US seeks $152M to reopen Alcatraz as high-security prison: Report

The White House requested $152 million for a project to reopen the infamous Alcatraz prison in San Francisco Bay, California, as an operational prison, as part of a proposed budget for the 2027 fiscal year, according to Fox News on Saturday.

US President Donald Trump proposed $152 million to begin the project, part of a $1.7-billion prison system funding increase to improve pay and address staffing shortages.

The budget request includes funding to rebuild Alcatraz into a modern high-security prison, covering initial costs.

Alcatraz, closed in the 1960s due to high costs, later became a tourist site but may be rebuilt as a modern high-security prison.

Initial funding is proposed, though California politicians are skeptical over costs and feasibility.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the plan "absurd," saying rebuilding Alcatraz would waste taxpayer money and insult the public's intelligence.

The site currently generates about $60 million in revenue as a tourist attraction, according to the National Park Service.

The request will need to be approved by the US Congress.