decision to eliminate the program was driven by the Trump administration's broader campaign against diversity and inclusion initiatives. 'Eliminating this lifeline is cruelty because you are essentially discontinuing a service that saves lives,' he said. 'In the name of fighting DEI, they're going to cause a lot of young people to DIE.' Krishnamoorthi warned that 'especially now, during a time when the LGBTQ+ community at large feels tremendous pressure,' the need for the hotline may be 'much higher than it was before.' Krishnamoorthi emphasized the rare bipartisan nature of the letter to Kennedy. 'It's hard to get bipartisan letters, let alone legislation, on topics involving the LGBTQ+ community,' he said. 'But this one touches a nerve. I think that young people, whoever they are, still occupy a soft corner in people's hearts regardless of ideology.' The Trump administration's move, first reported in The Advocate in April, was confirmed in the FY2026 budget released during WorldPride in Washington, D.C. Mental health advocates and LGBTQ+ organizations have condemned the proposal as reckless and dangerous. Mark Henson of The Trevor Project previously told The Advocate the 988 LGBTQ+ subnetwork is 'a vital tool' that serves more than 60,000 young people each month. Without it, advocates warn, those calls may go unanswered—or be routed to general crisis lines lacking LGBTQ+ expertise. In response to a question about his message to young LGBTQ+ people, Krishnamoorthi said he's met with young people and their parents and understands their pain. 'We've got to band together at the state level, at the local level to protect whatever rights we can. We must continue to fight for change in the future,' he said. Krishmamoorthi added, 'If we can rally around a group of people, it would be our young people.' If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The lifeline also provides resources to help with other crises, such as domestic violence situations. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at or text START to 678678. This article originally appeared on Advocate: Bipartisan House coalition demands RFK Jr. reverse Trump's plan to end LGBTQ+ suicide prevention hotline Advocates and health experts worry Trump's suicide prevention hotline cuts will increase LGBTQ+ youth deaths The Trevor Project Extends 988 Crisis Line Partnership to Support Vulnerable LGBTQ+ Youth
Washington Post
05-06-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Democrats blast Trump's travel ban, but legal challenges may be tough
President Donald Trump's travel ban on 19 countries came under mounting criticism Thursday from congressional Democrats and at least one Republican, but legal experts predicted the order would be difficult to stop through challenges in court. Advocates for immigrants and some Democratic state attorneys general said they are examining the restrictions — including a full ban on travelers from 12 nations and a partial ban on those from seven others — for potential legal action. Federal courts blocked two versions of a travel ban during Trump's first term before the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a third revision in 2018 after more than a year of legal wrangling. At least one Republican elected official — Rep. Michael Lawler of New York — condemned the ban on Thursday, citing the humanitarian crisis in Haiti as a reason to remove it from the list. Legal analysts said the administration appeared to have applied lessons from that previous experience and crafted the order in a way that makes it less susceptible to being blocked in federal court. The White House said the ban will include exceptions for legal permanent residents, refugees, current visa holders and individuals whose entry serves U.S. national interests. 'Because the Supreme Court did uphold the final, somewhat watered-down version of President Trump's third Muslim ban, a legal challenge would face hurdles,' said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which sued over the travel ban in Trump's first term. Mitchell said the new ban is 'not as bad as it could have been' and suggested that advocates might have better success challenging the order on behalf of specific individuals rather than trying to stop it outright. 'I think we're seeing a maturing of the Trump administration's legal arguments,' said César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández, an Ohio State University law professor and the author of several books on immigration enforcement. 'The executive order that the president issued yesterday reads like a carefully drafted and thought-out legal document. That's different than the 2017 version, which read much more like a political statement or a long press release.' A White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations, said the administration has been working on developing and refining the new ban since Trump signed an executive order directing national security agencies to assess security and terrorism risks posed by other countries. The restrictions, set to begin Monday, set off a scramble Thursday at U.S. consulate offices in the affected regions. Some officials said they were kept in the dark about the timing of the announcement a day earlier and are awaiting additional guidance from the State Department. U.S. diplomats were instructed not to cancel previously scheduled appointments of individuals applicants, according to an intra-agency cable obtained by The Washington Post. But they were told to deny any requests for expedited appointments or visa processing for those from impacted countries. The presidential proclamation fully restricts the entry of individuals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It also partially restricts the entry of travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Democrats denounced the travel ban as inhumane and unnecessary, with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) calling Trump a 'white-supremacist-in-chief' whose directive amounts to 'a shameful expansion of his hateful Muslim and African ban from his first term.' Lawler became the first GOP House member to voice criticism, calling on the administration to remove Haiti from the list of countries facing a full ban on travelers to the United States. He said Haiti is facing an 'unprecedented humanitarian crisis' due to widespread violence. 'We have a moral duty to help. Haitians cannot do it alone,' said Lawler, whose district includes Hudson Valley, which has a large population of Haitian immigrants. 'This travel ban will only deepen the suffering of Haitians.' Trump and senior administration officials defended the ban, citing national security concerns and saying the restrictions target countries that lack sufficient security vetting for issuing passports or whose citizens have high rates of overstaying their U.S. visas. In a video message announcing the travel ban Wednesday, the president cited the attack in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday that injured a dozen demonstrators marching in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Federal authorities have charged an Egyptian immigrant and are seeking to deport his wife and children. Egypt is not under the travel ban. Some immigrant rights advocates accused Trump of trying to exploit the Boulder attack for political gain by announcing the travel ban just days later. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday that the restrictions 'can't come soon enough.' When asked whether the firebombing attack in Boulder influenced the proclamation — and why Egypt was not included — he said: 'Egypt is a country we work with very closely. They have things under control.' Trump said the travel ban list is subject to changes, noting that some countries could be removed if they improve security vetting of travelers and others could be added depending on circumstances. The Trump administration did not provide details about how many prospective travelers could be affected by the order. Stuart Anderson, executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy, said his organization estimates that, based on federal data from fiscal 2023, about 25,000 people annually from the 19 countries would be denied family reunification visas under the president's ban. Anderson said another 100,000 B1 or B2 temporary visas for tourism or business, 10,000 student visas, and 2,400 J1 educational and cultural exchange visas would be denied each year. 'The way it is crafted, the folks who really will be blocked are going to be family-sponsored and employment-sponsored immigrants,' he said. Many of the legal challenges brought against Trump's first attempt at a travel ban in 2017 hinged on discriminatory public comments the president made about Muslims and arguments that the ban, in effect, was specifically targeting them for their religious beliefs. By the time the Supreme Court approved a third, substantially revised travel ban in 2018, North Korea and Venezuela had been added to the list, and the administration had made specific claims that allowing visitors from each of the included nations were detrimental to U.S. interests. Aziz Huq, a constitutional law scholar at the University of Chicago, said Trump's order on Wednesday showed clear signs that his administration had learned from past mistakes. 'It's plainly written in light of the [Supreme Court's] previous ruling,' Huq said. 'The decision from 2018 makes the exercise of this power more difficult to challenge than it was previously.' Stephen Yale-Loehr, a retired Cornell University immigration law scholar, noted that the new ban includes specific rationales for each nation on the list and contains other measures that would probably shield the order from legal claims of arbitrariness, irrationality or discrimination. 'They've clearly learned from their first go-rounds,' Yale-Loehr said. Still, he predicted, legal challenges would arise. For example, he said, advocacy groups might seek to pursue discrimination claims if the administration's stated rationale for including a country in the ban also apply to nations not included on the list. Emily Davies and Anna-Liss Roy contributed to this report.
Fox News
27-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Winners, losers and grab-bags from House GOP's narrow passage of 'big, beautiful bill'
With the narrow 215-214 passage of House Republicans' "Big, Beautiful Bill," (BBB) there were noted winners and losers, and some entities who felt mixed results from the midnight-oil-burning negotiations and vote. The House Freedom Caucus (HFC) within the GOP conference appeared to be a key player in BBB talks, as Chairman Andy Harris of Maryland voted "present," while two other HFC members, Reps. Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, voted "nay." The HFC was initially very concerned about the bill's spending levels and how quickly — or not — some of the reduction measures would be implemented. Ultimately, the HFC won out in terms of shifting Medicaid Work Requirements in the bill to take effect by 2027 rather than the originally proposed 2029 deadline. On the other GOP flank, moderates and lawmakers from blue states had expressed concern over the State and Local Tax Deduction (SALT) — which helps Democrat-run state residents lessen their tax burden. Originally, SALT was capped at $10,000, but the budget bill raised it to $30,000 for individuals earning up to $400,000. Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., and other blue-state Republicans clashed with President Donald Trump on the matter — with the president retorting that he knew Lawler's Rockland County district better than he did. Lawler was seen as a winner in the budget bill's passage, as his work — along with that of Long Island Republicans like Rep. Nick LaLota — secured the deduction for their constituents. Another blue-state Republican, Rep. Andrew Garbarino of New York, was one of two nonvoting members — the other being Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., according to the official roll. Residents of such high-tax states as New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland and California won out in that respect, ensuring that they would be able to continue to utilize SALT. Outright winners from the bill were Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who saw some version of their original effort come to pass. Trump also saw his sweeping middle- and upper-class tax cuts preserved from expiration, which in turn rendered debt-and-deficit hawks proverbial losers. Passage of the bill in the House comes as the national debt currently sits at $36,214,475,432,210.84, according to FOX Business' National Debt Tracker. The federal deficit will grow by about $2 trillion over 10 years, according to reports, while the tax cuts' preservation will reduce gross federal revenue. But Medicaid and SNAP work requirements funding cuts are expected to lessen that blow. Other winners included illegal immigration hawks, with the bill allocating billions for the Pentagon and for homeland security, including at the U.S.-Mexico border. Energy interests also won out in the bill's passage. The American Petroleum Institute applauded the House for taking another step to "restore American energy dominance." "By preserving competitive tax policies, beginning to reverse the 'methane fee,' opening lease sales and advancing important progress on permitting, this historic legislation is a win for our nation's energy future," the group said in a statement. Losers included Democratic leadership, as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., saw his caucus vote as a bloc, but just shy of the partisan force necessary to block the bill. One particularly upset "loser" in the bill's passage was House Homeland Security Committee ranking member Bennie Thompson of Mississippi. "You can't shovel s--- and call it sugar," Thompson fumed in a Thursday statement. "This horrific bill is one of the most shameful grifts I have ever seen played on the American public," he added. Abortion providers also lost out via the bill, as it reportedly bans Medicaid disbursements to Planned Parenthood for one year, which could lead to decreased revenue for such organizations. Opponents of SALT, including members of the HFC, also essentially lost out, given the fact the deduction remained intact and was somewhat bolstered. The bill's slashing of green energy tax credits also renders that particular corporate sector — including wind, solar and EV concerns — another potential loser in the BBB.
