Governor Hochul: “It seems like it was on Feb 6th, when the cost of diapers and formula and just the clothes that they outgrew every three months – it's a lot then and now with the cost of everything because of inflation being so much higher, and it's been really rough since the pandemic. So it's important for me to just get out into our communities.”

Hochul: “Let families know we hear them, we understand what they're going through, and anything we can do to alleviate that burden and put more money back in their pockets will always be my priority.”

Earlier on Feb 7th, Governor Kathy Hochul convened a conversation with mothers at Fox’s Deli in Rochester to highlight her 2025 State of the State affordability agenda.

B-ROLL of the Governor meeting with mothers at Fox’s Deli can be found on YouTube and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format.

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:

?Well, I guess you've already seen my lunch partners here. I want to thank Sarah Sherwood and Keana DuBoise and Sophia – hi, Sophia – and Emily Jensen for sharing with me for a few moments at Fox's Deli. Great place.

Just the stresses of being a mom in today's society – trying to raise kids, trying to deal with the ever rising cost of everything you need. We're talking about the cost of the fruits that the little kids like, the strawberries and the blueberries. I mean, you want to give your kids healthy foods, but their costs are – so we talked about the cost of eggs – unbelievably high. There's a lot going on for families and I wanted to take some time to share with them my priorities as New York's first mom Governor who actually had to go experiencing the same worries, not that many years – well, actually a few years ago. I'll admit that, a few years ago.

But it seems like it was yesterday when the cost of diapers and formula and just the clothes that they outgrew every three months – it's a lot then and now with the cost of everything because of inflation being so much higher, and it's been really rough since the pandemic. So it's important for me to just get out into our communities.

I've spent a lot of time in the Finger Lakes region. I used to represent parts of this area in Congress. And I've been to this community many, many times. And I just wanted to let them have a chance to share with me those concerns, but also the cost of child care.

When you hear what people pay to have their children watched, and whether you have a little one or you're expecting another little one, this is something that you're thinking about all the time. And we also talked about the high cost of rent – how expensive it is and will I be able to stay here? I love this neighborhood, but the costs keep going up and up and up.

I just wanted to assure them that I've heard their cries for help. I knew this, and that's why my Budget, just unveiled a few weeks ago, really talks about what I want to do, which is to make your family my fight.

And so, what does that mean? Putting more money back in your pockets. Countless ways, but starting with a child tax credit that before I became Governor was literally zero for little kids. We're going to put $1,000 in the pockets of families for each child under the age of four. It adds up quickly, a significant amount of money. We also talked about a middle class tax cut, the largest in 70 years. So we're excited about getting that approved by the legislature.

The inflation rebate, what does that mean? It means that because of inflation, people spent lots more money on everything, and we collected more at the state level. We collected $3 billion more than anticipated. So what do you do with it? You give it back to the people who overpaid all those years and so that's going to result in over $500 back in people's pockets as well.

And lastly, two more things. I want to point out that the cost of breakfasts and lunches for kids who are school age, we're going to cover that cost for a number of reasons. One is it gives time back to busy parents, it also becomes a great equalizer. There are children today who are skipping lunch and meals because of the stigma associated if they're on a subsidized plan or they're getting support from the government because their parents don't make enough money. We want these kids to be fed. We don't want them to be stigmatized and feel different than the other children, and also busy parents do not have to worry about the time involved in breakfast and lunches. But also it comes out to about another $1,600 per year per child back in parents’ pockets. You add all that up, we're talking about $5,000 more in families pockets.

If I can get this through the legislature, I'm excited about the opportunities. Let families know we hear them, we understand what they're going through, and anything we can do to alleviate that burden and put more money back in their pockets will always be my priority.