Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul (NY) signed an executive order on Tuesday, barring the thousands of correctional officers she fired from ever working for the New York government again, including even for counties.
As covered by The Daily Wire, about 15,000 officers began striking and protesting on February 17, arguing that prisons across the state have become totally unsafe for inmates and workers following the implementation of the Democrat-backed HALT Act. Hochul used aggressive tactics against them, including terminating health care coverage for some 5,300 officers and their dependents, and, eventually, firing 2,000 officers and sergeants on Monday.
Steve McLaughlin, who serves as county executive for Rensselaer County, called the order “reprehensible and vicious.”
“Just when you think Hochul can’t get worse, she finds a way,” he posted to X, captioning the executive order signed by Hochul. “Preventing Corrections Officers from seeking employment with counties is reprehensible and vicious but that’s exactly who Kathy Hochul is.”
McLaughlin went on to say that he’ll ignore Hochul’s order, which he argued was likely unconstitutional.
“Like I do with everything else regarding her idiotic statements and actions, I will ignore this as well,” he said. “I will hire as many as I can here in #RensselaerCounty and I dare you to sue me and the individual CO’s as they seek gainful employment Hochul.”
Additionally, New York journalist and radio host Bob Lonsberry called the governor a “hateful, vindictive tyrant” over her actions.
“Kathy Hochul is a hateful, vindictive tyrant,” he wrote. “If you don’t believe me, ask the 2,000 prison guards whose jobs and careers she destroyed this week. Better yet, ask their spouses and children. Ask the pregnant women who’ve lost their healthcare, the kids who will lose their homes and schools, the people who’ve lost their pensions and will be impoverished in their last days.”
Lonsberry added that Hochul banned the now-fired striking officers from ever working for the state after “seeing that sheriffs and police chiefs had shown an interest in hiring the former prison guards.”
Hochul’s decision to fire the striking officers has also raised alarm, especially considering the understaffing and low recruitment already plaguing New York prisons across the state. Even before the strike started, there were about 2,000 vacant positions inside the prison system.
Currently, Hochul has National Guard members helping to man the prisons, with no end-date in sight. The governor activated thousands of members on the second day of the strike, and their inclusion has been controversial from the start. In some cases, they’ve been sleeping on gym floors and members have leaked photos of their rough conditions.
Further, NY State Sen. Rob Ortt (R) has expressed concern about their safety, noting that these guardsmen are “walking among criminals” without any proper training. State Sen. Daniel Stec (R) said that these guardsmen were “activated on state orders,” which makes them ineligible for care from Veterans Affairs if they were to get injured.
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