By Bryan Fumagalli
Though bipartisan agreement is in short supply these days, Rep. Mike Lawler – a 39-year-old Republican representing New York’s 17th congressional district – and George Latimer – a Democrat representing New York’s 16th congressional district – share at least one thing in common: support for Israel.
In 2024, a year after he first took office, Lawler introduced the Stand with Israel Act, which would have required the withholding of U.S. funding to United Nations agencies that expel, downgrade, suspend, or otherwise restrict the participation of the State of Israel. The bill, which didn’t get out of committee, was modeled after the current prohibition of funding to any UN entities that elevate the status of the Palestinian Authority to a member state.
In April of this year, Lawler and Rep. Josh Gottheimer introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning the rise of what they call antisemitic, hate-filled rhetoric disseminated by prominent online personalities including Hasan Piker and Candace Owens.
“Piker has openly applauded Hamas’ terrorism, downplayed the mass rape of civilians on Oct. 7, and dehumanized Orthodox Jews as ‘inbred,’ Lawler said in a press release. “Owens has trafficked in vile conspiracy theories, promoted blood libels, and platformed Holocaust deniers. With an audience of millions, they have a responsibility to confront hatred and bigotry in every form, not to amplify it to the masses.”
As for Latimer, the former county executive was elected in 2024 after defeating incumbent Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman in the most expensive congressional primary in history. Westchester’s former county executive had the backing of pro-Israel groups against Bowman, who has been a vocal critic of Israel.
On Oct. 7, 2025, the two-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel, Latimer made his position clear.
“Two years ago today, Hamas launched a brutal attack on Israel—murdering 1,200 innocent people and taking more than 250 hostages,’ he said in a statement. “As we remember the lives lost, we stand in solidarity with their families whose pain endures. The remaining hostages must be released immediately. Their families have waited far too long. Hamas must accept the ceasefire proposal, end this war, and stop the suffering. Enough is enough.”
Months earlier, Latimer joined other lawmakers on a visit to Israel with the American Israel Education Foundation.
“I’m appreciative to be here with colleagues and we still think for ourselves and try to come up with what will hopefully be the right public policies that will support Israel and freedom across the world and at the same time be sensitive to all of the different players here in the Middle East.”
Lawler and Latimer sit on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
