No endorsement in New York's 1st Congressional District

Being a member of Congress requires more than bringing home the bacon.

Approval ratings for the House and Senate as institutions remain well below water yet incumbent members of Congress are reelected more than 95% of the time. One big reason for that remarkable reelection success is Community Project Funding (CPF), colloquially known as pork.

But elected members of Congress aren't middlemen who hand out novelty checks while relinquishing their check on the executive branch, especially when they are in the majority. They have a constitutionally mandated responsibility as a coequal branch of government to hold the president accountable on behalf of all Americans.

Republican Rep. Nicholas J. LaLota, 48, of Amityville, has leveraged his position on the House Appropriations Committee, one of the most powerful committees in Washington, to deliver CPFs to New York's 1st Congressional District since he was first elected in 2022. He doesn't shy away from pork, telling the editorial board: "I don't make an apology for that. If there's money out there, I want to get it for Long Island."

Members of the majority party typically get more money than minority party members, and longer-serving members get the most. In a ranking of all 435 House members and their CPFs in 2026, just 13 of the top 100 were Democrats, and LaLota ranked 62nd overall out of all 435 representatives and third in New York, according to the nonprofit Citizens Against Government Waste.

But it was LaLota's stance against CPFs that garnered attention this summer, telling East Hampton town and village leaders that he wouldn't push for federal money for their communities because those municipalities support "sanctuary city" policies that don't assist federal agents in deportation efforts. LaLota said East Hampton's immigration approach "leads to incentivized illegal immigration ..."

In response to prodding by the editorial board, LaLota said he doesn't play politics with CPFs. "I have never in four years told a municipality how they have to feel on abortion, guns, Trump, Iran or anything contentious," he said, later adding, "And I haven't put my thumb on the scale on blue versus red in my district." But he wrote a letter to all the municipal governments in his district saying that he wants more local law enforcement to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "If you have these policies on the books, I'm not fighting for your CPF," he said, suggesting the localities get the money from Sen. Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, instead.

It's a position on immigration that contrasts with other stances. LaLota is a co-sponsor of the bipartisan DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act, which would provide a form of legal status for some undocumented immigrations who have clean records. And LaLota said he wrote to the White House last month in favor of keeping Temporary Protective Status for Salvadorans because they perform essential jobs in his district; an extension is in place.

LaLota's main plank for reelection is his membership on a small GOP team that held back support for the 2025 tax bill unless the cap on 2026 state and local tax deductions (SALT) was increased, which it was from $10,000 to $40,000. He was one of 17 GOP members who voted with Democrats in January to extend Affordable Care Act premium subsidies for three years.

But otherwise, he has done nothing to stand out in holding the executive branch accountable. Americans — including his constituents in the 1st Congressional District — deserve federal representatives who take seriously all aspects of their job.

LaLota touts bipartisanship as his strength, and at least three bipartisan tracking groups rank him high, including GovTrack.us, which rates him 31st in the House. GovTrack's ranking doesn't account for factors outside legislation such as constituent services and executive branch oversight. Yet, some constituents say LaLota is not accessible and his often pugnacious style gives the impression to those who disagree with him that he doesn't consider their views.

LaLota is one of the more partisan Republicans in Washington when it comes to President Donald Trump. Withholding congressionally approved funding, bypassing Congress' spending authority, implementing tariffs that increase consumer costs, attacking judicial independence, ignoring ICE's overly aggressive tactics — there are numerous instances in which Trump's tactics need a counterweight, and Congress and LaLota have failed.

LaLota is right that the immigration system is broken. He's right that Iran should never have a nuclear weapon. That's easy. The hard part is working across the aisle to achieve those goals while adhering to American values of justice, liberty and the rule of law.

Democrat Christopher J. Gallant, of Amityville, 37, has an impressive public service record as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, volunteer firefighter and former air traffic controller, but he is unprepared for Congress. Gallant knew little about how the legislative process works and pressed for specifics, he referred the editorial board to his website, which had little detail. He mentioned the buzzwords of affordability, high housing costs and Social Security cuts without providing actionable ideas to reduce costs or protect entitlements.

His tepid campaign got a publicity boost when old bondage photos featuring him were published. He has since made glib remarks about the photos which raise questions about his judgment. Gallant has refused to debate LaLota, a mistake that deprives the electorate of information. Neither candidate lives in CD1, which is a concern.

Voters know what they're getting with LaLota — a Trump ally who will help most communities in this district provided local elected officials don't disagree with him. Two years ago, we endorsed LaLota, with reservations — asking him to be "a bulwark against his party's worst tendencies" and to be "more of the reasonable centrist he claims to be ..."​​​​​​ Disappointingly, LaLota has refused to take seriously his job of providing checks and balances on the current administration.

Newsday Opinion makes no endorsement.