Gov. Kathy Hochul is spending 10 cents of taxpayers’ money to fly overseas this week to attend climate change and business events in Italy and Ireland.
The trip, Hochul’s second overseas trip since becoming governor in August 2021, follows New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ visit to Vatican City and Rome last week as a guest of the Pope Foundation. .
The first leg of Hochul’s state-sponsored visit includes a 15-minute speech at the Vatican on Thursday about building the Empire State’s resilience to climate change. Politico reported.
She will then have an audience with Pope Francis and other foreign leaders at a climate change conference at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Social Sciences.
Mr Hochul will then travel to Ireland to meet senior government officials before giving a keynote speech at an economic conference in Killarney.
Her office told Politico that the trip will be paid for by the state because it is official business. The governor’s office did not say how much the trip is expected to cost.
Hochul’s office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment Tuesday.
The last time the governor traveled abroad was in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attack — to Israel.
“The goal of this trip is simple: strengthen international connections, create economic opportunity for New Yorkers and a clean future for generations to come,” Hochul said in a statement.
“From combating the climate crisis to harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, New York continues to lead the world in innovative solutions to global challenges.”
