NYC NOW - November 13, 2024: Evening Roundup

Episode Date: November 13, 2024

Governor Kathy Hochul is set to announce a $9 congestion pricing fee for vehicles. Meanwhile, New York doctors and health experts are raising concerns about vaccination rates in a new Trump administration, as the president-elect plans to give vaccine critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a prominent role. Also, New Jersey is under a drought warning as the Northeast faces a record-breaking dry spell. Finally, WNYC’s Michael Hill speaks with newly elected House members Laura Gillen of New York’s 4th District and Mike Lawler of the 17th in separate interviews about their plans for the future.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news and around New York City from WNYC. I'm Jared Marcel. Governor Kathy Hokel is expected to announce congestion pricing is coming back with a $9 fee for vehicles. That's according to four sources WNYC has confirmed. The governor is set to officially announce the new tolling plan on Thursday. She's planning to reduce the toll rate for trucks as well. The MTA board is meeting next week and is expected to vote. on the new tolling plan.

Some New York doctors and public health experts are expressing concern about vaccination rates under the Trump administration. The president-elect has indicated he will give a prominent role to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who is critical of vaccines. Dr. Scott Ratten is a public health professor at CUNY. He predicts the anti-vax sentiment will spread, but says doctors, teachers, and other trusted messengers can help fight misinformation, especially online. We need to meet people where they are.

We need to listen to what their concerns are and then give the appropriate response rather than just think we can do a mass media message. It's up to individual states to set school vaccine requirements, but the federal government has influence over vaccine approvals, recommendations, and funding. New Jersey is now under a drought warning as the Northeast faces a record-breaking dry spell. That designation allows the state's environmental agency to manage water systems more closely, with little relief, In sight, Governor Phil Murphy is warning residents to be vigilant. It goes without saying this is not the time to be lighting outdoor fires either. We simply cannot risk it. So please leave those outdoor fire pits and grills untouched for the time being.

Meanwhile, New York City remains under our drought watch. Up next, we hear from two newly elected House members and their plans for the future. Stick around. You're listening to NYC now. Laura Gillen is headed to the U.S. House of Representatives after the former town of Hempstead supervisor beat out incumbent first-term Republican Anthony D. Esposito in New York's fourth district and parts of Nassau County on Long Island. My colleague Michael Hill spoke with Gillen about her plans. Republicans will hold the Senate and the White House as we've been reporting here. Tell us how you plan to legislate to deliver for your district being right now as it seems in the minority party. Look, I am going to govern the way I governed when I was town supervisor. I went in there I was the first Democrat in 112 years to win that seat. My town board was controlled by Republicans,

and I managed to get things done by reaching across the aisle. And whether with a carrot or a stick, I was able to lower taxes, pass ethics reforms, pass the first multi-year capital plan, and get a lot of things done for the residents of this town. It's a common ground, common sense approach. That's what I'm bring to Washington. I've already reached out to the Long Island delegation members, not just on my side, but on the other side of the aisle and look forward to working with them because there's so many things that are not partisan issues that we need to fix for the people who live here on Long Island in this district. And I believe there is common ground that we can find to work together. Now, you want to raise so tight, it took a few days for the AP to call it, given that Representative

De Esposito had so much support in the district. What's your message to those who voted for him? So my message is I'm running to be the representative for all the members of this district. I have never been a hyperpartisan person. I've always been about finding that common ground. And I'm going to be their representative as well and listen to their voices and make sure that their voices are heard as well. There's a lot of things that we need to get done. The past Congress is one of the least productive Congresses in our history. I'm hoping this Congress will be productive. And I'm looking forward again to reaching across the other. Whoever, in charge in the House, it's going to be a very slim minority. So there's an opportunity there to get things done with bipartisan support. And I think that's what the American people really want. They want to stop the hateful rhetoric. You just want Congress to get back to work again. And that's what I'm looking forward to doing. Biden won Nassau County four years ago by almost 15 percentage point. Trump narrowly won there this time. What happened? What appeal to voters? You know, I mean, I remained laser focus on my race.

I really didn't weigh into the presidential race. I think we've seen a backlash on Long Island a little bit about some of the stuff coming out from Albany. And, you know, his message resonated. My message was just focused on my race and what I bring to the table, which is, again, that common ground, common sense approach. You know, I'm recalling one of your TV ads. You took immigration in the southern border head on. The ad said you were standing at the border, pause, and... And then you said the border of Nassau County was quite catchy.

It sounds as if this was a winning issue for you in the district, but not nationally for Harris and perhaps other Democrats. Tell us why you think that is. Well, look, I mean, I have deep roots in this district. I know the folks who live here because I grew up here. And, you know, my friends come from all varieties of the political spectrum. And I know that this is an issue that people really, really cared about. And I think a mistake that some people make in campaigns is,

if something is considered a Republican issue that Democrats are afraid to talk about it. I'm not afraid to talk about it. So this was an issue that I knew people cared about and I wanted to take it head on and let people in this district know what they could expect for me. And what they could expect for me is that day one, this is a priority for me. I do believe that we're going to have comprehensive immigration reform. It should be bipartisan. It shouldn't be hyperpartisan.

and we should make sure that we're getting delivering a law that can stand a test of time. And that's by passing something that has input from both sides. That's Congressmember elect Laura Gillen. Meanwhile, north of New York City, Republican Congress member Mike Lawler, who represents parts of Westchester, Rockland, and Duchess counties won re-election. He also sat down with Michael. What will your priorities be as you head back for another term? Well, I think the American people spoke pretty clearly that they're frustrated with the direction of the country.

And they want us to focus on the major issues, the economy, the border, public safety, energy. You look at obviously the international crises around the globe. These are the issues that I ran on. These are the issues that, you know, will be my priority. You look at the affordability crisis here in New York. People can't afford to live here. We lead the nation in outmigration. You look at issues like the cap on salt and lifting that to help ease the tax burden.

You look at congestion pricing as an issue impacting commuters and what we can do at a federal level to stop that. So these are my priorities as we head into a new Congress. I hear you talking about the impact on all that on New York. On Monday, you tweeted that the only way to improve things in New York State is with the new governor, and we must make that happen in 2026. What's your interest in running for governor in 20206? Well, we'll take a look at it. I haven't made any determinations yet.

Obviously, I was just reelected to a new term in Congress, and we're going to have a lot of work ahead of us, certainly in the first 100 days, a lot to do. But I don't think there's any question that one-party rule in New York has been a disaster. We lead the nation in out-migration. People cannot afford to live in New York. We have quality of life issues with the migrant crisis. Crime continues to be a major challenge.

We have a housing shortage in New York, as we do across the country. And frankly, I think Governor Hockel has been ineffective at best. And the reality— Pardon me, Representative Lolley, pardon me, you sound like a candidate for governor. We'll see what happens in the future. But the issue to me, whether it's me or someone else down the road, We need balance. We need to restore balance and common sense in New York. You cannot have one-party rule, as we've seen in Albany and New York City. You see the consequences of that. And I think what voters sent a very clear message the other night, they want balance. They don't want the continued move towards radical policies that make our country less affordable, less secure, less safe. And that's what we're pushing back against.

And so we'll see what the future holds. You know, we'll take it one step at a time. But I don't think there's any question. We need balance in New York. We haven't had a Republican governor since George Pataki. And, you know, we've seen over the last two decades a decline in New York as a result of one-party rule. I have some more questions here. With a sudden surge and wildfires in New York, there's a lot of concern about the climate crisis

and a different former New York Congress member Lee Zeldon just got named as Trump's incoming EPA chief. Will you support the Trump administration's climate policies? Well, it's not so simple as will you support it or not. First of all, I do believe in climate change. I do think we need to do more to ensure clean air, clean water, preserve open space. That's why I supported the Environmental Bond Act here in New York when I was a member of the state legislature. I've worked extensively on issues like PFAS contamination in our drinking water, and we'll continue to do that. But we also need a coherent energy policy in this country.

And I think that's part of the biggest driver of why we have an affordability crisis. The energy policies at a national level, and certainly here in New York, have had a disastrous impact. And in fact, costs have risen astronomically. And the grid in New York is actually dirtier today than it was seven years ago when Andrew Cuomo announced the closure of Indian Point. So we need to have an all of the above approach to energy, which includes nuclear, which includes natural gas. Natural gas has actually reduced carbon emissions 60% greater than renewables over the last two decades because it's allowed us to get off of coal. natural gas generates electricity. 70% of America's electricity is generated by natural gas.

So we need to have a coherent energy policy. It doesn't have to be at odds with environmental policy. And in fact, we should have and do have very rigorous standards. But what we've seen is an environmental policy that is based on ideology and not based on fact, science, and reality. And that has had a negative impact on our energy grid and cost for Americans. Representative, you got a lot of attention in your first term for being a rare Republican to say former President Trump did lose the 2020 election. I'm curious about what you might tell, say, your grandchildren, 25, 30 years from now.

If they were to ask how did a president who lost an election then encouraged would turn out to be a, deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol to prevent a peaceful transfer of power. How did he become president again? What would you tell them? The American people voted. Look, we had a campaign, and all of these issues have been litigated. I was very clear that Joe Biden won in 2020, and what happened on January 6th was wrong and never should have happened. But these issues have been litigated. And at the end of the day, the American people made a determination based on policy, based on the issues most acutely impacting their families. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris failed to address the economy. They failed to address the border crisis and the migrant crisis that resulted. And the world today is less safe.

That's Congress member Mike Lawler in conversation with my colleague, Michael Hill. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WNYC. Catch us every weekday three times a day. I'm Javid and Marcel. See you tomorrow.