In Visit, Gov. Hochul Highlights Her Demand for Tariff Refunds

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul visited small business owner Victor Schwartz, the owner of VOS Selections and a plaintiff in the lawsuit that recently led to a Supreme Court decision which ruled that the Trump administration’s tariff policies were unlawful.

As part of her visit, the Governor highlighted her ongoing demand for federal tariff refunds.

B-ROLL of the Governor touring VOS Selections with business owner Victor Schwartz is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

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:

 Hi, everyone. We are at the offices of an American hero. An individual who stood up to power. And I want to thank Victor Schwartz, the owner of VOS Selections and his daughter, Chloë. It’s been a family business for many, many years. And Lily Fan, our head of the State Liquor Authority, for joining us here today. And I'm proud to be here.

You know, a company like this represents the best of American businesses. It's family owned, it's committed to its employees, not laying off a soul during even the pandemic or in these extraordinary times of having to deal with unanticipated costs through tariffs.

And so I commend you for being the face of the American dream here, and I thank you for continuing the fight. And you connect New York with the larger world. You know, you import products, wines, from over 16 countries and have created that international flavor in our liquor stores and our restaurants here in New York City and elsewhere. And also, you took on a fight, you took on a lot of fights when a lot of people in your situation sat on the sidelines. And you were willing to put your name out there, your business, your reputation out there, and fight for what's right all the way to the Supreme Court. And now we're winning.

And this wine industry is so important. I saw you have New York State wines back there. And you know, when you think about the wine industry — and we have incredible vineyards from Western York to the Finger Lakes region, Long Island, the North Country — even outside the tariffs, which we'll have Victor talk about, it has had this relationship that the President has now broken with Canada where we used to have the Canadians spend about $34 million nationally on American wines. And that dwindled because now there's this sense of, “We're under attack, we're boycotting American products,” whether it's our wine or it's bourbon from Kentucky. Ask my friend Andy Beshear. They're not selling our liquor on their shelves because separate from tariffs, it’s the assault on their integrity and their ability to be an independent country.

So, the ripple effect of that went from $34 million or so just a couple years ago in Canadian sales down to a poultry $1 million. This is the ripple effect that is not being covered about what this has meant. And as a state which has a 430 mile border with Canada, we're feeling it everywhere. In tourism — people are not coming to the Finger Lakes. They're not experiencing new wines and then buying them at their store. So it is beyond what anyone could have calculated, but in that sense, you're not just standing up for the wine industry Victor, you're standing up for New York and America itself by taking on the powers to be in Washington.

And since I've been governor, I've enjoyed fighting alongside people like Victor. People who show the courage to step out of their comfort zone sometimes and to just call out an injustice and fight for themselves and fight for others. So they're fighting for all of us. And reckless and illegal tariffs have had real consequences.

I was supposed to be with farmers on Tuesday, but the weather delayed us because we had to see what was happening with the storm. But I was expected to be up in Elba, New York. Where's Elba, New York? Well, it's the onion capital of the state for those who are keeping track. I've been there in the Onion parade. It is outside of Batavia, about 15 minutes. It's a place where I plan to talk to farmers and I'll get back there about the effects of tariffs on their lives and how the farm equipment has gone up. I mean, the fertilizer, you could only buy elements of it for the particular fertilizer they use in Canada and Ukraine. Not great options for our farmers. So we're living this in real time from the streets of New York City, all the way up to our most rural parts of our great state.

So, we have a Supreme Court six-three decision just a few days ago. It came down. Coincidentally, I happened to be sitting just a few feet from the President when he got that decision. The National Governor's meeting was underway Friday morning. Dramatic shift in his attitude. Immediately, I'll just say that. And he actually said after taking a couple questions — one of which, and I'll repeat it here because I really like this answer he gave — he was asked what is the lesson of of Minneapolis? What, Mr. President, what are the lessons you're taking away? The first thing he said was, “We're not going to go places where we're not welcome. We want to go where people want us there.” And he looked over at me and said, “For example, I'll wait and see whether Kathy asks me to come to New York and I'll wait for that.” So that was a good comment. Almost immediately after that he says, “I'm shutting down questions because I'm just seething right now.” And he left the room. So then he had his press conference.

But where we are right now, the Supreme Court has said these tariffs are flat out illegal. It was done in violation of law, which requires the approval of Congress. As a former member of Congress, I've seen the authority of Congress being trampled on day and night. They're not standing up for themselves, but that's a different issue. And so we've said this, New Yorkers have paid more than they should have under an illegal scheme that the Supreme Court has struck down. So I am demanding, with a letter going to Secretary of Treasury Bessent today, demanding the full refund for New Yorkers, for individual families, to the tune of $13.5 billion. We believe we are owed this. This is separate from individual businesses. I think you have the right then to file for a refund of what you paid on this illegal scheme.

And that is not just us saying it. That is what the government's lawyers said in court when they said, “Don't worry. If the Supreme Court strikes this down, we will give people refunds.” I read the arguments of the Department of Justice's lawyers just last night. So they have said they'll do refunds. I want refunds for New Yorkers because New York families have paid on average $1,750 more in everything from groceries at the store to their Christmas presents, to now their wine.

So separate from the efforts of businesses to go after their own system that the federal government should be setting up right now, I believe that the State of New York residents are also owed money as well. So $13.5 billion is what we're seeking. So, you know what? We do want to enter a golden age. It's just not the one that President Trump has described.

And so, we're going to continue fighting for our businesses, our families, our entrepreneurs. People love this state and love this country, and just want a fair shot. You'll hear from Victor. They already pay a lot in federal and state taxes. And now to have this extra tariff thrown on them and their customers is just a kick in the teeth and they don't deserve that.

And I thank him and commend him for standing up and fighting and doing something that is now going to benefit everyone in America. Thank you, Victor.