Did Garbarino, LaLota host labor secretary to restore green tax credits?
As the offshore wind industry continues to be rocked more than a sailboat in a storm by President Donald Trump’s campaign against the Green New Deal, it was surprising that his labor secretary visited Long Island Tuesday — especially since her visit included a stop at the Suffolk County Community College’s National Offshore Wind Training Center in Brentwood.
Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer visited Long Island and New Jersey as part of her "America at Work" listening tour. Chavez-DeRemer, according to her office, went to the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters Local 290 Training Center in Hauppauge along with Reps. Andrew Garbarino, of Bayport, and Nick LaLota, of Amityville.
The next stop was perhaps more curious, given the administration’s take on wind power.
Chavez-DeRemer joined the Republican House members for a tour of the offshore wind training center at Suffolk CCC.
On April 16, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum issued a stop-work order on the already-under-construction $5 billion Empire Wind project off Long Island. Trump, a month later, after intense negotiations with Gov. Kathy Hochul and others, lifted the stop-work order on Empire, which is expected to create 1,500 jobs and power half a million homes.
In a post to X Tuesday, Garbarino praised Chavez-DeRemer for visiting Long Island to "see firsthand" the pathways to high-paying jobs. LaLota, on X, stated Chavez-DeRemer’s visit "reflects the new Republican commitment to growing businesses AND supporting hardworking Americans with fair wages and safe conditions."
The Republican-controlled House passed Trump’s "big, beautiful bill" that included deep cuts to green energy tax credits. The Senate has a Trump-imposed deadline of July 4 to pass its version of the bill, but more than one senator has publicly expressed a desire to put those green tax credits back on the bill. Does Chavez-DeRemer’s visit to Long Island — a critical region for green energy — signal a more welcoming stance by the Trump administration on renewable energies such as wind?
Chavez-DeRemer now joins the list of Cabinet members to visit Long Island since Trump was inaugurated.
Secretaries Sean Duffy (Transportation) and Linda McMahon (Education), and administrators Kelly Loeffler (Small Business Administration) and Lee Zeldin (Environmental Protection Agency) have been on the Island since January to tout Trump policies in their respective fields. Zeldin, who lives in Shirley, clearly must be an Island-hopper. The others, however, show a prospective interest by the federal government in Long Island and its politics, an especially pertinent point in this year‘s local elections and for 2026’s midterms.
Credit: Cagle.com/Marian Kamensky, Austria
For more cartoons, visit www.newsday.com/junenationalcartoons
With the New York City mayoral primary 20 days away, and nine Democrats preparing to do battle in a debate Wednesday evening, operatives in both parties have eyes on its possible impact for the rest of the state in the 2026 governor’s race.
A reliable source told The Point that Gov. Kathy Hochul has a list of about two dozen names to consider for lieutenant governor as she seeks a successor to the alienated Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, who’s declared himself a challenger for the top office.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who is not just now believed to be among those names, is nonetheless drawing buzz from unofficial peddlers of speculation. She’s among the mayoral contenders currently trailing Hochul predecessor Andrew Cuomo in the polls.
The thinking goes that Adams, whom out-of-towners may need to be reminded is no relative of Mayor Eric Adams, could suit Hochul’s need to balance her ticket with an LG from downstate, the center of the party’s statewide dominance. A Council speaker has seasoning in managing a coalition of elected officials. Adrienne Adams is a lifelong resident of southeast Queens.
If she loses the mayoral race, it isn’t even known if she’d want to join next year’s state ticket, the Albany source suggested. But, still thinking positively, some of her fans are discussing a scenario in which she wins the mayoralty by running in November on the Working Families Party line.
In their role as left-wing dog-waggers, WFP leaders have recommended five preferred candidates for ranked choice voting in the Democratic primary: Adrienne Adams, Assemb. Zohran Mamdani, Comptroller Brad Lander and State Sens. Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie. A WFP survey partially released to Politico, from Upswing Research and Strategy, suggested Adrienne Adams, unlike others, would beat Cuomo, Mayor Adams (running as an independent) and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa in a hypothetical matchup.
That would break precedent. In the city, term-limited council speakers have tended to run for mayor but so far have always lost.
Action on the Republican side is also driving speculation about who will top that party ticket next year, amid midterm congressional contests. So far, all the nomination chatter has centered on Reps. Mike Lawler and Elise Stefanik as well as Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. Stefanik has formed a "Save New York" PAC to help fellow party members in local races.
As a fellow supporter of President Donald Trump, who could effectively anoint Stefanik as his preference for GOP nominee, she has been said in one published account to be arranging contributions to Blakeman for his reelection race this year against the Democratic nominee, Legis. Seth Koslow of South Merrick.
Stefanik and Lawler have already begun to trade public digs. Blakeman, who was asked about their tensions on Sid Rosenberg’s conservative radio show, reacted with what has become his default position — lavishly proclaiming his fealty to Trump.
"Donald Trump will have a big, big say as to who is the nominee," Blakeman said. "Because this party, just like the national party, they are Trump. They love Trump. He is the backbone of our base. He will be courted by anybody running for statewide office in New York State.
"I know personally that President Trump has taken a keen interest in the gubernatorial election," he added.
Next year’s campaigns seem close — but not close enough to presume the endurance of personal alliances.
