Keep the Pressure On

U.S. Representative Nick LaLota finds himself with a long runway as of this week.

After he was first elected to represent the 1st Congressional District in 2022, the Republican served during a Democratic administration and a split Congress. After his reelection in November and Donald Trump’s second inauguration on Monday, he is now a Republican serving during a Republican administration, with the added benefit of a newly minted Republican Senate as well as continued GOP control of the House of Representatives.

He is better positioned than he ever has been to deliver big for Suffolk County. He has had some accomplishments during the previous administration that he can point to, like the adoption of his bipartisan DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act. But he has continued to hit roadblocks in uncapping the State and Local Income Tax deduction, known as SALT, and now with Trump’s promise to open the East Coast up for oil and gas drilling through a “national energy emergency declaration,” LaLota faces another challenge.

The SALT deduction was unlimited until Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2018 capped it at $10,000 for both individual filers and married couples. That means that many residents of high tax states like New York could no longer deduct the full amount of their property taxes and state income taxes on their federal tax returns. For some New York taxpayers, it meant the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, despite its name, led to a tax increase.

LaLota joined the bipartisan SALT Caucus in the House to attempt to shepherd legislation or a budget amendment to restore the full deduction, or at least increase the deduction. All attempts failed.

In one notable attempt, on February 14, 2024, a LaLota bill to temporarily double the SALT cap for married couples failed to move forward. Not only did the House Democrats vote against the advancement, but so did 18 House Republicans. While LaLota tried to blame Democrats for its failure, it was clear that the problem was Republicans, who held the majority and shouldn’t have needed any Democratic votes to pass a resolution let alone legislation.

Only half of the failed resolution would have advanced the SALT bill, but the other half was to consider a resolution “denouncing the harmful, anti-American energy policies of the Biden administration.” That is not what anyone would call good faith outreach across the aisle.

As recently as last month, LaLota derided “one-party rule” in New York, where the Democrats reign. He has made no such derisive comments about one-party rule in Washington, where Republicans rule unfettered.

Being in the majority during a period of one-party rule means that the responsibility for uncapping the SALT deduction, permanently and totally, and ensuring that East Coast drilling does not include waters off Long Island is at the feet of LaLota and the Republicans in the Long Island congressional delegation. It’s within their power, and only members of their own party can stop them now.

LaLota recently visited Trump in Mar-a-Lago and said he left “optimistic” as Trump renewed his campaign pledge to “fix the SALT” cap. He said in an interview last week that he doesn’t think that drilling off Long Island is a goal of the incoming administration.

LaLota must keep the pressure on. The runway is open.