Long Island lawmakers debate economy, immigration at LIA “What’s New in Washington” Panel

ction in the Middle East and a domestic economy that swings up and down as the price of oil steadily rises, Long Island’s congressional delegation took part in a spirited but congenial debate of ideas and issues last week at the Long Island Association’s annual What’s New In Washington panel.
Representatives Andrew Garbarino, Laura Gillen, Nick LaLota and Tom Suozzi spoke on issues ranging from the economy to immigration to energy, with LIA Acting President and CEO Stacey Sikes moderating the March 16 discussion.
“The thing that’s so brilliant about the system, I think, is today we’re going to have [four] Congressional representatives —two Democrats, two Republicans,” Lawrence Waldman, the LIA’s board chairman, said. “They’re going to sit in the interview with Acting President Stacey Sikes, and I’m sure they’ll agree on some of these issues and disagree on some.”

Andrew Garbarino
All of the legislators noted progress on the effort to raise or eliminate the limit on the income tax deduction for state and local taxes, a measure critical to Long Island homeowners facing some of the nation’s highest property taxes, as well as a $1.5 billion infrastructure package for transportation, water quality and storm resilience.

“We have worked together on a bipartisan infrastructure bill, one of the best things we did,” Garbarino, a former assemblyman, said, noting frustrations with Albany over implementation.
His 2nd Congressional District stretches from Massapequa, in Nassau County, east to Shirley, in Suffolk County.
The four lawmakers had differing perspectives on Operation Epic Fury, the military effort against Iran. Suozzi and Gillen praised its objectives, but criticized Congress’s lack of oversight and what they described as the Trump administration’s failure to define a long-term strategy.
“There does not seem to be a plan, and shouldn’t that have been thought of ahead of time?” Suozzi asked.
Garbarino countered, noting that congressional committees are briefed regularly, and that prior administrations have taken similar actions. All agreed that any escalation involving ground troops would require Congressional approval.

Laura Gillen
Speaking on her proposed Dignity Act, which would give illegal immigrants what she called “a pathway to legal status,” Gillen said, “If you’re going to do transformative legislation, it’s better to tap in with both sides,” noting that the effort began with 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans. “And that’s the way we can get a law like this across the finish line, by working together.”
Gillen, who represents the 4th Congressional District, which spans nearly the entire South Shore of Nassau County, noted that the administration’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” has added to the national debt. “It caused the average American to have $1,600 in extra cost,” she said. “We’re not going in the right direction. We can fix that, but there has to be political will.”
Gillen noted the impact of the federal crackdown on illegal immigration on local businesses.
“People are afraid to patronize businesses,” she said, adding that new business in Hempstead is “going to go out of business already, because people — there’s an ICE car parked in an apartment lot across from Main Street, and even if no one’s in there, people see it, and they’re afraid to go out.”

Nick LaLota
LaLota said that one party doesn’t have a monopoly on “this nation’s most major issues, and we do work together on certain big things.”
With the cost of energy on the minds of consumers, he noted that “the economy is growing, we have more demand, more power here on the Island and across the nation.” LaLota added that there’s “a ton of natural gas” in New York’s Southern Tier. “If we do things the way that Pennsylvania does them in that same part of the world,” he noted, jobs will be created and prices will be lower.
LaLota’s 1st Congressional District stretches from Melville, in western Suffolk County, to Montauk.

Tom Suozzi
Suozzi highlighted his work with the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. The group includes 46 members of Congress, evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.
“We have committees that work together on issues, on everything from affordability,” Suozzi said, noting that the caucus also addresses immigration and national security.
Despite those efforts, Suozzi described Washington as increasingly difficult to navigate. “The problem is, the environment is so toxic in Washington, D.C.,” he said. “And the leadership on both sides really is only focused on winning the majority.” He added that the political climate is likely to worsen as the midterm elections approach.
Suozzi also pointed to several economic concerns facing many Americans, including tariffs, artificial intelligence data centers, and rising health care costs tied in part to the elimination of the premium tax credit.
“The economy is in trouble,” he said. “Everybody knows the economy is in trouble.” He argued that strong stock market performance does not reflect the experience of most households.
His 3rd Congressional District predominantly includes Glen Cove, Oyster Bay and a portion of Queens, and stretches east to Huntington.