Overview

• Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum will tour Alcatraz on Thursday to formally announce its reopening as a federal penitentiary.
• The administration has not outlined any funding, construction timeline or secured the two-thirds congressional majority needed to repeal the island’s environmental protections.
• Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie have condemned the initiative as a diversionary and impractical political stunt.
• Former park ranger John Martini and other experts warn the cellblock lacks water, sewage and full electricity and would require nearly $1 billion in repairs plus $40 million to $100 million annually to maintain.
• Since 1972, Alcatraz has operated as a National Park Service site attracting over a million visitors each year and generating significant tourism revenue.