At the 2025 Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers Leadership Summit, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Québec Premier François Legault signed a Declaration of Intent to expand New York–Québec cooperation in clean energy, trade, innovation and research—despite a federal shutdown in Washington. Hochul cited progress on the Champlain Hudson Power Express with Hydro-Québec, the MicroBird takeover in Plattsburgh that preserved 300 jobs after Nova Bus’s exit, and $11 million to bolster border security. She spotlighted tourism and cross-border commerce recovery, MTA-linked manufacturing, New York’s $500 million Empire AI initiative, the Micron megaproject in Syracuse and collaboration on critical minerals to reduce reliance on China. The governor also noted renewed momentum for offshore wind serving New York City. The message: state-to-province ties remain durable and growth-focused, anchoring regional competitiveness in the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence corridor.

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

Bonjour, good to see everyone this morning. Thank you David and a reminder, this is my 10th anniversary of attending these events and knowing that there’s turnover among Governors and certainly Premiers — I may be the longest standing person who’s been at these events and want to welcome all of you and thank particularly Premier Legault and his entire team for the incredible gracious and warm welcome.

This is described as a magical city, and we were having the most wonderful time to reconnect with friends and as I’m going to say often, reset relationships. I want to give a shout out to my American friend, a great leader of this organization serving as Chair, Gretchen Whitmer and her team for keeping the spotlight on the shared opportunities, but also the shared challenges. And pointing out that we still have some of the same problems we talked about over the last decade as I was attending these meetings earlier, but keeping a focus on it – never giving up on what we can do together. So I’m going to thank Gretchen Whitmer again for her support.

And it goes without saying for centuries, literally centuries, we have been the best of friends supporting each other in trade deals and sharing culture–sharing well not sharing, but having some sports rivalries. Anybody from Ontario here? Do not talk about baseball today until four o’clock today and everything’s going to change.

I know that wasn’t the friendliest thing to say, but I am a New Yorker — so you have to forgive that. But we’ve done so much together. And I know that there’s been a sense of betrayal because I’ve spent a lot of time in Canada and its proud people. Spent a lot of time in Ontario as a Buffalonian, a lot of our newscasters and coverage of sports overlapped dramatically.

So we knew the same hockey heroes and celebrated them as well. So I understand it’s had a ripple effect on how people have been behaving. Not just on companies and governments, but just individuals. And the numbers are showing that our border crossings have declined since January of this year, February — in a way that is not sustainable for friends to thrive and we are vested in each other’s success.

We need to continue finding a path to change that dynamic. And it has had a negative effect on trade. We’ve got our largest trading partner in Canada. New York shares over 400 mile border with Ontario and Québec, something that we think is really special. The opportunities that we’ve had to do so much together. So I’m committed as Governor to restoring our previous relationship to perhaps January 19th. Let’s call it Project January 19 and get that over the line.

Because I feel the effects of what is happening with the hostile rhetoric, the tariffs. I do roundtables with businesses in what we call the North Country. I know Canada believes it’s the North Country, but we have our own little North Country in New York as described as that triangle part of our state that touches particularly on the Québec boundaries here. And the businesses there are feeling it. People are not coming to the little tourist towns and the ski resorts last winter and the summer places like Clayton, which are always so robust with Canadians coming across and the synergy there. It’s been missing and I feel like there’s kind of a hole in our heart as a state — when we don’t have that vibrancy and that friendship that’s long defined us. We have built partnerships that are enduring beyond this temporary blip in our relationship, and please know that I view it that way, especially in the energy space. And I just had a fabulous meeting with the president of Hydro Québec — to talk about what we’re doing next year.

I mean this is something—the Champlain Hudson Power Express line, that first came to my attention as Lieutenant Governor about a decade ago. And I didn’t sense that there was as much interest in our entire administration in this project, but I saw the promise of this.

And even when we weren’t talking about an energy crisis or shortages or resiliency at that time. Leaders are called upon to be forward thinking and see what the landscape could possibly be 10 or 20 years down the road. And that’s required of all of us. So at the time, even in that secondary role I wanted to continue those conversations, but it gave me great pleasure when I became Governor — unexpectedly August of 2021 to literally a few months later announce that we would strike an agreement with Hydro Québec and bring clean, renewable power to over 1 million New York homes. I mean, this is something that we’re going to hit a major milestone next spring. I’ll be there, I’m sure our Premier will be there as well. We’ll celebrate that in an incredible way. But that’s just one project that has not wavered or gone offline because of what is happening, and I want to continue looking for those collaborations.

But also, I had the most wonderful experience a few weeks ago to go to a ribbon cutting at a facility in Plattsburgh. MicroBird was literally assuming a facility that had been shutdown just literally the day before, and this is the beautiful transition. When Nova Bus left, MicroBird was right there to step in, saving over 300 good paying jobs. And again, further cementing that despite what’s happening in Washington, our business relationships continue because that mutuality of interest is not going to change.

So we’re going to continue leaning into the opportunities of being a hub for transportation infrastructure. Particularly between Québec and our northern part of our State. And what’s so fabulous about this is I’ve done what I can to ensure that the money is there ensuring that our MTA, the transportation leadership in New York City that oversees the purchasing of trains and our expansion that they’re going to have the money they need to continue those contracts that’ll affect businesses in Québec and in upstate New York. So that’s committed, the money’s there, the work is there, the jobs are there.

So that’s just a continued example of not just in the energy space, but in that space where we are tuning out the noise. You’re tuning out the noise and we’re continuing to work together.

I’m also committed to ensuring security at the border. I’ve committed $11 million to ensuring that our border with Québec in particular and actually Ontario from Western New York are secure.

And there’s been a lot of effort and mass migration, the largest mass migration of humanity since World War II has occurred in our country, had been occurring up in over the last few years, and It’s taken a toll. There’s a lot of impacts on that, but we’re also concerned about making sure that people don’t seize an opportunity to see more avenues for human trafficking or gun trafficking or drug trafficking.

And so we’re committed to securing our borders there as well, and I want to make sure we do that. I will say when it comes to tourism and trade and fostering energy alliances that we as New York, and I’m speaking for New York State alone here, but we’re going to continue to operate more independently of Washington.

So I want to get that message out to your businesses who are trying to decide whether we make that investment or not. We’re going to commit the dollars they’re not. And say “you know what we can work with that out. We know we got Prime Minister Carney’s meeting with the President on Tuesday, and we’ll see what happens there. But at least we know we can count on places like New York and Michigan and Wisconsin and other states who are part of this alliance, who have had the long-term relationships that have been tested and strengthened over time.” That does not change, I’m just trying to nail that point home hard. And as we talked about, I’ve had a lot of conversations about other opportunities and certainly when it comes to the rare earth opportunities and your Premier is so focused on this here in Québec.

I see unlimited potential here. I truly do because it’s also about our nation’s security, both of our nation’s security, against other actors out there who have other political agendas. So what I rather see the deals made for the acquisition and extraction of rare earth minerals between the U.S. and Canada, yes. Because the alternative is China, and I think we should all be aware of that. We have to protect ourselves, not just in this short term blip of history, which we all know is going to be over sometime soon. I’m just trying to be as diplomatic as I can here. Am I succeeding? I don’t know. I’m a little restrained if you see what I usually say in New York.

But I want to make sure that we don’t miss an opportunity right now that’s before us to do something smart that’s going to continue bolstering our innovation economies that we’ve all have. We understand that AI is not going anywhere, It is the future. And to ensure that we have not just the power, the clean power, to ensure that those facilities can go on, not because they themselves create so many jobs, but because of the businesses that’ll come in those regions and be benefited from that artificial intelligence, we’ve leaned into it in New York State with something called Empire AI. We are building a New York State with $500 million of a joint partnership with private sector, public sector, and academia. The largest supercomputer in the entire United States of America, outside a private company to use for public good.

Accessing that power to researchers in medical areas and areas where we’re trying to solve climate issues and be better forecasters of storms and impacts. We’re doing that in New York. So we are true believers in artificial intelligence and how we can harness that, put a lot of money up there. But I also have, I know that I need the rare earth minerals.

To help places like Micron. The largest private sector investment in American history is happening right now in upstate New York in Syracuse. It happened to work out during my first year as Governor made the deal happen. But they have such demand now for supply chain actors and commodities and products like rare earth minerals that the marketplace is literally across the border, and I see that opportunity.

So we need to talk to investors and find out how we can explore and try to get a piece of the action because otherwise we are going to lose out and nothing New Yorkers hate worse than losing. We’re very competitive people.

So I wanted to say we’re going to keep our investments. We admire what you’re also doing in wind and solar. You know people think Hydro Québec is a lot of wind and solar. And we’re going to continue our efforts despite the fact that an offshore wind project that had been in the works for literally a decade, $5 billion investment off the coast of Long Island is almost ready to come online, powering half a million homes in Brooklyn, New York with clean offshore wind. That was shut down back in March because the federal government does not believe in wind and solar.

It’s another whole topic. But we got it going back on and I’m committed to doing this despite the loss in tax incentives, which I think are still important. But we want the industries to know that we are going to continue leaning into this even after this strange period is over.

So I’m just going to say this, I have a lot of notes here. My team writes nice speeches, they really do. But let me just be real, talk straight to you. I propose we settle our differences on the ice, in the ballpark and on the fields, okay? That’s how we can do it. And beyond that, never forget that our destinies are intertwined by geography.

You’ve heard a lot of good remarks this morning that I support about the flow of water from the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway. And I’m a boater, I love these waterways, they bring me such joy. It’s the only place I can clear my head when I’m floating on a boat out in the middle of Lake Erie

It is extraordinary that we have these precious resources up to all of us at this moment in time to protect as others have before, and entrusted us for future generations. So our destinies are intertwined. We are neighbors by geographic destiny, but we are friends by choice and we’ll continue to be friends by choice long after this era is over.

So thank you very much my friends, and look forward to continuing our relationship. Merci beaucoup!

October 5, 2025

Albany, NY

Sources: Governor.ny.gov , Big New York news BigNY.com
Midtown Tribune News

Midtown Tribune Independent USA news from New York

Democrats’ “free healthcare for illegal immigrants” demand has, according to critics, forced a government shutdown that’s rippling across the country: essential workers—from TSA agents, air traffic controllers, and military personnel to VA staff—are working without pay; families face threats to WIC and SNAP benefits; airports warn of longer lines and delays; and national parks, monuments, museums, and historic sites from Arizona to Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, and beyond are shuttered or scaling back services. Local economies are feeling the pinch as SBA loans stall, federal grants and inspections pause, and tourism-heavy regions lose access to parks and visitor centers. Veterans and low-income families are bracing for disruptions, nonprofits and food banks are preparing for increased demand, and analysts warn of broader economic losses each week the shutdown persists.

Democrat Shutdown Hurts
Families, Veterans, Workers Across the Country

Democrats’ reckless push to hold the government hostage over free healthcare for illegal aliens has forced a crippling shutdown — making essential workers and servicemembers go unpaid, pushing vital programs like WIC to the brink, and leaving key services unfunded.

Across the country, the Radical Left’s political stunt is inflicting pain:

Arizona

• KVOA-TV: “The VA will stop transition program assistance and career counseling, close GI Bill and National Cemetery hotlines and shut down benefits regional offices… Visitor services will be reduced, with park roads and trails generally remaining open but without regular maintenance. Special events requiring permits will be halted, and no new permits will be issued. Parks with insufficient funds will cease operations, suspending all non-essential activities.”
• Axios Phoenix: “The effects of the shutdown could lead to backups at Phoenix Sky Harbor and will force the furlough of thousands of local federal employees… More than 34,000 federal employees were working in Arizona as of last year… Although airport employees, including security officers and air traffic controllers, will be forced to continue working throughout the shutdown, airport operations could be affected.”
• KVOA-TV: Shutdown impacts Tucson: Saguaro Park East closed to cars
• Arizona PBS: Montezuma Castle National Monument turns away tourists after government shutdown
• KTAR Radio: National monument in Arizona turns away tourists after federal government shutdown

Georgia

• WRDW-TV: “Thousands of federal workers in Georgia, including many airport employees, are already starting to feel the strain of the federal government shutdown. Essential federal employees like TSA agents or air traffic controllers still have to come to work — but right now, they aren’t being paid.”
• WMAZ-TV: “The Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins is closing due to the government shutdown. The Museum of Aviation is run by the Department of Defense, which has lost funding as Congress negotiates a budget deal. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the Museum of Aviation says that the closure will last until further notice… The Ocmulgee Mounds in Macon is also closed during the tenure of the government shutdown.”
• WXIA-TV: “For travelers, even though flights are still taking off, the U.S. Travel Association is warning them that longer lines, staffing issues, and delays could grow the longer the shutdown lasts. The shutdown is impacting more than 100,000 federal workers in Georgia, like TSA agents and air traffic controllers at the Hartsfield-Jackson airport.”
• WXIA-TV: “More than 111,000 federal workers in Georgia are affected — including TSA agents, air traffic controllers, military members, correctional officers, and furloughed staff from agencies like the Department of Education, EPA, HHS, National Park Service, and IRS.”
• WXIA-TV: Amid the government shutdown, visitors were turned away from the Martin Luther King historic site
• WMAZ-TV: Central Georgia gears up as federal shutdown threatens Robins Air Force Base
• Atlanta Journal Constitution: Offices close, services suspended across Georgia amid federal shutdown
• Bryan County News: Shutdown could directly affect over a hundred thousand Georgians
• WSB Radio: Government shutdown impacting metro Atlanta parks
• WTXL-TV: Federal shutdown threatens Valdosta’s backbone as Moody AFB and local programs brace for impact
• WTOC-TV: Fort Pulaski temporarily closed due to government shutdown

Michigan

• WJRT-TV: Michigan faces service disruptions as federal shutdown begins
• WCMU Radio: Shutdown closes Sleeping Bear Dunes visitors center, ranger programs
• WILX-TV: Federal shutdown leaves Michigan in limbo
• Detroit Free Press: “Expect more and more services to be curtailed (or even stopped), more and more federal grants, payments and contracts to be delayed or cut, and federal workers showing up at their jobs without pay (including military families, law enforcement, border patrol and the like) to feel more and more strain.”
• Detroit Free Press: “Hiring and training of new employees stops. Funding for SNAP and WIC programs stops. New Head Start grants will not be available. Many food, health and clean water inspections from the FDA, OSHA and the EPA would stop. The Small Business Administration stops reviewing or approving loans.”
• Michigan Farm Bureau: “More than 42,000 USDA employees will also be furloughed (put on leave), per Reuters reporting, with significant disruptions expected for the Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service.”

Minnesota

• Minnesota Star Tribune: “Federal employees in Minnesota ‘will not only be without temporary income as a result of a shutdown, but it is threatened that they will be without their federal careers permanently.’”
• Minnesota Star Tribune: “A sprawling mass of other federal functions ground to a halt…. The shutdown, the first in nearly seven years, furloughed hundreds of thousands of workers and disrupted services across the government, including federal court cases, assistance for veterans, grants for education, cleanup at Superfund sites and economic analysis for reports like the jobs data.”
• Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal: “Minnesota is home to roughly 20,000 federal employees, or 35,000 if you include military personnel. Many of those will be expected to keep working during the federal government shutdown that began last night — but paychecks could be interrupted.”
• KAAL-TV: “Minnesotans will feel it as there are roughly 20,000 federal workers in the state, and 35,000 if you count postal workers and the military. About a third of those workers are at VA hospitals like custodial and cafeteria workers, and then 13,000 Minnesota National Guard members also face furloughs, remaining on active duty without pay.”
• KMSP-TV: “The lights are out at St. Paul’s Mississippi River Visitor Center as the National Park Service went dark during this government shutdown. Its employees are among about 750,000 furloughed across the country…”
• KIMT-TV: “[A]s part of the shutdown union members in the TSA, federal prison security and Social Security are all currently working without pay, while members in the National Parks service are furloughed.”
• WDIO-TV: “Due to the federal government shutdown, the Minnesota National Guard will be initiating the process of an orderly shutdown. Essential personnel and active-duty members will continue working, while full-time staff members are furloughed.”
• MinnPost: Low-income Minnesotans likely to be the first to feel impact of government shutdown
• KSTP-TV: Minnesota National Guard members not getting paid during government shutdown

Nevada

• Reno Gazette: “Air travel continues during a shutdown… But workers don’t get paid during the shutdown, which can lead to delays when workers don’t show up for shifts.”
• KVVU-TV: “The Small Business Administration says the shutdown is stopping an estimated 320 small businesses from accessing $170 million in SBA-guaranteed funding. Officials say only programs deemed essential for protecting life and property will be operational. Programs that will close include loans and grant services. Those include federal loans to small businesses under the SBA.”
• KRXI-TV: “Military personnel will continue their duties without pay until Congress passes a continuing resolution or appropriations are signed into law. Civilian personnel not involved in essential activities will be placed in a non-work, non-pay status. The War Department has provided documents to assist its workforce during the government shutdown.”
• The Nevada Independent: “Nevadans should brace for potential delays to air travel and reduced access to national parks.”
• KSNV-TV: Las Vegas locals and tourists voice frustration over ongoing government shutdown
• KSNV-TV: Nevada Conservation League warns shutdown could harm outdoor industry
• KSNV-TV: Government shutdown puts Nevadans’ health, education, and recreation on hold
• KRNV-TV: Government shutdown impacts 22,000 federal workers in Nevada
• KOLO-TV: Nevadans express concerns amid Government shutdown
• KOLO-TV: Government shutdown threatens food stamps, jobs, national security

New Hampshire

• Portsmouth Herald: “During a government shutdown, hundreds of thousands of federal workers deemed nonessential are furloughed until funding is passed, meaning they won’t work and won’t be paid. In New Hampshire, there are 5,208 federal civilian employees.”
• WMUR-TV: “New Hampshire officials said about 6,000 federal employees are working without pay… The 500 full-time military personnel, over 400 federal civilian employees – everyone came to work today and will work without pay.”
• WMUR-TV: “Federal facilities like the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard are now in limbo, with essential workers forced to stay on the job without pay… Around 500 full-time soldiers and Airmen still need to report to work throughout the shutdown, but they will not be getting paid.”
• New Hampshire Public Radio: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employees work without pay as shutdown begins

Nationwide

• KARK-TV (Little Rock, AR): Government shutdown impacts portions of Hot Springs National Park
• KHBS-TV (Fayetteville, AR): Arkansas lawmakers and union leaders warn of fallout from federal shutdown
• KMIR-TV (Palm Springs, CA): Government Shutdown Forces Palm Springs Social Security Offices to Turn Away Walk-In Visitors
• KQED-TV (San Francisco, CA): At Muir Woods, Tourists ‘Heartbroken’ Over National Park Closure During Shutdown
• KPCC Radio (Pasadena, CA): How the government shutdown is taking the wind out of the Huntington Beach airshow
• WITN-TV (Jacksonville, FL): Jacksonville Marine wife speaks out on impact of government shutdown
• WBBH-TV (Fort Myers, FL): Government shutdown affects federal services on Gulf Coast
• Island News (Honolulu, HI): Government shutdown may leave families hungry
• WLS-TV (Chicago, IL): Chicago tourists feeling effects of federal government shutdown: ‘Wish they would do their job’
• Spectrum News (Louisville, KY): Critical care continues for veterans, but shutdown disrupts some services
• WFVX-TV (Bangor, ME): Government shutdown could have major impacts on Mainers
• The Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, MA): Berkshire residents frustrated, confused by shutdown
• WJZ-TV (Baltimore, MD): Marylanders receiving federal assistance could be impacted by government shutdown
• WLOX-TV (Biloxi, MS): Government shutdown to impact some VA services
• KCTV-TV (Kansas City, MO): Government shutdown impacts local federal workers and could affect vital program
• KCTV-TV (Kansas City, MO): Government shutdown threatens food access in Kansas City
• KSHB 41 (Kansas City, MO): Government shutdown impacts Kansas City nonprofits, SNAP & WIC recipients
• Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, NM): New Mexico begins to feel impact of shutdown as popular national parks close
• WCBS-TV (New York, NY): Government shutdown could lead to more travel headaches at NYC-area airports, Port Authority says
• Hudson Valley Post (Poughkeepsie, NY): New York Families Plunge Into Chaos As Shutdown Fallout Explodes
• News12 (Long Island, NY): Gov’t shutdown threatens food access for Long Island’s most vulnerable
• WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC): Government shutdown could impact Blue Ridge tourism
• WCNC-TV (Charlotte, NC): 140,000 NC workers to miss paychecks as federal government shutdown begins
• WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC): Federal shutdown will affect some NC schools, officials monitoring possible impact on meals
• Spectrum News (Cleveland, OH): Government shutdown may impact Ohio National Guard pay
• WTAE-TV (Pittsburgh, PA): Visitors left disappointed as shutdown impacts Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• KYW-TV (Philadelphia, PA): Government shutdown causes issues for tourists visiting historical sites in Philadelphia
• York Dispatch (York, PA): Federal shutdown could take problems caused by Pa. budget impasse from ‘bad to worse’
• The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA): Tourists in Philly feel the shutdown impacts: Closed sites, unanswered phones, confusing updates
• KEYE-TV (Austin, TX): Government shutdown threatens Austin airport operations, travelers brace for delays
• KCEN-TV (Temple, TX): Central Texas agencies brace as federal shutdown threatens housing, social services
• KBTX-TV (Bryan, TX): Federal shutdown could threaten nutrition aid for Brazos Valley residents
• KSTU-TV (Salt Lake City, Utah): Amid shutdown uncertainty, many Utah employees continue to work without pay
• WDBJ-TV (Roanoke, VA): Government shutdown raises concerns for Virginia’s economy, airports and parks
• Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, VA): Canceled concerts to unstaffed parks: Va. feels the shutdown
• WUSA-TV (Arlington, VA): Government shutdown sparks recession fears in DC region
• WUSA-TV (Arlington, VA): Food banks prepare for increased demand during government shutdown as hunger crisis concerns grow
• Washington State Standard (Olympia, WA): WA’s nutrition program for babies and mothers is at risk during federal shutdown
• KXLY Radio (Spokane, WA): Federal shutdown threatens nutrition program for 212,000 Washington families
• WITI-TV (Milwaukee, WI): Wisconsin workers see furloughs, frustration
• Axios: WIC and SNAP benefits at risk for millions if shutdown continues
• Breitbart: Major Associations Highlight Democrat-Led Shutdown Would Hurt Everyday Americans
• CNBC: Treasury Secretary Bessent says U.S. GDP could take a hit from the government shutdown
• Fox Business: Airlines warn government shutdown could disrupt flights, strain aviation system
• Fox News: White House memo says Democrats’ plan could spend $200B on healthcare for illegal immigrants
• Fox News: Democrats risk flood insurance lapse in their shutdown fight, home builders and White House warn
• NBC News: WIC food assistance program for moms and children could run out of funds if shutdown persists
• Newsweek: DC’s Struggling Housing Market Faces ‘Direct Impact’ of Shutdown
• NPR: The federal shutdown puts nutrition aid for millions of new parents at risk
• Politico: Congress just created a new reason to worry about air travel
• Politico: US to lose $15B in GDP each week of a shutdown, White House memo says
• RealClearPolitics: WH to Dems: Shutdown Threatens WIC Benefits for Mothers, Children
• Reuters: FAA plans to furlough 11,000 employees in US government shutdown
• Reuters: US government shutdown threatens food-aid program for low-income Americans
• The Hill: Veteran groups warn Congress against shutdown: ‘Resist the pull of political brinkmanship’
• The Daily Wire: Democrat-Led Shutdown Will Put Law Enforcement ‘Lives On The Line’ Without Pay, Top Orgs Warn
• The Daily Wire: Popular Health Program Will Expire If Senate Dems Force Government Shutdown, White House Warns
• The Washington Post: Shutdown guts U.S. cybersecurity agency at perilous time
• U.S. Travel Association: $1 Billion Lost Every Week: Impact of a Government Shutdown on Travel
• USA TODAY: Millions of seniors could lose access to telehealth and in-home care during shutdown

The White House

October 2, 2025

Sources: White House , Midtown Tribune news

Midtown Tribune Independent USA news from New York