NY Governor Awards $2.3 Billion To Minority, Women-Owned Businesses - Then Says 'Black Kids' Don't Know The Word 'Computer'

New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) announced a $2.3 billion grant for the ongoing JFK International Airport "transformation" project last week, directly funding Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE), according to a press release from the Governor's Office. With $950 million of the contracts going to local Queens-based businesses, the additional airport grant is the "largest participation by MWBE firms in any public-private project in New York state history." The Port Authority of New York is ensuring the redevelopment program complies with its goal of reaching "30 percent MWBE participation" in all agency projects, staying "consistent with Governor Hochul's nation-leading goals for MWBE utilization in state projects."

Any victory of virtue for the grant was quickly fumbled by the governor this week when she came under fire for saying there are "Black kids growing up in the Bronx who don't even know what the word computer is" during an interview at the Milken Institute Global Conference while discussing AI opportunities for low-income communities. Governor Hochul quickly expressed regret for the remark, clarifying that "of course, Black children in the Bronx know what computers are — the problem is that they too often lack access to the technology needed to get on track to high-paying jobs in emerging industries like AI." Judging from her newest move with JFK, she will likely pave that track with billions of dollars of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion-style funding, perhaps now as a personal olive branch.

Her full comment on computers and the Bronx can be seen below:

The Gov of NY, Kathy Hochul, says young black kids in the Bronx don’t know what the word computer is.

Democrats exposing their racism again…

Play this video in every predominantly black neighborhood until November. pic.twitter.com/dIzxVhaByj

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 7, 2024

Representative Gregory Meeks (D-NY) appeared at the press conference for the MWBE airport grant, saying that there has to be "equity in these projects" since DEI policies are "good for business."

"You gotta have equity in these projects"

Rep. Gregory Meeks admits that the entire project to fix JFK Airport is built on DEI: pic.twitter.com/wDwXLCHgTj

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) May 7, 2024

Other comments by community leaders included that the MWBE-focused grant was "for us, by us, to make sure that this community that we represent looks like us."

New York just announced a historic $2.3 billion tax-funded grant to fix up the JFK International Airport.

This grant, signed off by Governor Katy Hochul, is exclusively for non-White or women-owned businesses.

"This is FOR US, and made BY US" pic.twitter.com/mygdVvO6Gu

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) May 7, 2024

Awarding contracts to 680 MWBE firms, the total funding for 'A New JFK' has now reached $19 billion dollars, with $3.9 billion in capital funds from the Port Authority and $15 billion in private funding. The Port Authority states they are "working closely" with their private partners, including Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, to "engage minority and women-owned businesses along with local businesses in every aspect of the redevelopment program." Reuters reported in December of 2023 that this private funding included a risky "$6.5 billion bank loan, the largest ever committed for an airport terminal," with funding from forty different investment companies.

Outside of finances, the airport was also controversial late last year for its chronically long TSA lines, even after $9 billion of the March 2022 federal omnibus bill was allocated to the agency for improvement. According to the New York Post, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) blamed the Security Administration chief of TSA in August of 2023 for the misuse of those funds, calling the long TSA line at JFK as "packed as sardines" and "unacceptable.'" The TSA, the Port Authority, and the Governor's Office will continue to receive flack for these problems with the airport, especially as these large grants are now being raised with state-backed biases.