WEBVTT - Rep. Mike Lawler Talks SALT Caucus Vote

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio News. We're really glad to

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<v Speaker 1>be joined by Congressman Mike Lawler, the Republican from New

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<v Speaker 1>York is with us now live from Capitol Hill. There

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<v Speaker 1>is news of a deal on salt, a forty thousand

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<v Speaker 1>dollars cap. If that's real, Congressman, you managed to quadruple

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<v Speaker 1>the current cap. Is that the kind of bacon that

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<v Speaker 1>you can bring home?

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<v Speaker 2>But this was a critically important negotiation. I was very

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<v Speaker 2>clear for over two years that I would never support

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<v Speaker 2>a tax bill that did not adequately lift the cap

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<v Speaker 2>on salt. We put pen to paper yesterday, met with leadership,

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<v Speaker 2>worked throughout the course of the day to come to

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<v Speaker 2>an agreement that would lift the cap on salt and

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<v Speaker 2>provide real and immediate and lasting tax relief for hardworking

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<v Speaker 2>middle class families. The agreement would lift the cap to

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<v Speaker 2>forty thousand, with an income cap of five hundred thousand

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<v Speaker 2>that would be phased out, and anyone making above that

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<v Speaker 2>would go back down to ten thousand, which is the

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<v Speaker 2>current cap. And it provides for the entirety of the

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<v Speaker 2>ten years of the bill, which is critically important to

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<v Speaker 2>make sure that folks are getting real relief. You look

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<v Speaker 2>at a district like mine, three of the top four

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<v Speaker 2>of the four counties I represent are in the top

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<v Speaker 2>sixteen highest property tax counties in America. So when we

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<v Speaker 2>talk about these issues, this isn't about the rich. This

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<v Speaker 2>is about providing tax relief to middle class families who

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<v Speaker 2>are besieged by high property taxes and high income taxes.

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<v Speaker 2>And many of my colleagues will say that a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of people don't itemize and they don't take the salt deduction. Well,

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<v Speaker 2>that's true, because we doubled the standard deduction, and part

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<v Speaker 2>of the pay for for doubling that was salt. And

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<v Speaker 2>so we're seeking, after seven years of having this ten

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<v Speaker 2>thousand dollars cap, to provide real relief to the middle class.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's what this is about.

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<v Speaker 3>Congressman, should we take that to assume, with the terms

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<v Speaker 3>of this deal, that you are now a yes on

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<v Speaker 3>this legislation, And assuming you are, are you aware of

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<v Speaker 3>any member of the Salt Caucus who was not yet

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<v Speaker 3>too yes with you?

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<v Speaker 2>I think the members of the Salt Caucus negotiated yesterday

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<v Speaker 2>in good faith with leadership with the administration, and we

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<v Speaker 2>settled on something that we believe in that we support.

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<v Speaker 2>Obviously we're waiting for the final details to emerge out

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<v Speaker 2>of the Rules Committee, but obviously we made great progress

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<v Speaker 2>yesterday and I feel much better about where the bill is.

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<v Speaker 2>As a result.

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<v Speaker 1>There does seem to be some growing optimism over a

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<v Speaker 1>possible floor vote as soon as today, Congressman, maybe tomorrow.

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<v Speaker 1>I know the Speaker wanted to see it happen by

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<v Speaker 1>the Memorial Day break. Will that be the case.

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<v Speaker 2>I know the administration and leadership are working to get

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<v Speaker 2>that done. Meeting with members today, Obviously, you know that

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<v Speaker 2>time frame is something the Speaker set out to achieve.

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<v Speaker 2>The objective here is to get the bill passed ultimately

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<v Speaker 2>to take effect, to make sure that we are providing

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<v Speaker 2>real tax relief, that we are securing our border, that

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<v Speaker 2>we are strengthening our military, increasing domestic production of energy,

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<v Speaker 2>and protecting vital programs like Medicaid long term and cutting

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<v Speaker 2>out the waste, fraud, abuse, and making sure that illegal immigrants,

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<v Speaker 2>for instance, are not receiving benefits and taking away from

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<v Speaker 2>the very people who rely on these programs, like the

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<v Speaker 2>idd community or our seniors or children. We want to

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<v Speaker 2>protect this for the long term, get our fiscal house

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<v Speaker 2>in order while providing real tax relief. That's what this

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<v Speaker 2>bill is about. We've been working on it for months. Obviously,

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<v Speaker 2>anytime you're negotiating, there's going to be a give and take,

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<v Speaker 2>there's going to be a back and forth. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>you work through these issues and come to an agree

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<v Speaker 2>and you know, as I've said many times, anybody who's

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<v Speaker 2>ever been married knows you're going to have to find

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<v Speaker 2>compromises along the way. You're not going to get everything

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<v Speaker 2>you want in life. So you've got to work through this.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's what we've done in good faith.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, and it's not just compromises within the House Republican Conference,

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<v Speaker 3>but there also may need to be compromises made between

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<v Speaker 3>the House and Senate, which will take up this measure next,

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<v Speaker 3>assuming it can get off the House floor. Congressman, has

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<v Speaker 3>the Speaker shared with you any assurances that the Senate

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<v Speaker 3>will not make changes to the salt deal that he

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<v Speaker 3>just negotiated with you and your colleagues.

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<v Speaker 2>This obviously has been a big topic of conversation, and

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<v Speaker 2>I'll keep those conversations private, but I certainly know that

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<v Speaker 2>the Speaker understands how important it is that this agreement

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<v Speaker 2>remain intact, I.

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<v Speaker 1>Want to go back to the case that you made

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<v Speaker 1>for raising the salt cap. In the outset Congressman, we

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<v Speaker 1>heard from Chip Roy of course, allowed member of the

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<v Speaker 1>Freedom Caucus, who I understand is going to be meeting

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<v Speaker 1>with the President later on today. He suggested that leadership

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<v Speaker 1>is buying quote, a handful of seats with three hundred

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<v Speaker 1>and fifty billion dollars in parochial tax subsidies in the

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<v Speaker 1>form of salts. Is it possible to have a conversation

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<v Speaker 1>with someone who holds that point of view or are

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<v Speaker 1>you counting them out?

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<v Speaker 3>Listen.

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<v Speaker 2>I respect all my colleagues and their perspectives. The fact

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<v Speaker 2>is New York is a donor state. We send more

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<v Speaker 2>money down to Washington than we get back. So we

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<v Speaker 2>can get into the subsidy debate about which states are

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<v Speaker 2>taking money from the federal government and which ones are

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<v Speaker 2>actually helping fund the federal government. But the fact is

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<v Speaker 2>that New Yorkers should not be double tax They should

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<v Speaker 2>not be penalized for living in a high tax state.

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<v Speaker 2>Salt was in effect for over one hundred years, and

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<v Speaker 2>it was used as a pay for, and frankly, part

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<v Speaker 2>of that pay for was to double the standard deduction

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<v Speaker 2>and provide tax relief to Americans all across this country.

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<v Speaker 2>We're just simply saying, after seven years of the ten

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<v Speaker 2>thousand dollars cap, which was arbitrary and caprice, that we

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<v Speaker 2>need to have a much fairer approach. And that's what

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<v Speaker 2>we have negotiated. Everybody has understood this for well over

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<v Speaker 2>two years. I ran on this, I fought for it.

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<v Speaker 2>I said it very clearly from the moment I came

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<v Speaker 2>here that I would never support a bill that doesn't

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<v Speaker 2>adequately lift the cap on salt. We have been working

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<v Speaker 2>to negotiate to an agreement, and so that's what we've done,

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<v Speaker 2>and I stand by it well.

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<v Speaker 3>And of course you and your fellow New Yorkers who

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<v Speaker 3>have helped make the Republican majority, have made the case

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<v Speaker 3>that if that majority is to be retained, there needs

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<v Speaker 3>to be changes to salt. But as we look ahead

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<v Speaker 3>to twenty twenty six, if the other side of this

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<v Speaker 3>getting what you want on salt is conservatives also getting

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<v Speaker 3>a pulling forward of stricter work requirements around Medicaid to

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<v Speaker 3>begin in December of twenty twenty six, as we understand,

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<v Speaker 3>does that not put the majority at risk for a

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<v Speaker 3>whole other reason. How do you navigate around that issue

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<v Speaker 3>in the midterms.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, look, at the end of the day, I think

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<v Speaker 2>there's broad consensus within the conference on a few key areas.

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<v Speaker 2>Number one, eligibility verification making sure that somebody who is

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<v Speaker 2>not eligible doesn't remain on the program for up to

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<v Speaker 2>a year, which is what the Biden administration allowed. Citizenship verification,

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<v Speaker 2>making sure that illegal immigrants are not receiving benefits that

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<v Speaker 2>they're not entitled to. And work requirements. Able bodied adults

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<v Speaker 2>without dependence should be trying to work. I mean you're

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<v Speaker 2>talking about eighty hours a month of work requirements, or

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<v Speaker 2>educational requirements or volunteering. Anybody who is able bodied should

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<v Speaker 2>be trying to improve their life by working. The fact

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<v Speaker 2>is Medicaid is a means tested program, and so as

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<v Speaker 2>part of that, you are trying to help lift people up,

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<v Speaker 2>lift them out of poverty, lift them out of their situation.

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<v Speaker 2>Work requirements are something Democrats fought for for years. Bill

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<v Speaker 2>Clinton was the biggest champion of work requirements. So I

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<v Speaker 2>don't think the issue of work requirements speeding up from

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<v Speaker 2>twenty nine to twenty seven is frankly an impediment. I

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<v Speaker 2>think there's broad consensus that we should be trying to

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<v Speaker 2>help people lift themselves up. Work requirements is a way

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<v Speaker 2>to help facilitate that as we are providing them with

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<v Speaker 2>support through Medicaid.

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<v Speaker 3>All right, Congressman, we appreciate you joining us here on

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<v Speaker 3>Bloomberg TV and radio. Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New

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<v Speaker 3>York with us live from Capitol Hill.