Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul delivered remarks alongside Senator Kirsten Gillibrand regarding the Trump administration’s attack on the Social Security program and how New York’s seniors and families will be affected as a result of the President and Elon Musk’s efforts to close Social Security Administration offices and limit access to resources.

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 has photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:

 Thank you, Senator. We are so fortunate here in New York to have you representing us in Washington — being that loud voice on behalf of the people that you care so deeply about: our seniors, in particular, but also, as you mentioned, there's children affected and families. And, if there's one thing you could always count on as an American your entire life, it is that what you started paying in for Social Security with your first teenage job, over a lifetime would be there when you need it.

And now that promise has all been jeopardized because of Donald Trump's administration and Elon Musk. Now, I'm going to just quote someone who once spent a lot of time in this city — he was our former Governor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. When he became President and saw the crisis that unfolded over this country known as the Great Depression — it started when he was actually governor — back in 1935, he saw that there was a path forward to help regain the stability, give people that security that they would never slip into poverty again.

He unfolded the Social Security program and what he said was we have a moral, legal and political right to ensure that these payments are always made. He set it up as a payroll tax, so he said, “No damn politician can ever scrap my Social Security program.” Now, maybe not a politician, but maybe he didn't count on some billionaire from South Africa who'd be trying to scrap his program. Someone who actually called it a “Ponzi scheme.”

When Americans heard that, chills went down their spines. This man has enormous power for an unelected official, and he is using it to destroy the very fabric of our safety nets — programs like Social Security. So, he has caused so much chaos and uncertainty. Just walk into this federal building — you can feel it, it's palpable; the anxiety that the workers here who dedicate their lives to public service, not just here, but all across this country, are under siege. Why? Because they're out there helping the people.

That is the whole premise behind becoming a public servant, and those who work for Social Security know that there's people who rely on them and not everybody knows how to go online and figure it out. I heard some seniors say, “My grandkids have to come over to help me do this.” That's the reality we're in right now.

When phone calls aren't answered, when offices are closed — the offices that have been closed in New York State already — that requires seniors who may not have easy access to get around to go from their community and travel across five to seven different counties. How are they going to get there if they need services in person?

You gave out the numbers. Nearly 70,000 here in Albany County alone, but I'll tell you, in New York, our priorities are different. We think it's wrong to say seniors and people with disabilities have to travel a great distance to secure their benefits. We say it's wrong to describe Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme,” and we say it's wrong to jeopardize a safety net that has been there to make sure that our citizens never slip into poverty.

So, we have leaders fighting for them, our citizens — Senator Gillibrand, we appreciate all her work — but there's also seven other people in the State who need to hear about this, and those are your Republican members of Congress. They're in the majority, they have the power. If seven members of the delegation from New York State — starting with Elise Stefanik all the way on down — go into the Speaker's office, demand that there would be changes or you'll hold up President Trump's agenda.

You have the power, and if you don't use that power, then you are complicit in this attack on the American people. And so, citizens, residents, people who represent all of our elected officials here: Make sure our voices are heard, make sure our senior's voices are heard and we have to stop the insanity of this attack on our people.

Thank you very much.