SAN JUAN – In a “cordial” and “very productive” phone call with President-elect Donald Trump, Gov. Kathy Hochul defended federal funding for a semiconductor factory near Syracuse and the expansion of the Second Avenue Subway in Manhattan.
“I basically just confirmed that there are areas where 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 news conference on the sidelines of the annual Somos conference – a post-election political event in Puerto Rico.
Hochul said she initiated Thursday’s call “as an appropriate courtesy to congratulate the winner of an election.”
The future of the CHIPS and Science Act, which funds Micron’s semiconductor plant that could bring 50,000 jobs to central New York, is in doubt after House Speaker Mike Johnson said at a campaign event for Rep. Brandon Williams that Republicans “probably repeal the law. Johnson later walked back the comment.
Hochul said she told Trump the law “is very important to us here in New York State. Very important.”
The governor also said she spoke about the importance of federal dollars to the MTA for upgrades in Manhattan, including the expansion of the Second Avenue Subway and the redesign of Penn Station.
“I want Penn Station to be something we are all proud of. I said it can be beautiful. And he agreed,” she said of Trump.
Hochul discussed the same federal priorities she had Wednesday at a news conference in response to Trump’s election victory.
“It was a very cordial phone call, and listen, I said I would work with anyone,” she said. “But I will also be relentless in protecting the rights of New Yorkers.”
