Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Delivers Remarks at a Breakfast Reception to Celebrate Economic Partnership with the Dominican Republic

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered remarks at a breakfast reception to celebrate economic partnership with the Dominican Republic.

VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

AUDIO: The Governor's remarks are available in audio form here.

PHOTOS: The Governor's Flickr page will post photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

I've been so looking forward to this visit, particularly this breakfast because I've heard so much about this organization. I know that you've come to New York - you were just there in September - meeting many people who have an impact on business relationships. And it's critically important to all of us, but to also have a chance to meet Francesca Rainieri in person. I've known her name, her family name. I know all about Punta Cana. I don't think I have a single family member other than me who's not been there yet, and I ache to remedy that very soon. So, I'm really looking forward to deepening the relationship since Francesca mentioned it.

Also joined by my husband, William Hochul, who has been here before. We made sure I went to all the right restaurants and did the sites and everything. So he's been my tour guide as well.

And I want to thank the members of my delegation who joined us. I think Adriano had mentioned it to just about everybody. We also have some labor leaders in the room as well. But to the members of my administration, I appreciate your desire to continue to expand on bonds that have already been existing, but need to be deepened. And also those elected officials and community leaders who understand how significant this trip is and this relationship.

So I want to thank everyone. Adriano Espaillat - I think he's going to have to get back to Washington soon because there's some talk of a shutdown ending. I don't know if that's going to make our flights any more likely to be on-time tonight, but we can always hope so. But it's just been great to be here.

I really have had an extraordinary experience since my arrival, and I just want to comment on a few reflections I have. Yes, I will be meeting El Presidente very soon at the Congress. But I also am very happy to just meet people literally on the streets, the people that come up to you with just such joy in their hearts and in their faces that it made me feel part of the family here. And I sense that - I did it on the streets of Santiago on Sunday night - but also I feel it when I'm back home, in Washington Heights and in Inwood and in the Bronx, where I have a chance to see that same expression, that same warmth that is so indicative of people who come from a fabulously warm, beautiful country. And they're so proud of where they come from.

And that's why it was so important for me to come here, because as I've gone with Adriano to walk the streets and go to the bodegas and stop in the cafes and meet the business leaders and people just struggling - some of them - but really hear with a heart full of hope. I can't tell you what it means to me to represent over one million Dominicans in the State of New York, the largest population outside this country. They're part of my family now, and I'll always protect them as if they are part of my family because they are. That is critically important to me to convey that as well.

I also want to talk about the relationship that we have with the business community. We can do more. Right now we have about a billion dollar trade relationship between my state and your country. I think that can be doubled or tripled in a very short time. That is my objective here. And how we'll do that is what I'm working on with El Presidente this afternoon is we're going to commit to a very robust delegation. This group I have here is fabulous, but I'm going to also bring people who have real true business interests, who will talk about expansion here, bring more products here, and also vice versa, how we can just really do something that has always had the potential to be accomplished but I don't know that the commitment was made to do that, exactly that. And that's what you're hearing from me here today.

Also, I want to work with the President - we're signing a Declaration of Intent to really assist with one of the great challenges that the island countries have, which is the unpredictable, wild storms. I mean, no one could have foreseen just what happened with Hurricane Melissa. And I also want to note that my Traveling Chief of Staff - her name is Melissa - so I normally associate wonderful things with her. And by the way, it is her birthday. If you could give her a round of applause on her birthday. So there's the good Melissa, the not so good Melissa - this is the good Melissa. She's been with me since my days in Congress back in 2011. I want to thank her for being on such a long journey with me and being there always for me.

But when you think about the storms, we actually have some expertise in the State of New York that I want to make sure we share with all of you. That we have people studying this at our universities - our city universities, our state universities. We have climate resiliency plans that we've developed over many years because - believe it or not - my first two weeks as Governor, four years ago, we had not one but two hurricanes hit the City of New York. Loss of life, about 17 people who were flooded in their basement homes. And you realize that the infrastructure on the streets did not protect them from the rising flood waters. And so, we have been very intense in focusing on those threats because climate change has turned our worlds upside down. We don't know what to expect. We had more tornadoes in New York last summer - previous summer. Thirty-four tornadoes in New York State, more than all of what we call "Tornado Alley" in this Midwestern part of our country. So we're ready to deal with climate, but the expertise we develop, we want to share with you, and that is exactly what we're talking about.

Creating a very strong relationship between our universities, with our experts in the administration, even drone technology, we can identify some threats or dams, bridges that might be compromised that you otherwise would not know and try to build resiliency before something catastrophic happens.

And I know we have our Commissioner of the Bridge Authority here as well. Raise your hand. She actually led a delegation and came here last year after there were some infrastructure challenges and brought people up to New York to talk about this. So, I want to thank her also for the work she has done.

So I just see great potential for a tighter alignment and working to make sure that businesses here can grow and prosper as we want them to do in Upstate New York. And finding ways that we can basically, really, truly have your backs when it comes to the challenges of the environment and climate change. So we'll always be linked by a love of family and culture and music and food and all the wonderful things I experienced already here and in sea with the diaspora up in New York State. And to witness what I saw, even at El Centro Leone, we're going to be taking ideas from that to build a culture for Dominican studies, a center in the State of New York, which we funded at $12.5 million already. I'm looking forward to that opening - a place where there'll be a museum where people can come in and understand the story.

Those who do not have that history, can go learn because I truly believe that shared understanding of values and diverse cultures and traditions and the festivals it's the way we deepen our relationships with each other as humans, as opposed to the conflict that seems to have permeated - at least our country intensely. And I want to start breaking down those barriers and have people have a shared understanding and see the humanity in each other. And I believe that this center could be a focal point for that. I mean, activities, there will be theater, there will be music, but also showcasing incredible arts. So we're looking forward to having a relationship with the art institutions here as well. So that's on its way. That's going to happen. We should invite all of you up for the grand opening when that happens, and so we'll keep you posted.

So, I believe that if you're thriving and we're thriving. That is good for the people who call both of our places home. And I'm committed, as the Governor of the State of New York, to that relationship to assist with threats from the environment, but also threats from economic forces that are out there and whether it's tariffs and other issues that become unexpected, but have created drivers in higher costs for Americans as well. We have to find ways to break through that and to not just have people survive, but to thrive. And that's what I want to ensure happens because of the relationships that we're deepening in person, but also welcoming you when you come back to New York as well. So I want to say from the bottom of my heart. This has been an extraordinary whirlwind.

I've been invited by Francesca to come back and actually walk on the sand and take my shoes off and actually feel a little more relaxed at Punta Cana. That'll be next year, and I just have to get through one hurdle next November, which I will do and and then I look forward to coming back and just relaxing and enjoying the relationships that are beginning today, but I believe we'll endure for many years to come.

Gracias a todos.

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