Gov. Kathy Hochul (00:00):
… in courage. I'm proud to be joined by Carl, Speaker Heastie. We've had robust conversation. First of all, I hosted them at the Governor's residence early this morning to make sure they're well-fed with New York food, as well as giving them the opportunity to see a home that Franklin Roosevelt once lived in, for inspiration, as I'm inspired every day about knowing who we're fighting for and who we're fighting against. These brave public servants are taking a stand, a strong stand against a blatant power grab that's happening in their state as we speak. And this will have implications not just in Texas, but for our entire nation and its future.
(00:43)
First of all, by breaking quorum, using a legitimate form of government, correct? We've talked about this. This is not breaking the law. This is a legitimate process that has been used before. By breaking quorum and being here today, these legislators are getting into what John Lewis might call, good trouble. Good trouble is the best kind of trouble. You know why? Because now that you have the Attorney General, the Texas Attorney General, who by the way is obsessed with going after doctors in our state who are simply providing medication, abortion assistance to people who are denied that by their own states. Now he's threatened to arrest each and every one of them if they don't return to Austin. But they're being asked to return to vote for a radical, radical redrawing of the congressional lines that were already adopted. They're being adopted in favor of Republicans. And of course, where did this come from?
(01:40)
Well, Donald Trump came up with a scheme, perhaps with some help with AI. I don't know. But they have literally redrawn five congressional districts, primarily representing communities of color that need the representation. They've drawn racist lines to disenfranchise millions of Texans. So what does this have to do with the state of New York? It's a good question. I'll tell you this. The last six months, Donald Trump and his cowardly Republican enablers have pursued an agenda that has destroyed all we hold dear in this country. It's harmed the American people, but also the people I represent in the state of New York. They've denied life-saving health care to millions of people. They've denied food to poor children. Why? All this to give tax breaks to their billionaire buddies. And also now they're crushing the middle class with tariffs which are simply poorly disguised taxes. We're hearing the news today, how everything is going to go up.
(02:50)
A backpack that you could have bought for just $30 in May, is now $50 for moms and dads getting ready for back-to-school shopping. That's the direct impact on New Yorkers and Americans. But also at the same time, in our states and many others, they're sending masked, armed individuals to snatch law-abiding residents off the streets, as their own children scream in terror. That is happening on the streets of our great country. So people are basically disgusted. They're disgusted with this trampling of their basic human rights. Rights that we've always cherished and fought for in this country, and that is precisely why New York has a strong interest in what is occurring almost across the country in Texas.
(03:36)
And I have newsflash for Republicans in Texas. This is no longer the Wild West. We're not going to tolerate our democracy being stole in a modern-day stagecoach hoist by a bunch of law-breaking cowboys. Americans don't want a system that's stacked against them. They believe in fairness. It's fundamental. I'll tell you this, they're done with the chaos. They're done with the cruelty. And I would say they're ready to vote Republicans out of power in Washington, certainly in the upcoming 2026 elections. Republicans know this. They've seen the polls. They know they're sliding downhill, because Americans are rejecting their policies, so this is why they're fighting.
(04:22)
They know they'll lose the elections, but to subvert the will of the people, they're hell-bent on rigging the system. Rigging the system is un-American. Congressional districts are never redrawn mid-decade as they are, but here they are, flagrantly breaking the rules so they can hold on to power. And with that power, they're going to inflict even more pain. And they'd rather eliminate fairness in the system that they proceed knowing they're going to lose. They'd rather silence voters than serve them. From my perspective, to refuse to stand up and fight for our democracy as we are joining in solidarity with our friends from Texas means one thing, you won't fight for democracy, you're doomed to lose it. For almost 250 years, our democratic experience has been fought for and it's endured. As governor of a state [inaudible 00:05:25] males, early battles took place. We're commemorating them next year. Those battles for freedom were here.
(05:32)
That's why I cannot stand by and let this happen while Donald Trump and his co-conspirator, Greg Abbott, erode our democracy and drag us toward authoritarianism. Now, what Texas and Republican states are doing at the direction of Donald Trump, I say is nothing short of a legal insurrection against our capital. Legal, meaning they're using the legal process. Does not mean it's legal, and it must be stopped. If Republicans are willing to rewrite these rules to give themselves an advantage, then they're leaving us no choice, we must do the same. There's a phrase, you have to fight fire with fire. That is a true statement of how we're feeling right now. And as I've said, another overused but applicable phrase, all's fair and love and war. That's why I'm exploring with our leaders every option to redraw our state congressional lines as soon as possible. Our state legislative leaders, Carl Heastie, Majority leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, they're on board, as are their members.
(06:44)
We're already working on a legislative process, reviewing our legal strategies, and we'll do everything in our power to stop this brazen assault. As I mentioned, these are profiles in courage sitting with me here today. They left their homes, left their families, left their loved ones in a world of uncertainty. But our history is defined by people who are brave patriots, will not accept the status quo, who believe they must use their voices and their positions to stand up for others. And I could not be prouder to have an opportunity to meet them, each and every one of them, and hear their personal stories. And I thank them so much for making this journey.
(07:27)
You are on the right side of history and you're not alone. We are in solidarity with each and every one of you and your colleagues in another state hosted by my great friend, J.B. Pritzker, who welcome you as well. As I said, history will judge us and how we respond at this moment. But here in New York, we'll not stand on the sidelines with the timid souls on the sidelines who don't care, will not invest their heart and soul into this battle. This is
Gov. Kathy Hochul (08:00):
… a war, we are at war. And that's why the gloves are off, and I say bring it on. With that let me turn it over to our great speaker, Carl Heastie.
Carl Heastie (08:15):
So thank you Governor, and thank you to our great colleagues from the great state of Texas. I'm a fan of something big in Texas as everybody knows I'm one of the bigger Cowboy fans, but today I'm-
Gov. Kathy Hochul (08:28):
I've got to correct you on that. We're not going to go there. You cannot say that sitting next to me.
Carl Heastie (08:34):
I'm a Bills fan as long as they don't play the Cowboys. But we are here for a serious moment in time, and all things are connected. Democrats and some of the editorial boards of some of the very newspapers who are here keep telling us to play fair. And it's very difficult to say play fair when your opponents are playing dirty, and using every tool in their tool shed toolbox to kind of undermine democracy. Since this guy has been sworn in there's no respect for the constitution, there's no respect for people. And what's happening in Texas is just another prime example.
(09:23)
And what we're proposing, maybe what we bring before the voters in 2027, hope not to have to use it, but sometimes the best way to get a bully to stop being a bully is to remind them that they could also be bullied. So perhaps the Republican members of Congress here in New York could say to their Republican colleagues in Texas, "Hey, slow down on this because this can also affect us." We'd like the world to play fair, democracy should be fair. But what we are learning, and again, we're only God help us eight months into this horror movie of this presidency administration is, that big disgusting bill that they're trying to fool people that thinks it's good. It's just nothing more, but just another giveaway to the riches of the rich in this country.
(10:19)
And so they're trying to fool us by saying, "Well, we're going to go on with gerrymander and take out Democrats. And you'll hear from my good colleague, Representative Jones will tell you, the members of Congress that are under attack and who they're looking to get rid of is just unfair, it's sickening. Like I said, it's really like being in a bad movie of just a hostile takeover of what is supposed to be the greatest country in this world. So sad that we have to be here, but I say to all of you, all of the press here, your editorial boards keep asking us to be fair and play fair, and I think that's the wrong thing to ask us to do. So with that, I'm going to turn over to my colleague, the leader of the Democrats in the Texas House, Representative Plesa.
Mihaela Plesa (11:18):
Thank you Governor and thank you Mr. Speaker. My name is Mihaela Plesa, and I proudly serve as the Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and the constituents of House District 70 in Collin County. I just want to thank you for standing with us today and for your leadership. Your continued support reminds us that the fight to protect democracy is not confined to one state, the fight is for all 50. And I'm proud to stand with you. I'm joined here by my colleagues at the Texas House Democratic Caucus, public servants who came to this work, not to chase power, but to protect people. I'm proud to stand beside them in this moment of national urgency. But before we get into the redistricting crisis in Texas, I want to acknowledge something else that we share in common that connects us, and that's the recent flooding that happened in both of our states.
(12:10)
New York just experienced flooding. They put people over policies, and they declared a state of emergency. In Texas, today marks the one-month anniversary where over 130 people died, the majority of them being children. An incident that our governor has still failed to attend any funerals for the victims. People are rebuilding their lives, their homes have been destroyed, they're burying their children. Some of them only have the snuffies that their children were clinging on to for support. Did you guys know that there's a nonprofit that's been started in our state that's trying to help parents find those stuffed animals because it's the last thing their children had? Today on the house floor, House Republicans did not want to put flood relief, disaster relief. They didn't want to do anything for the people of Texas, they're bending the knee to President Donald Trump. The first bill put on the calendar today was a redistricting bill, an attempt to steal power. This cannot be allowed to stand. The playing field has changed, not just for Democrats, but all Americans. And it's time to meet them on the new field. Governor Abbott formed a select committee on redistricting, that committee held nine meetings. We also had a committee on flood relief, that committee only held two meetings. That shows you what our governor is focused on, what House Republicans are focused on. It's not the people of Texas, it's the people in power, and how to keep that power.
(14:02)
I remember when Trump called Georgia, he called the Secretary of State. He told them, "I need to just find 11,780 votes." What did Georgia say? "No." Well, Donald Trump called our governor and he said, "I just need a small change. I just need you to send me five congressional members." And what did our governor say? "Sure, give me a minute. Coming right up." We were sent to the capitol to serve the people, not political parties. While Texas are waiting for relief, Republican leaders are redrawing maps to silence voters, hijack our democracy. And this doesn't stop with Texas. If Trump and Abbott succeed, it will, yeah, give them five seats, but then where else do they go? Ohio, Missouri, any other Republican legislature with democratic congresspeople, they're on the chopping block too. Is that fair? Is that just?
(15:15)
The fight isn't just about lines on a map, it's about lives on the line. That's why we're here, that's why we're fighting. It's about democracy, it affects every single American. We need Democrats across the country, and state houses, and congresses, and communities to say loud and clear, "This is not who we are, and this is not what we will accept." This is a rallying cry. This isn't just about the people who voted for us, it's about every American who believes that the power belongs to the people, not one man, not a king. And I will not allow this one man to rewrite the rules of our democracy behind closed doors.
Mihaela Plesa (16:00):
This is about representation, about fairness, and about the integrity of our elections. We are not here to resist, we are here to fight, and we are asking for your help in this fight. Thank you so much, Governor. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Gov. Kathy Hochul (16:19):
Thank you. We'll take questions now from the press. And again, you can hear the depth of passion, how strongly people feel about being on the front line of this fight, even at their own personal cost, and I call on all Americans who love our democracy to stand with the Democrats in Texas at this hour of need, support them any way you can, and I assure you that the people of the great state of New York will be there with you on the front lines of this war to save all that is great about our country, including its democracy, which has endured for 250 years.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
[inaudible 00:17:00]
Speaker 2 (17:01):
I'm curious, last decade, we did redistricting. Hard to say. Do you think, given this situation, where we've had these court battles, everything, that in this 2027 amendment that you may put forward, that the independent redistricting commission should be disbanded or changed in some way so that you don't have to go through that again in '32?
Gov. Kathy Hochul (17:23):
Yes. I'm tired of fighting this fight with my hands tied behind my back. With all due respect to the good government groups, politics is a political process, and to think that we're going to do this with a purity test and make sure it's completely fair to everybody involved… The reason we are able to draw the lines, because we're Democrats, because the majority of people in this state selected us, elected us, to be leaders, and when we say that we cannot use that power to its fullest, then we're abdicating the responsibility that we all have. Republicans take over the legislature, they can have at it, but until then, we're in charge and we're sick and tired of being pushed around when other states don't have the same aspirations that we always have had, and I hold those dear. But I cannot ignore that the playing field has changed dramatically, and shame on us if we ignore that fact and cling tight to the vestiges of the past. That era is over, Donald Trump eliminated that forever.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
For Representative Plesa and your colleagues from Texas, what is your response to Governor Abbott accusing you all of possibly committing a felony by being here and not returning to Austin by this afternoon? Is it safe to say you have no immediate plans and plan to stay here indefinitely?
Mihaela Plesa (18:54):
Have you ever heard the saying in Texas that says, ,"Come and get it, come and take it"? That's what we're saying. Look, Governor is very good at manipulating the truth and what he's saying is not completely accurate. He knows that we're using a tool that was given to us by the founders of the Texas Constitution, he knows what the rules are, and he's trying to manipulate the situation to make it play in his favor. It's not going to work. The people of Texas know, they've seen this playbook before, and they want fair maps. I told you, we had nine hearings on redistricting, we had hundreds of Texans show up against these maps. It was a handful of people that testified in favor of these maps, I'm talking about 500 people that showed up on Friday. Texas Republicans didn't give them an access to have their voice heard, they limited debate in those hearings. So what I say to the Governor is, you need to have better policies, you're not going to just eliminate 20…
Jolanda Jones (19:57):
So let me be clear, I'm a lawyer, and part of my practice is criminal defense work. There is no felony in the Texas penal code for what he says. So respectfully, he's making up some shit, okay? He's trying to get sound bites and he has no legal mechanism. And if he did, subpoenas from Texas don't work in New York, so he's going to come get us how? Subpoenas in Texas don't work in Chicago, he's going to come get us how? So let me be clear, he's putting up smoke and mirrors and I'm hopeful that the media doesn't follow that.
(20:33)
I will also say this, I was on the redistricting committee, I sat in on the meetings. We had three sham hearings with no maps, with no maps, where people were forced to testify that they were neutral on the maps because of our processes, when actually, I would say about 99.9% of the people were against it. So they set it up so when the litigation happens, because it's going to happen, trust and belief, that there will be testimony saying that everybody was neutral on it, which is, excuse my French, a damn lie.
(21:13)
Then when they got the map on Wednesday… And let me be clear, it was the worst kept secret in Texas, I was on the redistricting committee and I was wondering in January, why am I on the redistricting committee? It ain't a redistricting year. And we didn't meet once. But this was always the backup plan, always. I sat in on the hearings, it was a joke. The chair of the redistricting committee, Cody Vasut, is a lawyer. In the legislature, he is the expert on points of order, he knows the law, Cody pays attention to detail. During the redistricting committee meetings, "Well, I haven't looked at anything, I don't know, I ain't seen no maps." Yeah, whatever you say. So you're peeing on me and you're telling me it's raining and you expect me to believe it. Wrong answer.
(22:07)
When they finally had the one public hearing with the map and the secret was out, the stuff is going to get filed on Wednesday and we're going to have a marathon hearing on Friday is what they said. The plan was filed on Wednesday and they had a 10-hour meeting on Friday, and the thing that was the most offensive to me as a person who went to these and asked questions about these… And let me be clear, the districts that are targeted overwhelmingly are Black districts, okay? They're pitting Jasmine Crockett against Marc Veasey, and they're pitting Al Green against CD18, where there's a Black representative. If you don't know who sat in CD18, I live in CD18 by the way, Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland, Craig Washington, Sheila Jackson Lee and Sylvester Turner, so those are the people they're trying to take out, so I'm real upset about it and my constituents are real upset about it.
(23:06)
But it's really interesting that the map person who says that some law firm drafted the maps and he don't know that much about the maps, I felt like I was in a bad edition of an episode of White Man's Burden. For the most part, he told us, grown people speaking to us as if we were kids, said to us, "You need to be happy, we didn't have to give you any hearings in the first place, and we know what's best for you." Well, I respectfully submit that they don't know what's best for us, they do not know what's best for us. And let me also be clear, my constituents demanded that I be here, so you think I'm going to listen to Donald Trump and Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick and the Attorney General who can't treat his wife right and who lies on documentation? So I think he need to worry about going to jail. But my point is this, we, the Democratic
Jolanda Jones (24:00):
… contingent. We are paying attention to what our constituents are demanding of us. They've literally told us, "If you don't quorum break, we will primary you." That's how important it is. People wonder why should New York be concerned about what's going on in Texas? Why should anywhere be concerned what's going on in Texas? I'm going to tell you why. My grandmother says this, "If you're allow yourself to be a rug, people will step on you." No one was paying attention to North Carolina in 2024. There were seven Republican congresspeople. There were seven Democratic congresspeople.
(24:34)
Guess what? The Republicans rigged the game in North Carolina and they took three seats. I'm going to say this one more again, that's Ebonics for those of you all who don't speak it. They took three seats. Congress has a three Republican majority. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. We weren't paying attention to what was going on in North Carolina and look what we have. We got that big, ugly, terrible bill shoved down our throats. Guess what? I was paying attention. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Texas will not be North Carolina. We will not give him what we need. We're marching. We ain't fleeing. We're fighting. We are so incredibly thankful that the governor has hosted us because we need allies.
Speaker 8 (25:25):
Thank you [inaudible 00:25:26]-
Speaker 4 (25:25):
Governor, is the state spending any resources on housing or feeding or anything for the Texas lawmakers that are here today?
Gov. Kathy Hochul (25:35):
I fed them breakfast. Don't know what that costs.
Mihaela Plesa (25:39):
Thank you. It was delicious.
Gov. Kathy Hochul (25:39):
If it's a problem, I'll take it out of my pocket.
Mihaela Plesa (25:40):
Very delicious.
Gov. Kathy Hochul (25:41):
No, they're leaving today. Again, I do believe that there's going to be exorbitant legal expenses for them. It's $500 a day fine that they're already having to deal with, and so we are looking at mechanisms where I can be supportive on the other side of the equation. Not the government side, but the political side, and encourage others to step up and invest in these brave soldiers for our democracy.
Speaker 4 (26:09):
Then building off of Dan's question, voters did approve a clause in the state constitution that prohibits redistricting on the basis that benefits a particular party, a particular candidate. Should that stay or should that go?
Gov. Kathy Hochul (26:25):
We'll be having those conversations about the exact wording, but I think if you ask voters in New York how they feel today versus how they felt back then, there has been a dramatic sea change in response to the onslaught of attacks from their own government in Washington. They've had it. As I said, they've had it with the chaos, they've had it with the cuts. They want us as their leaders to stand up for them, and that's exactly what we're going to do.
Speaker 8 (26:50):
Great. Two more [inaudible 00:26:51]-
Speaker 5 (26:52):
Governor, why would it be unfair to say that New York Democrats are abandoning good government and good democracy in an effort to save democracy?
Gov. Kathy Hochul (27:02):
Well, that's an interesting question. But if that's what's called for, if that's what's called for, I will put saving democracy as my top priority at any cost because it is under siege. Just like those who put on a uniform to fight in battles across the ages. For centuries, we've stood up and fought. Blood has been shed. This is our moment in 2025 to stand up for all that we hold dear and not let it be destroyed by a bunch of renegades in a place called Texas, which I respect these people, but we've had our battles with them. The attorney general. The senator. We know who we stand with. We stand with the people of this country.
Speaker 5 (27:43):
If you all are leaving, where are you going next? If you're leaving New York, where are you going?
Gov. Kathy Hochul (27:47):
Don't tell them.
Mihaela Plesa (27:49):
We have delegations all over the state. We're continuing to meet with democratic governors. We're continuing to bring coalitions into the fold and educating people as to what's happening and letting them know that the rules have changed.
Speaker 6 (28:05):
Are you staying in New York though indefinitely?
Mihaela Plesa (28:07):
Not all of us.
Speaker 5 (28:07):
Are you staying past August [inaudible 00:28:09]-
Mihaela Plesa (28:09):
Is this an invitation?
Gov. Kathy Hochul (28:13):
No, no, don't [inaudible 00:28:13]-
Speaker 5 (28:13):
Are you staying past August 19th [inaudible 00:28:14] special session ends?
Gov. Kathy Hochul (28:15):
On the advice of council, I'm going to advise them not to disclose where they're heading next for obvious reasons. Grace, you had a question?
Grace (28:22):
Yeah, well I was just say, so two questions. One, [inaudible 00:28:25] process oriented for the Texas representatives, so you plan to be traveling around the country but not necessarily staying in New York for the foreseeable future. Is that correct?
Mihaela Plesa (28:38):
Yeah, this is a war. We're building a coalition.
Grace (28:46):
Okay.
Speaker 7 (28:46):
I'll just say, we're not going back to Texas right now-
Gov. Kathy Hochul (28:46):
That's right.
Speaker 7 (28:47):
… and we're not a abandoning our jobs. I represent democratic district and our voices deserve to be heard. I am representing, I am not abandoning my duties, I am doing my job. Democrats have been shut out of the process over and over and over again, and democratic voices have a right to be represented. That's what I'm doing right now. I am representing my constituents, and I'm doing my job and not abandoning.
Carl E. Heastie (29:12):
Did y'all not ask them what… It's like y'all are asking them to give what their game plan and strategy is, and this is very sensitive. I would ask that y'all allow them and give them the respect to put together their strategy without letting their opponents know what that is.
Speaker 9 (29:29):
Thank you [inaudible 00:29:31]-
Speaker12 (29:31):
[inaudible 00:29:31] just leaving [inaudible 00:29:32]-
Carl E. Heastie (29:32):
You asked where they're going next.
Gov. Kathy Hochul (29:34):
But we also have a team. They dispatch us to wherever we go and we go to save democracy.
Speaker 10 (29:41):
What you said that you're exploring all of the options. What will those look like? What do you see as the options on the table for Democrats in New York state to change our maps?
Gov. Kathy Hochul (29:53):
Unlike other states, like California and certainly Texas, we do have constraints that were put in place that the only way that we can change the timing on [inaudible 00:30:03] is to literally amend the New York State Constitution. There's a process involved in that. It requires an affirmative vote for two consecutive sessions of the legislature. Right now we're in the 2025-'26 session. A vote in 2025 or 2026 is the first step. '27-'28 is the next session. This could literally go on the ballot in the fall of '27 and be enacted in time for the congressional races in 2028 as well as the presidential. It is not the timeline that I would've preferred, but it does shave off four years from what would other be the process. But we're going to also look at litigation strategies. We're in close conversations about options there. I would say this, we're considering all options right now.
Speaker 8 (30:51):
Great. Thank you guys.
Gov. Kathy Hochul (30:51):
Thanks, everybody.
Speaker 11 (30:52):
Speaker, you earlier said that while you're asking editorial boards, I think you said a few moments ago, shouldn't ask you to quote, unquote, "play fair." Just so I have this straight, just so I'm clear, are you and the governor, are you saying that, your plan is to quote, unquote, "not play fair," just because in Texas they're not playing fair? Are you concerned about a slippery slope?
Carl E. Heastie (31:16):
The point that I'm trying to make is democratic states have gone to independent redistricting commissions and then so [inaudible 00:31:25] say nonpartisan. In politics there's no such thing as nonpartisan. All I'm saying is I think it's difficult to ask New York, California, and other democratic-leaning states to play nonpartisan while the Republicans play very partisan. That's the point that I'm making.
Speaker 8 (31:43):
Thanks, guys. [inaudible 00:31:44]-
Speaker 5 (31:43):
Are you all staying past August 19th out of Texas? Are you going to remain out of Texas?