Rep. Mike Lawler said he would work with Democrats to restore expired health insurance subsidies as he defended his economic record ahead of Tuesday's election. Speaking on CBS News' "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Nov. 1, the New York Republican predicted victory in a district Brennan described as a leading Democratic target.
Lawler pointed to constituent services and legislation as reasons voters should return him to Congress. He said his office had resolved more than 10,000 constituent cases over four years, brought more than $140 million back to the district and passed more than two dozen bills, including 17 signed into law. He also highlighted an endorsement from Democratic Rep. Jared Golden and described himself as a bipartisan legislator.
Brennan challenged Lawler on affordability, noting that wages had failed to keep pace with inflation for six months despite economic growth and continued consumer spending. Lawler attributed higher prices partly to inflation under the previous administration and oil market volatility resulting from the Middle East war. He cited third-quarter growth of 3.4% and more than a million private-sector jobs created over the past year, while acknowledging that further action was needed.
Lawler said tax cuts and housing legislation would help address household costs. He also predicted Congress would complete a permitting reform bill before the end of its term, arguing that increased domestic energy supply would reduce expenses across manufacturing, transportation and groceries. He blamed New York's energy policies for higher utility costs.
Asked whether he would help Democrats restore lapsed Affordable Care Act subsidies, Lawler replied, "Oh, absolutely." He said he and Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer had worked on a bipartisan extension of enhanced premium tax credits. Lawler accused Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer of rejecting that agreement in favor of a three-year extension without reforms, and said broader changes were necessary to address insurance costs.
The interview also exposed a disagreement over the health coverage effects of the tax legislation Brennan called the Big Beautiful Bill. Citing KFF, Brennan said it was projected to increase New York's uninsured population by about 860,000 through 2034. Lawler disputed the figure and argued that the state's Medicaid program had excessive spending and problems involving waste, fraud and abuse.
Brennan also questioned Lawler about hundreds of thousands of dollars in support from Elon Musk's political action committee and opponent Cait Conley's accusation that he was protecting Musk by resisting artificial intelligence legislation. Lawler denied communicating with outside groups spending in the race. He pointed to his work with Gottheimer on the Stop Rogue AI Act, describing proposals for national standards governing rogue agents and bots and mandatory testing of frontier models.
Lawler separately alleged election-law violations involving Conley's campaign and a group he identified as American Forge Group. He accused Democrats of distributing false claims about his immigration positions to suppress Republican turnout and said the FBI and Justice Department had informed his campaign of an investigation. Brennan said Conley's campaign told CBS it had no involvement in the mailers and that CBS would also seek a response from the Justice Department.
