Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Rallies with Union Leaders to Save Long Island Jobs

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul rallied with union leaders in Suffolk County to save Long Island jobs following the Trump Administration’s stop work orders on two fully permitted New York offshore wind projects that are under construction.

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 has photos of the event here.

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

 Thank you John, thank you everyone, thank you Kevin. Thank you IBEW Local 25 for hosting us here today. Is the union membership in the house today? Are you ready to fight like hell with me to save your jobs? Then I'm in the right place because I'm going to be a little crass here, but I'm really pissed off, and so are you.

Because one thing that we work so hard for in our State, is to create good paying jobs for the future, for our people — and we did it. We leaned hard into an energy future. We decided we'd have training and apprenticeship programs, have our unions get excited about this, be part of the coalition along with our environmental experts and advocates like Adrienne Esposito and Julie Tighe, you'll be hearing from them.

But we pulled it all together, billions of dollars have already been spent. The work's been going on for years. We're just about to turn it on in 2027 and start seeing the benefits of clean energy from offshore wind. And I'm telling you right now, as I'm planning our energy future and something the Governor has to do, I'm counting on this power for the grid.

I'm counting on it to head off brownouts or blackouts and don't think that's just an idle threat my friends, that is not an idle threat. I can't tell you how close we were last summer during a very intense heat wave. We almost had a blackout because we did not have enough power on the grid.

So I've been counting on offshore wind to sustain us and move us forward so we can keep the lights on here on Long Island and across the State. So here we are, I know the power of the union movement. You may not know this about me, but I've got union blood running through my veins. I may be from Buffalo, but I'm also the daughter of steelworkers, the granddaughter of steelworkers.

My uncles are longshoremen, carpenters, plumbers. They help build the economy where I come from, a steel town, a tough, gritty place. That actually prepares you very well for the rough and tumble of politics. So I'm used to a fight, but this is one we have to stand united with the business community, the elected officials, labor, and our environmental community as well.

So think about the power of that coalition, we need to drive change. And how does that happen? Yes, we come together and speak with one voice. Get it on the media, let people know what this means to us. But also, there are elected officials right here on Long Island who need to feel the pressure. They need to know that this is not the future that you envision, that you train for, that you've worked hard for, or the future that we want to leave for our kids.

So I say this, raise up your voices, show up at their offices, push them on social media, whatever you know how to do. Because I know when you want something from me, I know you're pretty strong. Okay just saying ....just saying. But I also just want to say something. I so believe in this. I've been at the ribbon cuttings and the groundbreakings and all the milestones and just so excited. I've been in this business, even back when I was Lieutenant Governor, I'd never missed one of these events, but why at this point, we're just about to unleash the incredible power of wind for our people — after all the work, the dangerous work that's being done by our union members, it's dangerous out there. They work all through the winter, they put their lives in jeopardy because they so believe in the mission. Why at this moment in time, we're on the cusp of doing something we're so proud of unleashing this power that we have a President so hostile to what we're doing, that he literally on December 22nd issued an order that said, stop.

Literally, it is called a stop work order. And what is the premise behind this? I called because I asked. I called the Secretary of Interior, what is going on here? What is the issue here? And I'm told, I'm not making this up, National security. I'm thinking, isn't it long understood that energy independence is national security that we're able to provide our own wind without having to get oil from other countries. Like this is part of becoming more strategic in protecting our people. It is a National Security strategy to have our own wind source and our own solar sources and our own battery storage and hydro and thermal and everything else we can think of.

We're going to keep doing that. So I said, can you explain this to me because I'm the Governor of the State of New York. If there is a national security threat off the shores of my state, you better give me a briefing right now. because I want to know what it is because I actually didn't believe them. It's all about the radar.

I guess they're expecting long range missiles to come from somewhere, I don't know what they're expecting, it is B.S. It is made up because we've had wind in other parts of our country. Places in Europe have had this. There is an issue with radar and there's a way to solve it, the companies know this.

The companies are doing it. They're doing everything they're asked to do because I talked to CEOs just yesterday. So they're just making up the pretext to shut this down so they can make sure that their oil and gas benefactors and donors can continue on the path that they're on — without allowing us to have our all the above approach strategy, which the foundation of which is wind and solar for us in New York.

So they just want to shut us down to help their rich buddies, and we're just not going to take that in New York. We're going to continue to stand up and I want you to mobilize a movement here because so much is on the line, so much is on the line. Don't be silenced, they want you to say this is the President, it's Washington, there's nothing we can do. Don't be subdued into submission here. We must rise up because this is our moment and I'll do my part.

I don't mind going into any room talking to anybody because I have. That's very strange conversations, and a lot of it initially was hostility toward wind because of the birds.

I didn't know the president was such a beloved naturalist now, I'm going to protect it. Okay, so that was the excuse. Last spring, we fought hard to get Empire wind turned back on because I said, “Mr. President, there are 1,800 good paying union jobs that you just killed.” And we got that turned back on.

This time, they're buying the national security crap, the Department of Defense. And my friends, I'm not done with this fight either. So together I feel confident that rising up with one voice, and I'm telling you to put pressure on members of Congress' offices who do not support your position right now — I'm going to let them know there are consequences to that, there are consequences. You cannot turn your back on the Long Island economy. You cannot turn your back on our environmental justice movement. You cannot turn your back on the businesses who work so hard here and are contributing to our societies. And you cannot turn your back on the hardworking men of the labor movement here on Long Island by stealing their jobs.

We're not putting up with that, we're going to fight back. We have a right to chart our energy future and our own independence without being stopped by a hostile government in Washington. So my friends, let's carry on. Let's take up the mantle. Let's fight because you're not just fighting for the jobs of today you're fighting for the jobs of tomorrow. And the future, a clean future for our children.

Thank you very much everyone. Thank you for coming out today. Thanks for standing strong, thank you labor. Let me bring up Matty Aracich, the President of the Nassau Suffolk Building and Construction Trades because I know he's just as pissed off as I am as well.