Hochul Blames New York Republicans for Siding With Trump in Shutdown Fight

Governor Kathy Hochul is once again aiming her fire at Republicans in Washington, accusing them of bowing to Donald Trump while critical federal funding for New York hangs in the balance. Instead of outlining concrete steps to safeguard jobs, infrastructure projects, or counterterrorism dollars, Hochul chose to attack GOP lawmakers, raising questions about whether her focus is more on political blame than problem-solving.

Hochul’s comments came as the federal government entered a partial shutdown. She singled out seven New York Republicans - Elise Stefanik, Mike Lawler, Nick LaLota, Andrew Garbarino, Nick Langworthy, Claudia Tenney, and Nicole Malliotakis - for what she called surrender to Trump’s demands.

“Meet the seven New York Republicans who bowed to Donald Trump and let him defund our police and firefighters, kick New Yorkers off their health care, and freeze job-creating infrastructure projects,” Hochul said in a video message.

“They have enough numbers. They have the power. And instead of exercising their power they literally bow down to Trump. Literally taking from the poor to give to the rich,” she added.

Her remarks came just days after she appeared at another Democratic rally in New York City where critics say she focused more on attacking Trump than addressing how her administration will handle the fallout of the shutdown.

Republican lawmakers have pushed back. Rep. Andrew Garbarino who chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security, acknowledged the counterterrorism cuts were dangerous but pointed the finger back at Democrats.

“House Republicans did our job, passing a clean CR to extend government funding,” Garbarino said. “Democrats are holding your tax dollars hostage for a $1.5 trillion partisan spending hike. Time for Senate Democrats to stop playing politics and do their jobs.”

While Hochul blames Trump and GOP lawmakers, critics note that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo had stepped in with state funding during a previous shutdown to prevent disruption to projects and services, something Hochul has not committed to doing. Hochul’s partisan attacks may score political points, but they leave New Yorkers still waiting for answers.

Hochul Blames New York Republicans for Siding With Trump in Shutdown Fight