LaLota Named to Armed Forces, Homeland Security Committees in Congress

Newly elected U.S. Representative Nick LaLota said this week he had gone “two for two” in his requests for committee appointments in the 118th Congress.

LaLota, a Republican who replaced Lee Zeldin, who stepped down to run for governor, has been appointed to both the Armed Forces Committee and the Homeland Security Committee.

A Navy veteran and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, LaLota said he believed he could bring important expertise to the Armed Forces Committee.

“My 11 years of service puts me in a prime position to analyze from a policy standpoint what should be funded,” he said, as the United States faces “ever-evolving threats” from the likes of Russia, China and Iran.

Despite being less dependent on defense industry jobs a generation ago, when the Grumman Corporation was the region’s largest defense contractor, Long Island still has a robust defense industry, with 170 contractors employing about 10,000 people. The 1st District also is home to the Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing, which is based at Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton.

The future of American defense will rely on new technologies, including drones and other weapons, LaLota said.

A candidate who ran as a deficit hawk, LaLota said with Ukraine fighting for its life against Russia and relying on aid from the United States, now is not the time to be looking for cuts in defense spending. But LaLota pledged to be vigilant in tracking down “waste, fraud, and abuse” in the defense budget.

“With the $900 billion we are spending on defense, there are absolutely efficiencies to be had,” he said.

LaLota said he also looked forward to his role on the Homeland Security Committee. “This is very New York-centric,” he said of the Department of Homeland Security, which was created in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. He said it was key that “America’s largest city be protected against the next terrorist attack,” but he added that he believed the department needs to do a much better job of securing the southern border. LaLota said the country also needs to secure the border with Canada, as well as its ports and airports.

There has been plenty of drama in Washington, D.C., since the Republicans took control of the House, not the least of which was the prolonged process that saw Representative Kevin McCarthy survive repeated challenges from the extreme right wing of the Republican Party to finally be elected Speaker of the House.

Although the optics did not look good for the GOP, LaLota brushed off those concerns. “The right wing of the party chose to do its negotiating in public for four days,” he said, “whereas the left wing of Nancy Pelosi’s party chose to do it behind closed doors.”

With so many concessions given to the right wing, many onlookers question whether the House will be able to tackle the looming national debt crisis.

“There are two certainties with respect to this issue,” LaLota said. “At 125 percent and growing every quarter, our debt-to-GDP ratio will certainly crash the economy eventually. But, likewise, the other reality that exists, the parallel, is that if we don’t raise the debt ceiling this year, the economy will crash now. So responsible lawmakers should acknowledge and focus on both of those realities.”

LaLota said cutting both Social Security and Medicare were nonstarters. But he said Congress needs to trim some discretionary spending this year.

The freshman legislator said he had learned a valuable lesson from the success of the small group of Republicans who delayed McCarthy’s election to speaker.

“The power of a small group can influence the nation’s politics,” LaLota said, adding that he hoped the New York delegation would band together to restore the state and local tax, or SALT, deduction on federal tax returns, which was capped by the last Republican Congress in 2017. Plus, he said, by presenting a unified front, New York’s delegation can make sure the state gets its fair share of federal spending.

When it was revealed that George Santos, the Republican who was elected to represent New York’s 3rd District, was a serial liar, LaLota was one of first Republicans to call for his resignation. LaLota said nothing has changed in his opinion, which has been shared by most of New York’s Republican House members.

“It’s not a position that is easy, but it’s certainly one that is absolutely necessary,” he said of his call for Santos to resign. “We need to hold ourselves to a higher standard, and he falls below it.”

LaLota, who still lives in Amityville, which is outside the district, said his house is on the market and as soon as he receives a reasonable offer, he will sell it and move his family into the boundaries of the 1st District.