PASS THE SALT?: House Speaker Mike Johnson was in Rockland County today to meet with leaders in the Orthodox Jewish community and speak at a rally in support of embattled Hudson Valley Rep. Mike Lawler. “Madison Square Garden was pretty cool the other night, but this is awesome,” Johnson told the crowd, referring to Donald Trump's rally in which a comedian disparaged Puerto Ricans and other demographic groups. “I mean, you're so blessed to live here. I feel like I do practically. I've been here so many times this year because Mike Lawler is so important to us and to the United States of America.” While Johnson seems thrilled with Lawler — he’s visited the district a few times this cycle and talks about its role in his hanging on to his majority — it remains to be seen how the speaker will reward the under-40 Republican who has successfully carved out a reputation for himself as a moderate, despite his opponent’s attempts to portray him as far-right. “I've been very clear, for me and many of my colleagues here in New York, that lifting the cap on SALT is a top priority, and it is,” Lawler told Playbook. Johnson has struggled to get more conservative members to join hands with New York Republicans on a SALT bill — which would lift the cap on state and local taxes that Americans can deduce from their federally taxable income. It’s a bipartisan political boon in the tristate area. The closest he came was a rule vote in February, but it was paired with an unrelated condemnation of President Joe Biden’s energy policy, which precluded it from any bipartisan support. “These Representatives from New York and New Jersey and affected states are very strong advocates for [SALT], they twist my arm every single day. As you know, different states have different perspectives so we have some work to do to build consensus around that idea, Johnson told reporters. Trump, who capped the SALT deduction at $10,000 through his tax bill, now says he will restore the deduction to its previous state. Johnson and Lawler both told reporters in order to do so, Republicans would need to include the provision in the tax bill, not a standalone. “This will be part of that negotiation, and we will work to build consensus within Congress to get a tax bill that is fair to the American people, that is fair to New Yorkers, that addresses the affordability crisis facing this country,” Lawler said. Mondaire Jones, Lawler’s Democratic challenger, condemned the speaker’s appearance with Lawler today. “So much for pretending to be moderate. Fresh off of being praised by Donald Trump for supporting his campaign and radical agenda, and just days after he attended the hate-fest at Madison Square Garden for Trump, Mike Lawler is campaigning with the most extreme Speaker of the House in modern history,” Jones said in a written statement to Playbook. Standing next to Lawler, who has pledged with six other Republicans to certify the results of the election, Johnson told reporters that he was also committed to certifying, “a lawful, fair, free election.” After the Jan. 6 insurrection, Johnson voted against certifying the results of the 2020 election. — Timmy Facciola
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