Gov. Kathy Hochul and AG Letitia James address Trump victory
A somber Gov. Kathy Hochul acknowledged disappointment among her constituents over the election of Donald Trump Tuesday, despite New York State going for Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Despite the clear weather in New York City, Hochul likened the news to a storm — to be weathered like ones before.
Hochul announced the Empire State Freedom Initiative, a taskforce for developing measures to protect New Yorkers from adverse policies developed under the upcoming Trump administration. The experts have developed an early plan stemming from the president-elect’s campaign platform.
“I’m committed to working with anyone on policies that make our state stronger, safer, and more livable — but my administration will also be prepared to protect New Yorkers’ fundamental freedoms from any potential threats,” said Hochul.
Joining Hochul was State Attorney General Letitia James, whose office sued the previous Trump administration nearly 100 times. James also expressed willingness to work with the president-elect but maintained she would refuse to compromise on the Empire State’s values.
“No matter what the next administration throws at us, we’re ready to respond to their attacks,” said James. “We’re ready to respond to any attempts to cut or eliminate any funding to the great state of New York as the governor outlined. Despite what has happened on the national stage, we will stand tall in the face of injustice, revenge, or retribution.”
With the passing of Proposition 1, Hochul extolled the new Equal Rights Act’s role in enshrining a woman’s right to choose in the state constitution, thus protecting reproductive rights, but she said medication-assisted abortion and even contraception could be a challenge due to federal regulation.
Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member who writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
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