Standing Firm

Even South Fork residents who have issues with U.S. Representative Nick LaLota’s positions on some important issues should give credit where it’s due: In one respect at least, the Republican 1st District congressman has stuck to his guns on an issue that deserves bipartisan attention — the unfair cap on state and local tax deductions on federal tax returns.

SALT, in short, has been a talking point for LaLota since he emerged as the GOP’s successor to Lee Zeldin for the House seat, even as much of his other rhetoric has toed the line drawn by Republican leaders in Washington, D.C., regarding cuts in spending. It’s an important matter for Long Island voters in particular, since the decision in 2017 to limit SALT deductions has been a significant fiscal blow, and its impact is felt at virtually all levels of the economy, since high property taxes are rampant throughout the 1st District and the rest of the island. You don’t have to be a millionaire to be losing money every tax season to the SALT cap.

LaLota and five other House Republicans, including three of his New York colleagues and representatives from similarly high-tax districts in New Jersey and California, have said they will withhold support for their party’s compromise budget bill unless the SALT cap is eliminated or significantly increased. They rejected a proposal to raise it from $10,000 to $30,000.

It is a stance based on principle for LaLota. But he’s made it a priority for a simple reason: His own party’s proposals to try to limit taxes on businesses and individuals is undermined in those communities by the impact of the SALT deduction, which takes money out of one pocket as it’s being added back to the other. He sees “a reasonable cap” as key to providing the same benefits here that Republicans are promising elsewhere.

This is a high-stakes gamble by LaLota, whose stance is making it difficult for his party’s leaders in Washington to get President Donald Trump’s desired “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” as he calls the domestic spending package, approved by Memorial Day. The negotiations are continuing, but that timetable is looking more and more unlikely.

In a climate where partisanship reigns, it’s crucial to take special note when an elected official who often seems out of step with many of the voters in his district takes a principled stand on their behalf, at a potentially high cost to him personally. Nick LaLota might face a great deal of criticism from many in the 1st District, including in this space, but here’s a moment where he deserves accolades for drawing a truly impactful line in the sand and sticking with it. Here’s hoping his perseverance pays off for his constituents.