By: Hadassa Kalatizadeh
New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul was caught on a live microphone, in a conversation with President Joe Biden which was meant to stay private.
As reported by the NY Post, on Thursday the governor was with President Biden as he spoke at an IBM facility in Poughkeepsie. Gov. Hochul was caught advising the president that they should try to gain conservative backing by pushing the bipartisan $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act. “This allows us to push back at the Republican narrative that we’re tax and spend and not pro-business,” Hochul told Biden after his speech. Just before the comment, Biden had told her, “we have to get our heads together,” referencing the Midterm November elections. The conversation was meant to be a private talk about campaign strategy between the governor, the President and other Democratic elected officials, including Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who is chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “It’s huge,” Maloney chimed in, referring to the bill.
The bill gives generous support to technology companies working on semiconductors and other high-tech endeavors, and was supported by close to half of the Republicans in Senate. The bill, however, has also been called out as big time spending, with many fiscal conservatives opposing it, particularly in the House. They claim that the price tag is too high, at a time when inflation has hit a four-decade high. They say it will just add to the already unbalanced federal deficit.
The President was in NY, visiting the Hudson Valley to celebrate IBM’s plan to spend $20 billion locally over the next decade on research, development and production of high-tech semiconductors and computers. As per the Post, Biden made a speech with general remarks regarding the recently passed$280 billion CHIPS and Science Act.
Two days earlier, Micron Technology, the chipmaker, also announced plans to spend up to $100 billion to create an oversized semiconductor plant in upstate Syracuse. The company said, the project will add thousands of six-figure jobs in the region. The state of New York provided $6 billion in tax incentives to get the deal sealed.
Some Republicans commented regarding the conversation between Biden and Hochul, and their quest to be considered pro-business, now that the Nov. 8 election is just around the corner. “New York has chased hundreds of thousands of jobs out of state with asinine tax and regulatory policies, so it’s comical to hear President Biden, Governor Hochul, and Rep. Sean Maloney wondering on a hot mic if the microchip deal might get them off the hook for years of bad policy choices. It will not,” said state Assemblyman Mike Lawler, a Republican who is challenging Maloney for a seat in the 17th Congressional District, which includes Hudson Valley. “We’re thrilled to have new jobs here, but how about keeping the ones we already have by lowering taxes and cutting regulations? Is that such a hard concept?” added Lawler.
Assemblyman Colin Schmitt, the Republican running against Democrat Pat Ryan in the Hudson Valley’s 18th Congressional District, also commented. “There are 435 congressional seats in Congress and 33 days before the election. Joe Biden comes to New York. This was a Hail Mary campaign stunt to save the failing Democratic candidates in the Hudson Valley,” said Schmitt. “Voters tell us every day they are fed up with Biden policies on the economy, law enforcement and border security.”
