About Nick
Suffolk County Roots
Nick LaLota was born on Long Island and raised in a working-class family that taught him the values of hard work, service, and personal responsibility.
The son of a Nassau County Police Officer, Nick grew up with a deep respect for Law Enforcement and public service. Both of his grandfathers served in the NYPD, his stepfather served in the Navy, and his grandfather served in the Coast Guard.
Nick graduated from St. Anthony’s High School in 1996. At 18, he left Long Island to attend the United States Naval Academy and begin a career of service to his country.
Eleven Years Serving Our Country
Nick graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2000 and served as a Surface Warfare Officer.
During three overseas deployments, he served aboard the USS Curts and the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. As a Tactical Action Officer aboard the Carl Vinson, Nick was entrusted with weapons-release authority and responsibility for helping defend the ship and approximately 5,000 Americans aboard her.
Military service runs deep in Nick’s family. His brother served more than 20 years in the Marine Corps, including combat deployments as Marine Sniper to Iraq and Afghanistan, and earned the Bronze Star with Valor for his bravery in Fallujah.
Nick’s years in uniform shaped his approach to leadership: put the mission first, take responsibility, support the people serving alongside you, and never forget that leadership is about service.
Coming Home to Serve Long Island
After eleven years in the Navy, Nick returned home to Suffolk County to raise his family and continued serving his community at the village, county, and state levels.
He served on the staff of the New York State Senate, as an Amityville Village Trustee and Budget Officer, as Suffolk County’s Republican Elections Commissioner, and as Chief of Staff to the Suffolk County Legislature’s Presiding Officer.
Those roles gave Nick firsthand experience managing government budgets and operations, protecting election integrity, working with Law Enforcement, improving infrastructure, and solving the everyday problems facing Long Island communities.
As a Village Trustee and Budget Officer, Nick helped reduce Village debt by more than 20% while maintaining essential services and strengthening public safety. At the Suffolk County Board of Elections, he worked to administer fair, secure, and accessible elections. At the County Legislature, he helped manage the legislative agenda and worked with officials across Suffolk County on budgets, public safety, infrastructure, and other issues affecting Long Island taxpayers.
That experience reinforced a principle Nick later brought to Congress: government should respect the people who pay for it and deliver results for the people it serves.
Serving Long Island in Congress
In 2022, Suffolk County voters elected Nick to represent New York’s First Congressional District.
Nick brought to Washington something increasingly rare in Congress: experience serving his country in uniform and working at nearly every level of government.
He previously served on the House Armed Services Committee and now serves on both the House Homeland Security Committee and the powerful House Appropriations Committee, where he is the only Republican from the Northeast and helps decide how federal tax dollars are spent. On the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, Nick works to strengthen America’s military, support Service Members, and ensure our Veterans receive the care and benefits they earned.
Nick has built a record focused on making Long Island more affordable, securing the border, supporting Law Enforcement, strengthening America’s military, protecting our environment and water quality, and making sure Long Islanders get a better return on the enormous amount of tax dollars they send to Washington.
He fought members of his own party when necessary to quadruple the SALT deduction, helped cut taxes on tips and overtime, delivered tax relief for seniors and working families, and secured tens of millions of federal dollars for Suffolk County infrastructure, clean water, and public safety projects.
Nick believes public service should be measured by results—not rhetoric.
Family and Service
Nick and his wife, Kaylie, are raising their three daughters on Long Island. Kaylie is a public-school physical education teacher, former Division I athlete, and youth lacrosse coach.
For Nick, the issues he works on in Congress are the same ones his neighbors face around their kitchen tables: whether families can afford to stay on Long Island, whether communities are safe, whether children have opportunities to succeed, and whether the next generation will be able to build a life here.
From the Naval Academy and eleven years in the Navy, to village, county, and state government, and now the United States Congress, Nick has spent his adult life serving his country and his Long Island community.
His mission in Congress is straightforward: keep America strong and safe, make Long Island more affordable, and ensure Long Islanders pay less to Washington while getting more in return.