Monday, May 19, 2025
Rep. Laura Gillen answered the questions on hundreds of Nassau County residents’ minds at a town hall on April 16.
Following the pledge of allegiance, and a performance of the national anthem, Gillen, who represents a large swath of the county's South Shore, initially spoke about her current projects in the nation’s capital.
The majority of the meeting was a question-and-answer section, using questions submitted on index cards when audience members checked in at the front desk.
Q: How will Gillen work with Republicans to eliminate the SALT cap?
A: Gillen is a member of the bipartisan SALT (state and local taxes) Caucus, a group of representatives from states that pay the highest taxes in the country, and the Ways and Means Committee, which dictates tax policy.
She co-sponsored a bill with fellow Long Islander Rep. Andrew Garbarino to reinstate the full SALT tax deduction.
Q: How will Gillen protect Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare?
A: “I told 200 of my colleagues in writing a letter to the administration saying that we will not tolerate cuts to Social Security, to Medicaid or to Medicare,” she said.
“We can use our voice,” she continued. “You can use your voice also to reach out to Republicans on Long Island and tell them that you will not stand for these cuts to Medicaid and put pressure on them so that maybe they will retreat from this position.”
Q: What is Gillen planning to do to oppose the president’s “illegal removal of migrants?”
A: “I, like the majority of Americans, do believe that people who are undocumented and who commit crimes should be deported,” she said.
The main problem, according to Gillen, is that the administration is not following court orders from the judiciary.
“I support our Constitution,” she said. “I will fight in the halls of Congress to make sure the dear principles upon which this nation was founded are upheld, and will work with my colleagues in Congress to push back against overreach of the executive branch.”
Q: How is Gillen working with the Center for Disease Control to keep it operational?
Gillen is a member of the Science, Space and Technology Committee.
A: “I continue to advocate to make sure that we get the grants necessary to continue the important work of the CDC, and we are pushing back on our caucus against any action to reduce the ability of the CDC to perform its important work,” she said.
A theme that Gillen emphasized was bipartisanship — whether with members of the current administration or with representatives across the aisle, she explained her desire to cooperate for the best results.
