SAN JUAN — In a “cordial” and “very productive” call with President-elect Donald Trump, Gov. Kathy Hochul defended federal funding for a semiconductor plant near Syracuse and extending the Second Avenue Subway in Manhattan.
“I basically just reaffirmed there are areas we can work together, like infrastructure, where we rely on federal money, and he seems to share my priorities,” the Democratic governor told reporters after a press conference on the sidelines of the annual Somos conference — a post-election political event in Puerto Rico.
Hochul said she initiated the Thursday call, “as an appropriate courtesy to congratulate the winner of an election.”
The future of the CHIPS and Science Act, which is funding the Micron semiconductor plant that could bring 50,000 jobs to Central New York, has been in doubt after House Speaker Mike Johnson said at a campaign event for Rep. Brandon Williams that Republicans would “probably” repeal the law. Johnson later walked back the comment.
Hochul said she told Trump that the law “is very important to us here in the state of New York. Very important.”
The governor also said she talked about the importance of federal dollars to the MTA, for Manhattan upgrades that include extending the Second Avenue Subway and redoing Penn Station.
“I want Penn Station to be something that we’re all proud of. I said it can be beautiful. And he agreed,” she said of Trump.
Hochul discussed the same federal priorities that she had at a Wednesday press conference responding to Trump’s electoral win.
“It was a very cordial call, and listen, I said I’ll work with anybody,” she said. “But I’m also going to be unrelenting in protecting the rights of New Yorkers.”
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