Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Participates in a Concordia Summit Fireside Chat

Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Participates in a Concordia Summit Fireside Chat

Earlier today, Governor Hochul participated in a Concordia summit fireside chat.

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 has photos of the event here.

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

Cordell Carter: Well,  good afternoon, Madam Governor.

Governor Hochul: How are you?

Cordell Carter: Great. Thank you so much for joining us today. Good afternoon, everyone.

Governor Hochul: Hi, everybody.

Cordell Carter: Are we enjoying ourselves thus far? I don't believe you. Could you try that one more time? Are you enjoying ourselves thus far? Yeah. Fantastic. Fantastic.

Governor Hochul: These are the smart ones not in traffic right now. Exactly. It's pretty crazy out there, even with congestion pricing, but it would've been much worse.

Cordell Carter: Yeah, so today, we have some themes that would be appropriate for any CEO of a multi-billion dollar enterprise. In this case, it's the State of New York, the great State of New York. So let's start with one of the themes that's very consistent with the Concordia movement, and that is public-private partnerships. New York has long been a hub for innovation, finance, culture - how do you see public-private partnerships playing a role in addressing the State's most pressing challenges, whether in infrastructure, climate, resilience, or economic development?

Governor Hochul: We don't go it alone. Number one, government cannot solve all the problems and nor should they. It is the partnerships that we base on a shared set of objectives for our state. For example, we are 1,000 percent committed to becoming a hotbed of innovation. We already are. We have legacy businesses that are expanding. We have new companies that want to come to New York. We've had amazing successes, but so I can't create the jobs or the technology or the innovation that they do, but what I can do is to create the right business environment for them to know that New York State is a fantastic place for them to, number one, find the talent they need. And I think that is one of the greatest strengths of New York City and New York State is the diversity of individuals, different walks of life, different backgrounds as well as just the different experiences they have and the universities that they have supporting them. So I've always seen the big picture of what we can do when you have a government that's on your side and not on your back, there's a big difference.

Companies are starting to recognize that. We landed Micron, for example, the largest private sector investment in American history. We told them we would love to have them. They were looking at other states aggressively and we put a very aggressive proposal before them, as did this under President Biden, and we were able to secure money from the Chips and Science Act. So, we basically replicated at the state level. So there was a lot of state money, federal money, but when they come and build something that's going to create 50,000 jobs. Wow. They have my attention. I would say so. And what we directed them to do, and this is the partnership side of it, we want them to be successful, but we also want them to adhere to our goals and our values, such as the importance of sustainability and how they build their production and where they're recruiting the talent from.

For example, we have some high poverty neighborhoods in Syracuse. They decide on the Syracuse area and as a result of conversations, they're literally going in and setting up workforce training centers in those neighborhoods that have been long overlooked. So they're getting the talent, the raw talent from there. We also changed the curriculum of our schools in the area, the K through 12, to focus on more coding and science areas where they could get graduates from there who actually know something more about it than they would from other parts of the state.

And one last thing that was really important to me as New York's first mom-Governor, I said, "I'm not seeing enough women, especially in advanced manufacturing or technology businesses, so you need to provide childcare." Guess what? They agreed this is a return for our great support. They're right now building their childcare facility on the grounds so they will be able to meet that demand that I have is affordable, plentiful childcare for their workforce as well as everything else we ask them to do. So to me, that's a model of what should happen when you sit down and say, "I can help you financially. We've got a lot of money on the table, but you bring the jobs, you bring the ability to lift people out of their circumstances and give them that paycheck and give them job training." We're going to be the best partner you've ever had, and that's how we sold them.

Cordell Carter: That's fantastic. I especially love the part about the access to early learning - is like one of the most expensive categories of things that young families are dealing with, and you were able to negotiate that as part of the deal. What I love about it, especially, it didn't take an act of Congress. No, this is something we can do-

Governor Hochul: Don't count on Congress for anything. I'm a former member of Congress. I have the credibility to say that.

Cordell Carter: Yes.

Governor Hochul: No, that's right. And it's interesting, you mentioned the contrast, because having served in every level of government there is for the last three decades, local, county, federal, state - I do believe that the states are those incubators now. And are meeting the need that is still so pervasive in light of what's happening from Washington: The money being cut off, the lack of investment - not just the lack of investment in science and research - but also cutting back what has already been done.

So states like New York have an opportunity to position themselves as real leaders in so many different areas where the federal government now, for the next three and a half years, have abdicated that responsibility. We take that very seriously.

Cordell Carter: Well, speaking of a really interesting role as CEO, the other part of it is that this is one of the most globally connected states in our union. How do you balance addressing international challenges like climate change, migration, public health with the immediate needs of New Yorkers?

Governor Hochul: They're not distinct from each other. And first of all, despite what may have been said across Manhattan and the United Nations today, we actually like other countries. We embrace them. We want people to feel that they can come here to live the American dream without fear. And I think we should be opening up more opportunities for immigration, have a legal path, but for those who found their way here - these people are working in places that the work needs to get done. My grandfather was a migrant farm worker from South Dakota. When he arrived from Ireland, there were no jobs. They wouldn't hire the Irish. He eventually became a steel worker at the Bethlehem Steel Plant. My dad worked there. My uncles worked there. So first of all, on the migration issue, we actually think if we can do it in a thoughtful way, we have the jobs. I have 700,000 open jobs in New York right now. I need workers. But we need to give them status, right? And not withdraw it the way it has been the last couple years.

Climate change - we have had the worst extreme weather. New York has had more extreme weather events, declarations of disaster, than any state in the nation. More diverse. I have had the worst blizzards. I have had heat waves. I have had flooding. I have had tornadoes. In New York, my first couple weeks as Governor, we had two hurricanes more than Florida had that year. More tornadoes than every state and Tornado Alley combined last summer alone. So I deal with disasters from climate change every day of the week.

So first of all, that does not distract me. It's just becoming a routine part of the job. But understanding we have a social responsibility to do what we can because it's not just our state or our nation, the rest of the world is affected by what we do. So I don't think there's a disconnect between what I do as a governor and the policies that I espouse and push forward, and my obligations as a global citizen as well.

We embrace our trade partners. We have a $50 billion trading arrangement with Canada, for example. I'm heading up to Quebec next weekend to remind them, "Ignore what you hear in Washington. We love Canada. We'll forgive the war of 1812," that's kind of getting behind us.

Cordell Carter: Bygones.

Governor Hochul: Burned down my city of Buffalo, but I'm getting over it. But we have that global perspective. We're the headquarters for so many global companies. Look at offshore wind - these are not necessarily American born and bred companies, they're European countries that are providing the infrastructure to provide for offshore wind for us to have clean, renewable energy. So I don't see a disconnect between the two at all. They're absolutely like this.

Cordell Carter: My father has this great axiom that he uses often and he says, "We see your glory, but we don't know your story." I was going to ask you a question about developing the next generation leaders, and I think that's great, please answer the question, but I hope you can weave in some of your personal leadership story. You said you've served at every level of government in the last 30 years, the first mom-Governor, there's a story there and wonder if you can share just a little bit of it to encourage the folks that aspire to be you.

Governor Hochul: First of all, when I was starting out it was very humble. My parents started life in a trailer park together. My brother was born there. They outgrew that tiny trailer park when I came along. And they had an Irish Catholic big family. Kids come in all the time, I have many siblings. But I think that starting with humble beginnings gives me a greater appreciation for the struggles of, especially, families today.

So I talk about the fact that when I was even a young mom, the cost of diapers and formula were so expensive. I thought we'd be rich when the kids outgrew that. I really was like, "We're going to be on easy street now," little did I remember that they're going to outgrow their sneakers every couple of weeks it seems.

So, my family struggled immensely in the early days, but ended up being successful because my dad worked at the steel plant. He was able to get a college degree at night. It is truly that education that lifted them out of their circumstances over time, and he could take a risk and join a young startup company that would end up being successful. Otherwise, he would've been one of the 20,000 people who lost their jobs when Bethlehem Steel left and basically brought the economy to its knees. So my personal life story is absolutely intertwined with my policy decisions because I know what it's like to live in an area where the industrial revolution was in full force. It's part of Buffalo's great story in Upstate New York.

So, we built things. We made cars and steel, and then all of a sudden, it's gone. When you put everything into one industry and it's gone, you collapse for literally decades.

So when I grew up, unemployment was high. So when I think now what we're facing is the challenges. I know how painful it is for a family to not have someone bring in an income. I know what that's like, I've seen that. And so, I'm even more laser-focused on these issues having lived through some of these myself or seeing my parents live through it, that I believe it just makes me a more attuned Governor to the struggles of people today. And that's why I focus nonstop on affordability.

In our latest Budget, I put together a plan to put $5,000 back in families' pockets. We're about to announce our inflation rebate next week; $1,000 tax credit for families with young kids; free community college for adults age 25 and up who don't have a degree already, so they could take their place - like my father was able to with an education - out of their circumstances and to be able to have these options.

So, I'd say every policy for me has some connection to my past. And that's why I'm so driven toward these changes.

Cordell Carter: And so, if you were speaking to, say, my daughter who's a university student. She's like, "I don't know about New York, maybe Philadelphia is better." What's the pitch for New York over Philly, or D.C.?

Governor Hochul: Well, the Buffalo Bills is the only team that plays in New York, and they're a great team, okay?

Cordell Carter: I may have heard about this team at some point.

Governor Hochul: Okay. Okay. Josh Allen. Although Philadelphia did win the Super Bowl, so I have got to give them that.

Cordell Carter: Yeah.

Governor Hochul: But no, it's a place where people are gathering. Now, let me give you just a quick perspective. During the pandemic, we were the epicenter. I mean, we had more lives lost. There were more cases, it was a devastating time for us, and everything was shut down. I mean, you could set a bowling alley up down Fifth Avenue and you wouldn't have hit a single person.

So we suffered the most. But I think in the aftermath, people have now really valued human connection. They didn't want to be home working in their basement remotely. And people want to have - even if they're in a crowded workspace - they want to see people again. And I think that there's this resurgence of energy walking down the streets here.

I mean, for the longest time, there was no - I wouldn't bang into anybody. I walk every single day. Every single day I'm walking in New York City when I'm here. I just bang into people, they're surprised to see me - it's all good. But I think the rest of the nation's watching this as well. Individuals who had once gravitated to Silicon Valley or Austin know that they're missing out on something when they're not part of what is happening in New York City with our attraction to the large tech companies, but also the small startups.

And again, I want to point out - we talked about migration earlier - 47 percent of CEOs of tech companies are foreign born. Foreign born.

Cordell Carter: Yeah.

Governor Hochul: We need them here. We thrive on their entrepreneurship and I always thought, given my family experience, if you come here from another country, and give it all up and are willing to start over, you're, by nature, a risk taker. And I think that's the genius of American success. We're the innovators. We're not afraid. We're not held back by norms because we just believe so much in the possibilities. That's why people are gravitating here. And we're going to take advantage of this. We are absolutely taking advantage of that interest in New York, and putting a lot of opportunities on the table.

Cordell Carter: Great. Great. I'll do a short one, and I want to give you some free time in the last three minutes to kind of be a little more extemporaneous. But this is related to the future of work. How is New York positioning itself to not only adapt to changes in our workforce, but to ensure that this innovation that's coming from these amazing entrepreneurs you mentioned leads to inclusive growth and equitable opportunities for all New Yorkers?

Governor Hochul: Right, and that's exactly what we're doing. We started something a year and a half ago called Empire AI - artificial intelligence. We are currently building with a partnership of state dollars, private sector, as well as academic partners - all of our major universities, and SUNY and the CUNY system are involved in this.

It's a $500 million investment that I started - got the Legislature on board. Why are they investing in this? Because I said, "This is how we can bring people who are in communities where they're not going to have access to harness the power of supercomputers, have this be an equitable way to have access to this."

What we have right now is we've already built the facility. We have the largest supercomputer in America that is not in a private company. It's available to our university students, our researchers and our academics. And this is becoming a magnet for people from all over but we're using it for public good.

And what you see in there are young people who come from all walks of life who are able to use this super power that's otherwise unreachable to others and to innovate solutions, not just health solutions. I was just looking at it the other day, they're coming up with some really innovative therapies for ALS, which is what my mother died from.

But also I just put the question, "How are we going to deal with the fact that the federal government is cutting off money for us, for healthcare?" Upwards of two million people are at risk of losing their healthcare. Let's get students from communities that are affected and put them in front of this and have the power to help us innovate solutions or how we make sure that the work requirements are being adhered to, or else people are going to be cut off from SNAP benefits and health benefits. So, I'm already thinking about how we can democratize social media. Not social media, but artificial intelligence. Not just to power jobs, but to power ideas. And that's also attracting people. There was a young woman of color who was researching how to use AI to innovate a whole new foster care system.

She had been in foster care, and when she told me she was doing that, I had her come to my State of the State and explain this to the Legislature, who would be working in this. People like this young woman who was so brilliant, they all of a sudden saw that, "Oh okay, it's not just our image of tech companies from the west coast, this is the New York brand of it." And that's how we're doing it so successfully. So this is what I'm really excited about.

Cordell Carter: That's great. Okay, my last question to you. I call this a boss to boss question, so you're talking to other CEOs. You are in a pressure cooker every single day in your role, what is your centering mechanism? How do you get back to the nickname that you call yourself inside your own head? What's your method?

Governor Hochul: It's real simple. I wake up every day with such gratitude to be in this position right now, in this moment in history. And I know I'll be judged years to come, success or not success, but to me this is an extraordinary privilege. So to other CEOs who've risen up through the system or were able to use their capital and come up with something ingenious? I wake up and say, there's no place I'd rather be. In fact, I'm going to quote a Buffalo Bill, Marv Levy. Anybody know Marv?

Cordell Carter: Oh yeah.

Governor Hochul: Hundredth birthday right now, this year. Where would you rather be than right here, right now? And that's how I feel about my job. I'll tell you right now, there's not one bit of pressure that gets to me. I don't let it clog my mind, it's debilitating for those who experience this, and I'm not going to let that happen to me. And for all the attacks I get - and my husband says, "don't read the comments." I don't read - just so you know - I don't read the comments, so what people say about me, I don't even know. I assume they all like me.

Cordell Carter: Of course.

Governor Hochul: But it's a better mental health space. You can be taken down by your adversaries and there's many. But my mother used to say, "No one can make you feel bad without your permission." There's nobody who has permission to make me feel bad. I love what I do. I will continue doing what I do. We're making a real difference, but this is an incredible privilege because I live in a home up in Albany when I'm there - that was the home of FDR. When the Great Depression started the crash of 1929, he was not the President, he was the Governor. He had to deal with this, he had to deal with wars abroad. He had to deal with all this as a Governor then President - while he had incredible physical infirmities.

I have the wheelchair in my first floor room that he used to sit in when he would do the radio addresses that he did from that room. I have the desk he used that is banged up because of where his wheelchair would hit against it. He turned the greenhouse into a therapy pool for his polio. So, I'll tell you, I also put it in perspective. I'm grateful, but I also like to know that despite how challenging the moment is, whether it's chaos in Washington or globally, or what's happening in New York City. It's like I don't have to deal with everything he did and what an extraordinary leader he was.

So, I have no excuses, just power through it - that's how I succeed.

Cordell Carter: Right here, right now ladies and gentlemen, the Governor of the Great State of New York.

Contact the Governor's Press Office