Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries Warn of Detrimental Impacts of President Trump’s One Big Ugly Bill

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul was joined by the Democratic Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives Congressman Hakeem Jeffries and leaders in the health care and labor sectors to sound the alarm on the detrimental effects of several healthcare provisions already passed by the House of Representatives in the Republican budget reconciliation bill. These provisions collectively amount to an annual loss of nearly $13.5 billion for New Yorkers and our healthcare sector, jeopardizing healthcare access for millions of New Yorkers and threatening the state’s hospitals and healthcare providers.

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 page will post photos of the event here.

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

Thank you, Dr. Scott. I wish we could have joined for a more joyous occasion because right now, we're at war — we're at war to protect our people, and I'm sick and tired of Washington thinking that we're going to be the collateral damage in their weaponization of programs that we've relied on for nearly 60 years and cut them so they can cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires.

We're not putting up with that because we are New York and there's no place I'd rather be than right here — joined by leaders, bold leaders of New York State health care organizations, and the heart and soul, our health care workers. And I want to thank everyone who's joined us here today. First of all, our host, Sandra Scott, and your entire executive board. I am so grateful as the leader of this State for all you do every single day; it is hard and you see people at their most vulnerable and yet you give them compassionate care, and I'm so grateful as your leader and we're going to continue going on, and on and on — and I want to give you another round of applause, thank you very much.

Ken Raske, the president, CEO of Greater New York Hospital Association. Ken, thank you for the challenges that you must encounter every day as we work together to deliver for New Yorkers. And also Bea Grause, the president, Health Care Association of New York State — Bea, thank you for representing so many important institutions.

Ari Moma, you'll be hearing from a nurse at the Interfaith Hospital; and a board member, Michelle Ned, the in-service coordinator and 1199 delegate; and also Assemblymembers — my partners in Albany, Latrice Walker and Stefani Zinerman — I want to thank you for all you do for us and for fighting for our communities. And you notice there's one person missing who's on his way, I assure you; he may have had a little longer commute than I did this morning.

But again, as I think about the health care workers, you're truly God's angels on Earth. I mean, you're doing so much, and I know it's sort of in the rear view mirror for a lot of people. I'll never forget what you did during the pandemic. You are our frontline workers. You showed up when everybody else was too scared to leave their houses. You saw death every single day — images that'll never escape you, that sometimes still haunt you — and we must acknowledge and recognize what you've been through.

And you deserve more than pots and pans banging — and a thank you for your service. You deserve to have everything we can offer you, and lift you up and show you our gratitude as a state. So another round applause for all of our health care workers here and across the State.

And I'll thank him when he arrives — I want to thank Leader Jeffries. You know how fortunate we are to have the leader of the Democrats in the entire House of Representatives, our own New Yorker, our own Brooklynite? He understands us and when he speaks from the heart, he's embodying everything he learned in the streets of our great community — and that is why we are a stronger, better country because of his voice; and he is taking on this fight, and I'm so proud — he'll be joining us momentarily.

And he has united Democrats against the largest health care cut in American history and we are not standing down. And also, House Republicans going after Medicaid — let's think about what that means, who they are standing up against now and what we must do against them. They're taking a wrecking ball against vulnerable children, and families, and senior citizens and people who are too sick to work — if we can't take care of them, what does that say about us as a nation and why do they need to be the collateral damage in these wars?

You know, New York State alone stands to lose $13.5 billion under the — this is not conjecture, it's not speculating — this is what's in the House Republicans plan right now, and our only hope is the Senate? Heaven help us. But they must hear the pain of their own constituents and those who represent the red states.

There's a lot of rural poverty in their jurisdictions. I know they're in New York. Part of New York is literally defined as Appalachia, about 11 counties. I used to represent that area in Congress. The rural poverty is great, our urban poverty is great, and if we can't provide the dignity of just being able to get back to good health when you're sick — when we know how to do it? It's not that we don't have the cures, or the treatments or the care, but if it's inaccessible to you because you don't have the largest insurance program available to you?

We have 1.5 million New Yorkers who will be off of Medicaid because of this program. What is supposed to happen to them? I'll tell you what's going to happen. They're not going to get preventative care. They're going to end up in our emergency rooms, overcrowding the hospitals, and guess what? Everybody who's not on Medicaid, they're going to make it too crowded for you and your families when you need care.

That's why there's a ripple effect to this. So those who are not on Medicaid, so that doesn't affect me. I'm okay. This is going to cripple our entire health care system for everyone, and that is not just pie in the sky or chicken little — it is going to happen. It's a lifeline. You know, one out of three New Yorkers receive Medicaid.

Half of all of our kids — you've heard me say this, I'm a mom. I'm a Grandma now — got another one on the way. Keep at it, kids; this is good. Grandkids are definitely more fun. I won't say it to my children, but when I see a baby, it's impossible for me to not go up to that parent and just want to embrace them and tell them these are scary times for you. It's expensive to be a parent.

The diapers, and the formula, and the little kids' clothes and I know what that's like. And now to think that your own baby — your most precious person in the whole world for you — won't have health care when they get sick? What are you supposed to do? Watch them possibly die? That is so inhumane. This is a first world country. Are we not — do we not have the abundance, the resources to take care of our little kids? Is that what they're telling us in Washington, that they can't do that? Heaven help us. It's also people's grandparents in the nursing homes. I mean, who can afford the nursing home care? And God bless them as well — hard, hard work they're doing.

But do Republicans think that Mom and Dad, or Grandma and Grandpa are going to come back home, live in their spare bedroom? Are they giving up their jobs to take care of them? How does this work? What's the end game here? They're clearly not thinking beyond taking care of their millionaire and billionaire donor friends, are they? They're not thinking about the ripple effect throughout society.

Or even a mom with a high risk pregnancy. I've done so many events — Latrice Walker and I have talked about this a lot — here in Brooklyn about the high rates of infant and maternal mortality, and so much of it is preventable, about getting those regular appointments because you have health care, right? And in New York, we’re the first state in the nation that says, “You should be able to get paid time off work to get care, prenatal care, before the baby comes,” they'll give you a better outlook, better outcomes in life.

Those are our priorities. And yet Republicans want to take that all away. Have they no heart? No compassion? Were they not raised in a country where we take care of each other?

You know, just a few weeks from now, July 9, we'll be observing the 60th anniversary of when President Johnson signed Medicaid into law. You also did Medicare. And those two events lift more people out of poverty almost overnight. Our seniors were the highest population living in poverty before those laws were passed, and now today, that is no longer the case. Now it's our kids. Now it's our kids.

What President Johnson said stuck with me when I read this a few times. He said, “There's a tradition we share,” he calls upon us to, “never be indifferent to despair. It commands us to never turn away from helplessness. It directs us never to ignore or to spurn those who suffer [unintended] in a land that is [bursting] with abundance.” That is us today in 2025, we are a land bustling with abundance. Republicans call it reform, it's basically Robinhood in reverse, right? Take it out of our pockets, people who need help, giving to the rich.

So here in New York, we're doing the exact opposite. We're focused on safety and affordability — taking care of our families. And I expanded the eligibility for the Essential Plan, which gives now more than 1.5 million New Yorkers access to high quality, affordable coverage because they deserve it. You know what our uninsured rate now is? It's 5 percent, one of the lowest in the nation. And we're not staying satisfied with that, but that is one of the lowest uninsured rates in the nation.

So I've invested millions and millions in health insurance subsidies, financial assistance for our hospitals that are struggling so much — they didn't anticipate all these costs — and protecting low income families from medical debt. Also directed billions of dollars into the Safety Net Transformation Program to expand and make sure we have affordable high quality care.

But now all that is under threat. And you know, they're all talking about this fraud and waste and abuse. They're talking about about $50 billion they've identified. If you found even $50 billion, which I think you're making up, then why do you have to cut $850 billion? Explain that. Let's grant you the $50 billion, which I actually don't grant you because I think you're making that up, but why do you need so much more? Oh, because it's for the tax cuts. It’s for the tax cuts. And all of a sudden they have this, “We're worried about the national debt.” Then why are you adding $3 billion to the national debt? They're just making this — stuff — up. I caught myself, okay? Caught myself. Don't get me on a roll.

What Washington doesn't understand about New York is that we do not abandon our people. We will not walk away from them in their time of need. Health care is not negotiable in the Empire State. Not now, not ever.

And so every New Yorker listening, whether you live in a Republican or Democratic district, you know how to reach out, right? You know how to reach people. And there's some people I want you to reach. There's seven Republican members of Congress who call New York home, who do represent parts of our state that are in great poverty and great need. They need a phone call from you. They need a text from you. They need social media posts to call them to do the right thing, to stand up for the people who sent them to office, who believed in them.

Because I know where the Democrats stand. I feel really strong under the leadership of Hakeem Jeffries. We're rock solid. We stand up for our people. Always will. We fight for our kids. We fight for our elderly. We fight for those in need. And we’ll never ever forget our duty to answer the call that President Johnson set out 60 years ago reminding us we are a land of abundance.

We can take care of our people. It's that simple. Thank you very much everyone.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me call to the podium, Ken Raske, the President and CEO of the Greater New York Hospital [Association].