Governor was joined by industry leaders in Saranac Lake
By Mike Lynch
Governor Kathy Hochul stopped in Saranac Lake Friday afternoon to speak before a packed house at the Harrietstown Town Hall against federal policies and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act before Congress.
The hourlong event focused on how the current administration’s policies have hurt North Country tourism and farmers and are threatening its health care industry. In addition to Hochul, the Saranac Lake event featured local industry leaders and elected officials. The crowd included both Democrats and Republicans, including Shaun Gillilland, chair of the Essex County’s Board of Supervisors, and former state Sen. Betty Little.
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Hochul, a Democrat, and some speakers were particularly focused on Trump’s House Bill No. 1, known as “the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” that passed the U.S. House of Representatives in May and is currently before the Senate. If passed, the bill would have to return to the House before being signed into law by President Donald Trump.
“I’m telling you all this with great love and admiration for this part of our state. But because of that, I had to come here today and tell you why this moment in time is very perilous,” Hochul said. “It’s dangerous right now because of decisions being made in Washington as we speak… This area is under siege.”
Speaking in the congressional district of Republican Elise Stefanik, Hochul called on the crowd to contact their Republican representatives to oppose the bill, noting they have voted for it previously.
“If we can harness the power of all your voices, we only need to persuade one or two Republican legislators to say, please put your district first…you don’t have to vote for this when it comes back,” she said.
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It has been widely reported that Stefanik is gearing up to run against Hochul, who is up for reelection in 2026. Calls to Stefanik’s office were not immediately returned.
Some members of the health care industry have already opposed the bill because it includes cuts to Medicaid. One in three people in the North Country rely on Medicaid, Hochul said.
“Many of our hospitals in the North Country are at risk,” she said. “They operate at razor-thin margins, and they serve large Medicaid populations.”
Hudson Headwaters Chief Medical Officer William Borgos told the crowd that his organization is anticipating a loss of $2.3 million due to proposed Medicaid cuts. He said the Community Health Center Association of New York State has projected that the cuts will cost the state roughly $300 million or about 11% of total patient revenue.
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“As we face further proposed Medicaid reductions and restrictions to the 340 B federal drug pricing program, we know that we could be facing devastating consequences and be forced to further reduce, or potentially even eliminate some services,” he said.
Borgos said that he has taken care of thousands of Medicaid patients and that “preserving Medicaid is essential.”
Hochul said the bill will take away health care coverage for 1.5 million New Yorkers and 44,000 North Country residents.
“Congressional Republicans, who are in the majority, backed by Donald Trump, have passed a budget that slashes $13.5 billion from New York’s health care system, including $357 million just in the North Country alone,” Hochul said. “We cannot sustain those cuts, and the state of New York is not going to be able to backfill that. We don’t have that much money to be able to do it.”
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Nicole Lauren, CEO of Joint Council for Economic Opportunity , a nonprofit community action agency that serves low-income communities in Essex and Franklin counties, said federal cuts will have drastic impacts on their clients.
She said many people aren’t making enough money to feed themselves, and it’s a growing problem that will get worse as a result of proposed federal policies.
“It is a growing issue in our region, and one that touches every corner of our community,” she said. “It’s parents who skip meals so their children can eat. It’s seniors who choose to buy prescriptions instead of groceries, and it’s working families who do absolutely everything right month after month.
She said “the crisis is set to get a lot worse” if proposed cuts to programs like SNAP, WIC (Women, Infants and Children), Medicaid, LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) and the Community Services Block Grant actually go through.
“They aren’t just programs. They are lifelines,” she said.
Calls for better relationship with Canada
In addition to these proposed cuts, America’s deteriorating relationship with Canada was also addressed.
Garry Douglas, president and CEO of the North Country Chamber of Commerce, talked about how important Canada is to the manufacturing supply chain and tourism industry in the North Country. That relationship has been damaged by the current federal policies and trade negotiations, he said. President Trump has called for adding Canada as the 51st state and imposed new tariffs on a variety of goods.
“We respect Canada’s history and sovereignty as a great country,” Douglas said. “We do not forget Canadians as the people who stormed the beaches of Normandy with us 81 years ago, who joined the Union Army during our Civil War in the tens of thousands in support of freedom, who saved our diplomats in Tehran at risk to their own, who took our people into their homes at Gander (International Airport) on 9/11, who shed blood with us in Afghanistan.”
Visitation from Canada to New York is down 30% this year as a result, Douglas said.
“We don’t believe that is going to reverse this year,” he said.
Immigration policies impact farmers
Mike Murphy, who is a manager and junior partner of Childstock Farms in Gabriels and a board member with the New York Farm Bureau Board of Directors, talked about the importance of rural health care and how federal immigration policies have hurt farmers.
“Our farm simply wouldn’t function without the contributions of our 50 immigrant workers,” said Murphy, who said their workers participate in the H-2A visa program.
He said Congress has failed over recent decades to pass “meaningful immigration reform” and has left many farms without a viable way to hire the skilled workers they need, putting their businesses and livelihoods at risk in the North Country and across the state.
He said there is a need for clear and comprehensive immigration policies.
“The back and forth from the federal government is exhausting and disruptive,” he said. “One day, massive deportations are promised. The next day, there’s talk of exemptions for farm workers.”
He called immigration workers the backbone of New York’s agriculture economy.
“They are highly skilled, deeply experienced, and bring tremendous value to our farms,” he said. “These are people we care about, members of our community, and they deserve safety, dignity and respect.”
Top photo: Gov. Kathy Hochul visited Saranac Lake on Friday to speak about how federal policies are hurting the North Country. Photo by Mike Lynch
The Governor is trying to present the reality of what will happen if this bill passes. People had better start paying attention and call up their congresspeople before it’s too late. They cannot give the billionaires their massive tax cuts unless they cut services. Wake up folks !