Trump seeks $152M in federal funding to reopen infamous Alcatraz prison

US President Donald Trump is seeking $152m to reopen the infamous Alcatraz prison as part of his proposed budget for the 2027 fiscal year, the BBC writes.

Located near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the site, also known as The Rock, was once regarded as one of America’s most notorious prisons, but has served as a tourist attraction in recent years.

The budget request is seeking money “to rebuild Alcatraz as a state-of-the-art secure prison facility.”

Alcatraz was originally designed for dangerous criminals and for those who had attempted to escape from other prisons. The prison was closed in 1963 and became a tourist attraction.

The plan has been met with skepticism by a number of politicians in California, with questions raised about the final cost of the project and the challenges of running Alcatraz as an active prison.

The request to secure budget funding for reopening the prison requires approval from the US Congress.