Two attendees ejected from Rockland town hall

Many of the 700 people attending Rep. Mike Lawler's town hall on Sunday (April 27) in Rockland County clearly brought vinegar when co-moderator Brendel Logan-Charles, the deputy supervisor for the Town of Ramapo, asked, "Who knows the end of this saying: 'You can get more with honey than you can with …' "

Catcalls and jeering erupted as she and Teresa Kenny, the Orangetown supervisor, recited ground rules before Lawler, whose 17th District seat includes Philipstown, walked onstage in the auditorium at Clarkstown High School South in West Nyack. It was the first in a series of four town halls - Lawler has said he will visit Dutchess and Putnam counties in June, although locations and dates have not been announced.

Although Republican leaders have told House members not to hold town halls because of the negative response over federal cuts being implemented by the Trump administration, Lawler said in March he would host four events to show his "independence and willingness to buck party leadership to engage with his constituents."

A town hall hosted in Poughkeepsie on March 19 by Rep. Pat Ryan, a Democrat whose district includes Beacon, had a different tenor, although spectators expressed frustration over what they see as a tepid Democratic response to Trump. Several protestors supporting Palestine who began yelling at Ryan were removed.

Entering to a mixture of boos and applause in West Nyack, Lawler spent 90 minutes parrying questions about cuts to federal programs and employees, Medicaid and Social Security, the Trump administration's deportation practices and the belief that Congress is failing to oppose the Republican president's decisions.

Police and security guards escorted at least two people from the event and warned several others. But the warnings did not stop intermittent shouts of "liar," "blah, blah, blah" and other jeers as Lawler answered questions. Part of his final comments were drowned out by chants of "Leave her alone" as police and security guards surrounded a woman they wanted to eject.

Below are most of the questions, in the order they were asked, and excerpts from Lawler's answers. Both have been edited slightly for brevity and clarity.

You describe yourself as a moderate, yet you support the policies this authoritarian administration is putting forth. … What are you doing to stand in opposition to this administration, and what specifically are you doing that warrants the label "moderate"?

My record speaks for itself. I have been rated the fourth-most-bipartisan [member of the U.S. House] for a reason, which is a simple fact that unlike many of my colleagues, I do work across the aisle; I do sit down with my colleagues.

At the end of this year, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act [passed in 2017 under the first Trump administration] is going to expire. If the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expires, do you know what will happen? The standard deduction will be cut in half. That will be the largest tax increase in American history. The corporate tax rate is set at 21 percent and I don't support lowering it. … I do support lifting the [$10,000] cap on SALT [deduction for state and local taxes], which directly impacts all of us in this room.

Tariffs are obviously something that has been a big point of discussion for many years. [Sens.] Chuck Schumer [of New York] and Bernie Sanders [of Vermont] said [in the past] they supported increasing tariffs, and part of the reason is because other countries have had significantly higher tariffs, barriers to entry and price controls on U.S. goods.

You supported a budget that cut Medicaid and education in our district. How does that serve your constituents? [Republicans, who control both houses of Congress, are debating cuts to Medicaid to offset lost revenue from tax cuts.]

When it comes to Medicaid, I've been very clear: I am not cutting benefits for any eligible recipient, period. The fact is that our community relies on these vital program...