Governor Kathy Hochul appeared on CBS 2’s “The Point” with Marcia Kramer on March 15 to discuss issues including affordability, hate crimes, and energy policy in New York.
During the interview, Hochul addressed recent incidents of Islamophobia, referencing a tweet by Senator Tommy Tuberville that targeted New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “People like that should not be in public life. In fact, they are the lowest of the low. I reject any kind of notion that it’s okay in public discourse or even in your own house to, not just harbor that hate, but to share it with others and to be part of a problem that we’re trying to deal with,” Hochul said. She added, “So I think these are disgusting human beings and I would like their voters to actually look at who they’re sending to office and wonder, ‘Is that who represents our values as human beings and as Americans?’ So I’m sickened by what I’ve seen out there.”
Hochul discussed efforts her administration has made to address rising hate crimes in New York. “I had to work hard to have hate crimes bail eligible so we can treat them more seriously. They weren’t being even treated seriously until I changed the law, got the Legislature to change a few years ago. I’ve had to invest upwards of $135 million to protect synagogues, yeshivas, and mosques and other places that are targets. I have over 1,000 members of my National Guard around the city now to help NYPD protect these places,” she said.
On affordability concerns such as gas prices and utility rates, Hochul called for federal action: “I think you’ll see most of the taxes are at the federal level. Since this was initiated by our federal government, I think they have a responsibility to suspend all the excise taxes on gasoline and federal taxes across the board.” She also addressed proposals for utility rate freezes and rebates: “We have my all-of-the-above approach to find more sources of energy to help drive down the cost…I will be happy to have conversations with the Assembly and Legislature overall about what we can do collectively to reduce costs.” Regarding executive compensation at utilities she said: “I want to see what the relationship of that compensation is, how that’s going up in relation to utility bills going up and what we can do about it, so I’ve got a bill in my budget to address that.”
Hochul commented on energy supply challenges following Indian Point’s closure: “I think the mistake was not having a plan be in place…before that ever should have happened, we should have made sure that there are alternative energy sources in place.” She highlighted upcoming projects such as hydroelectric power from Hydro-Quebec and offshore wind initiatives.
In conclusion, Hochul reiterated her commitment: “There’s nothing I won’t consider — at least see whether it’s feasible…but it is on my list as one of my priorities to try and figure out a way to just take the pressure off New York families.”