▶ Watch Video: Gov. Kathy Hochul says New York “has to lead” on 1-year, large-scale data center ban
The following is the transcript of an interview with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on July 19, 2026.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome back to Face the Nation. We go now to the Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul. Good morning to you, Governor.
GOV. KATHY HOCHUL: Good morning.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You’ve got a big day, World Cup finals in nearby New Jersey. I know you’ll be attending those. So will the President of the United States, the President of Mexico, the Canadian Prime Minister. Given the threat environment, are you confident in the security measures?
GOV. HOCHUL: Absolutely. We’ve worked so close with our federal, state, and local partners in law enforcement. We have been preparing for this for literally over a year, over 1,000 exercises, tabletopping all the scenarios. So, we’re with the best, and particularly with NYPD, the- the world’s greatest police force. I feel very confident in our security, and we’re so happy to welcome the eyes of the world. The entire planet is going to be watching what is happening right here in the New York City area. So, it’s exciting, very exciting time for us.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Truly, billions watching, and we will be too. Governor, I want to ask you about a decision that you made this past week that made very big headlines. You signed an executive order to ban large-scale data centers for a year. These are those big buildings that help to power artificial intelligence technology centers. It was just a few months ago you said data centers were a local decision for municipalities. What- what changed for you?
GOV. HOCHUL: I would say what changed was talking to the localities and realizing they don’t have the negotiating ability to- or have the clout to be able to demand that their communities benefit from this in a more dramatic way. They also don’t have the ability to insist that these companies bring their own power, or pay more for the grid. They don’t have an ability to say no to tax breaks, and so I decided that I could do much more, especially in- and especially flooding the zone is what’s happening now. We have over 30 applicants, so in a very short time, I changed my position, saying, “You know what? The state has to lead here, but it’s not about being the first. It’s about being the first to get it right.” And we will get it right over the course of this year and help those localities negotiate the right way, make sure we’re keeping track of how much water is being consumed, doing a study of that during this year, but also insisting that these companies, and they’re welcome with the conditions and the rules that we set forth, that they also contribute to the larger grid because this is a huge tax on our grid. And I want to make sure that the power is there- unlimited power is there for the large companies that are creating jobs, like the Micron that we recruited here with 50,000 jobs. So we’ll get the right balance. But I’ll tell you this, people want protection. New Yorkers want protection. There’s a lot of anxiety. Companies want certainty. We’ll give them both.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, governors from red states like Missouri, Montana, Wyoming- they signed this White House Ratepayer Protection Pledge, which I guess has AI data centers sign on to- promising not to increase consumer prices, like companies AI- OpenAI, and Amazon say they’ll help cover the cost of infrastructure upgrades. Have you talked to companies, these companies, about doing the same in New York? Why isn’t a White House pledge like that sufficient?
GOV. HOCHUL: Asking these companies to keep their word on how much they’re going to consume- I’m more realistic than that. Perhaps I’m willing to say I will get it right in New York. We’ll work with the companies, but also- and we’re open to AI. Absolutely, this is a- a place for innovation is welcome and celebrated. But my view is, if you’re going to succeed in New York because of our talent and our resources and our people. I want to make sure that New Yorkers succeed as well. So it’s not a one-way street. I don’t want the companies coming in and telling us how to do things in our state.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
GOV. HOCHUL: But there can be- they can be welcome. When I lay out the rules of the war- world- of the road, which they will embrace. I mean, once they know how to play the game, how to do things in New York, they’ll want to come, but I need some breathing room. So my agencies, I’ve got seven agencies dedicated to different elements of this: the economic development benefits for communities, how we manage how much they’re going to be consuming in water–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
GOV. HOCHUL: –how we make sure that- I mean, just to say, make sure the ratepayers don’t pay more. How do you enforce that? I’m more realistic. I want to get things done and make it really be effective.
MARGARET BRENNAN: It sounds like you want evidence to help get you to yes. But in the meantime, you are hearing concerns from unions, for example, that this is going to turn away jobs and that it’ll send a signal that New York is not a place for companies to invest long term. How do you address that?
GOV. HOCHUL: Well, that’s not the right conclusion from what I’ve done, we’ve been very clear. And as someone who’s created more union jobs in this state than anybody in history, the largest private sector development in American history is going on right now with this Micron. That is 20 years of union jobs building this. We also have tens of thousands of union jobs over years of building the Gateway Tunnel, which was stymied, stuck, not happening until I- until I unstuck it. So I’ve got more jobs for union members. They don’t have to worry about my commitment to their jobs. But wouldn’t they be rather building jobs that there’s jobs that remain after the construction season is over? That the project is built, that we actually have people, their neighbors, communities, people actually working in those buildings with long-term good-paying jobs, and not just focused on construction, which is very important. So, I’m asking everybody to say- take a breath. This is not the end of the world. We’ll get through this, and New York always leads in a smart way, and that’s what I’m really proud of of what we’re doing here.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you about election security. We’re about 100 days out from election day. States administer the elections in this country, not the federal government. Are you getting the kind of election security resources your state has gotten in the last few years? Do you have what you need?
GOV. HOCHUL: No, the federal government has basically been dismantling all the protections that we’ve come to rely on to protect this core essence of our democracy. The knowledge that when you cast that vote, that- that citizens’ right, that obligation to determine who our leaders are, that it is uncompromised. It is not being challenged by the federal government, just because they’re so worried about the upcoming results, that is exactly what is happening. I want everyone to focus on that. Yes, we passed the John Rights Voting Act. We have the toughest protections in the country, and just recently, I signed a law, many, many protections against what ICE is doing, to say ICE agents cannot show up at polling places.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.
GOV. HOCHUL: Can you see this scenario? Black and brown communities across our country and in New York, where they’re all of a sudden on election day to create that fear factor and intimidation factor that they’re so good at. I do not want to see that compromise the validity of our election. So, what Donald Trump is doing right now is throwing out the- the biggest red herring you’d ever see and questioning the- the actual results that are happening. So, we’re working hard on this here. I’ll make sure that we are protected, but I can’t count on–
MARGARET BRENNAN: But–
GOV. HOCHUL: –the federal government for any- anything these days because they’re compromised.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Under- under federal law, armed agents are not supposed to be at election centers. The attorney general nominee Todd Blanche said he’d follow the law, but it sounds like you are still concerned that that might happen. Have you–
GOV. HOCHUL: They don’t follow the law very much at all, Margaret. They don’t follow the law much at all. So again, trust but verify. I’m going to verify and ensure that New York State is doing it right. I don’t trust that they’re going to say this because what happens is, they say the day after, like, “Oh well, we didn’t mean to do it.” And, “Oh, sorry about that.” You know, these are people who go around killing individuals in our streets, so they have no credibility with me when they say anything.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We will speak to the White House about that topic shortly. Thank you very much, Governor. We’ll be right back.