Thousands of National Guard troops could stay inside New York prisons for another year under Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget plan, according to The Citizen.
Hochul wants $535 million in the 2026–27 budget to continue National Guard support as prisons struggle with deep staffing shortages. The request comes on top of more than $700 million the state expects to spend by March 31.
The state deployed the New York National Guard in February 2025 after a correction officers’ strike. Although the strike ended, the state fired about 2,000 officers who didn’t return. Roughly 3,000 Guard members now assist at most prisons as staffing levels hit their lowest point in decades.
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