Once again, we have a deciding vote from Mike Lawler in the House. Last time, it was the Big Beautiful Bill, which would add trillions to the deficit, take health insurance away from millions of Americans, and kill clean energy initiatives in order to extend tax cuts to the wealthy. This time, it’s a vote to defund truth, humanity and soft power.
The Rescissions Act of 2025 passed the House late yesterday afternoon by a vote of 214-212. Mike Lawler broke the tie and got it over the line. Four Republicans joined Democrats to vote against, including Lawler’s fellow NY GOP member Nicole Malliotakis.
It still needs to pass the Senate, but Mike Lawler rubber-stamped Trump’s request to cut $9.4 billion in funding for public broadcasting and foreign aid. And we know why Lawler voted “aye.” Because it was a direct request from President Sharpie.
I’ve written extensively here about the humanitarian crisis and loss of soft power flowing from Elon Musk’s reckless and irresponsible destruction of the US Agency for International Development (US AID), vigorously defended by Lawler. See “A Case Study in Lawler,” parts 1, 2 and 3. It was sad to hear Lawler hit the same foreign aid talking points at last weekend’s local town hall as he did on the House floor back in February, despite the well-documented death and human misery that has flowed in the wake of that speech. Telling the same lie about $3M in taxpayer money funding an antisemitic rap video.
And now he votes to cut $1.1 billion in funding from NPR and PBS. According to a Pew Research study in March, NPR and PBS are two of the most trusted news sources:
You should not be surprised to know that whenever Mike Lawler cites a print news source, it’s the NY Post, which has an average factuality rating of “Mixed,” while NPR rates “Very High.” Lawler votes to cut the most trusted and factual sources, and he promotes the least trusted and factually suspect, while Trump weaponizes the FCC and we descend into the age of the expanding news desert. Long live the king.
Let’s look at a brief comparison of PBS vs. NY Post coverage just yesterday. Here’s a post from PBS News of what Kristi Noem said just before her security detail forcibly removed and handcuffed Senator Alex Padilla for daring to try and ask a question at a news conference:
“We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate this city from the socialists….”
Kristi Noem
No commentary here from PBS. Just raw and compelling footage of a rogue Secretary of Homeland Security declaring that troops have been deployed to take over the “socialist” state & local police function.
Meanwhile, the New York Post hypes the headline: “Trump officials slam Sen. Alex Padilla’s ‘freak out’ during Noem presser: ‘Complete lunatic.’” And publishes this picture to reinforce the depiction:
Meanwhile, back on Planet X, the Muskian stream of sewage and rot, our servile Representative Mike Lawler posts a juvenile “f**ck off” to another House Representative; and highlights a video of tanks, complete with YMCA soundtrack, in giddy anticipation of his dear leader’s birthday celebration and $50M military parade tomorrow:
See you on the streets for No Kings Day.
Rule of Lawler 