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Lawler connected mid-decade redistricting
The pursuing is the transcript of an interrogation with Rep. Mike Lawler, Republican of New York, that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected Aug. 24, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome backmost to Face The Nation. We spell present to Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New York. Good to person you here, Congressman, there's a batch to get to with you, but I privation to prime up connected thing we were discussing with the politician of Maryland, and that was this redistricting, gerrymandering that is happening. The President encouraged Texas Republicans to bash it. Now, California Democrats are trying to get districts redrawn arsenic well. Why bash you truthful powerfully reason this?
REP. MIKE LAWLER: I deliberation gerrymandering is fundamentally wrong, and it is astatine the bosom of wherefore Congress has been breached for truthful galore years. If you look 3 decades ago, determination were implicit 100 competitory districts. Last November, lone 35 seats were decided by 5 points oregon less, and excavation wasn't adjacent 1 of them, contempt the information that Kamala Harris won my seat, I won by six and a fractional points. So erstwhile you look astatine the representation crossed the country, the information is astir 400 members are not successful competitory districts. They're focused chiefly connected primaries and not wide elections, and truthful they're not focused connected appealing to a overmuch broader swath of the electorate. And I deliberation that evidently reflects itself erstwhile you're really trying to negociate authorities and beyond. But erstwhile you look astatine the redistricting situation, evidently some parties bash not person cleanable hands here. Democrats successful New York did mid-decade redistricting past twelvemonth successful 2024 astatine the behest of Hakeem Jeffries, who wanted to prime up seats successful New York to go Speaker. They gerrymandered the maps aft stacking the tribunal and getting a favorable ruling ordering a mid-decade redistricting, contempt the information that they gerrymandered maps successful 2022 and those were thrown retired due to the fact that it violated the authorities constitution. So present New York is going for a 3rd wound astatine the apple, according to Governor Hochul, who has made it wide since the infinitesimal she took bureau successful 2021 that she would usage redistricting to assistance Democrats triumph the house. So this is what you're dealing with, reddish states and bluish states trying to get electoral vantage close now.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I conjecture what's antithetic present is the President's nonstop engagement successful this, which is wherefore it's absorbing you person authorities to effort to reason immoderate of this. Do you truly deliberation you tin get that done if the President of United States doesn't privation it done?
REP. LAWLER: Look, obviously, it's going to beryllium a fight, but this is thing that I fundamentally judge we request to reform. We request to prohibition gerrymandering nationwide. We request to prohibition mid decennary redistricting. I privation to see word limits arsenic portion of those reforms, due to the fact that I fundamentally judge erstwhile you person members of Congress similar Chuck Schumer, who's been successful elected bureau since 1974 ne'er held a occupation extracurricular of elected office. It's clip to go. You request word limits. You request wide reform. So I'm going to combat bony and nail to get this done. Obviously, you cognize there's going to beryllium beardown headwinds from some parties, due to the fact that frankly, I don't deliberation some parties are funny successful reforming the mode Congress functions.
MARGARET BRENNAN: No, they privation the majority. Period. On the question, though, that we person been- besides been discussing with the governor, that is crime. The President of the United States has mentioned New York is different metropolis helium wants to look astatine to deploy National Guard troops. Do you deliberation that's the champion usage of national payer dollars, and are you comfy with that happening successful your state?
REP. LAWLER: Crime has been a large occupation successful New York for years, and Kathy Hochul and Albany and New York City Democrats person failed miserably to tackle this crime.
MARGARET BRENNAN:-- Do you privation National Guard troops?-- ,
REP. LAWLER: -- By the way, Kathy Hochul has mobilized- Kathy Hochul has mobilized National Guard's troops to spell into the subway strategy due to the fact that of the transgression successful the subway system. So that has been done, obviously, for the intent of surging resources and trying to forestall crime. When you look astatine the information that successful New York City, for instance, 80% of weapon crimes bash not effect successful a condemnation oregon prosecution, that 80% of these individuals are released backmost retired onto the thoroughfare contempt utilizing guns successful the committee of a crime. You look astatine Washington DC, 1.7% of weapon transgression convictions effect successful jailhouse time. So erstwhile Democrats speech astir weapon violence, however travel they don't privation to really prosecute and enforce the instrumentality against criminals who are utilizing guns successful the committee of a crime?
[START CROSSTALK]
MARGARET BRENNAN: -- No, but that's a local--
REP. LAWLER: -- This is simply a cardinal occupation and it's wherefore the homicide rate--
MARGARET BRENNAN:-- that's a section contented that would request to get changed. But successful presumption of the question connected the troops--
REP. LAWLER: -- No but- it's- no- but Margaret, this wherefore the homicide complaint is truthful high--
MARGARET BRENNAN: -- You'd alternatively troops than FBI agents oregon ATF agents oregon DEA agents. You don't privation national agents who are trained instrumentality enforcement officers successful New York City. You would alternatively National Guardsmen --
REP. LAWLER: -- I want- I privation each of the above.--
MARGARET BRENNAN: -- who person trained to beryllium trained to police?
[END CROSSTALK]
REP. LAWLER: No. No, no, don't enactment words successful my mouth. I'd alternatively each of the above, the FBI, the DEA, ATF. I've met with ATF conscionable a fewer weeks agone successful my bureau connected this precise contented of truly cracking down connected weapon crimes and prosecuting criminals who usage guns successful the committee of a crime. I was arrogant past twelvemonth to pb the transition of the Undetectable Firearms Act, a communal sense, bipartisan portion of weapon information authorities enacted into instrumentality successful the 1980s. We extended it 7 years to marque definite that nary weapon is manufactured oregon sold with little than 3.7 ounces of metal. I led that effort, and the crushed I did is due to the fact that we bash not privation guns connected the thoroughfare being utilized successful the committee of a crime, and yet, arsenic I pointed out, you look astatine Washington D.C., lone 1.7% of weapon transgression convictions effect successful jailhouse time. This is wherefore you've seen the homicide complaint treble successful little than a decade. It's outrageous, and it's precisely wherefore the President is cracking down connected transgression successful large cities, and arsenic we saw successful California, helium is legally authorized to bash so.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I privation to inquire you astir thing successful New York State that matters. A bully magnitude of wealth from that CHIPs measure went to New York. On Friday, the White House announced there's going to beryllium a alteration to however the authorities deals with that wealth that's meant to marque America autarkic of Asian machine spot manufacturing and bring it each backmost connected shore, the President wants to bargain a 10% involvement successful Intel. That institution says it's going to present fundamentally person US taxpayers arsenic a shareholder, ain 10%. As a conservative, bash you deliberation that the authorities should person ownership stakes successful backstage companies?
REP. LAWLER: Generally speaking, no, I deliberation erstwhile you look astatine anterior history, erstwhile we've had, for instance, the slope bailouts, erstwhile we've had the car bailouts, you know, successful the- successful the aftermath of the illness of the marketplace and '08 the American payer truly didn't get a instrumentality connected that. I deliberation what the President is seemingly trying to bash is get a instrumentality connected these tens of billions of dollars that are being invested by U.S. taxpayers, by U.S. taxpayers into companies similar Intel to manufacture chips. And truthful alternatively than conscionable springiness the wealth away, get a instrumentality connected that investment. Obviously, this is simply a nationalist information issue. We privation to beryllium successful power of the manufacturing of semiconductors and that's captious for our overseas policy.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Congressman, I'm atrocious to chopped you off. I'm being told I person to spell to a commercialized break, truthful I'm going to permission it there. We'll beryllium close back.
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