Hochul joins NYPD in urging federal action on drones before 2026 World Cup

New York is urging President Donald Trump to expand state authority to counter potentially hostile drones and warning that the federal government is not prepared to handle a potential drone attack.

That’s according to a letter sent Monday by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The letter follows similar calls from NYPD officials earlier this month and comes after several unexplained drone sightings in New York and New Jersey last summer that alarmed residents. Hochul also cited Ukraine’s successful drone strike on Russian air forces in June as evidence of the evolving danger these systems pose to critical infrastructure.

"The reality is that the federal government is unprepared and poorly postured to detect and mitigate UAS threats and states are hamstrung by a lack of legislative authority," Hochul wrote, using an acronym for unmanned aircraft systems.

A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last month, Trump signed an executive order signaling he may soon grant more authority to local agencies to detect and intercept drones.

In her letter, Hochul called for a comprehensive federal strategy to improve drone detection nationwide and urged that state and local governments be granted authority to detect and disable drones themselves.

She also warned that current counter-drone powers granted to the Department of Homeland Security and FBI are set to expire at the end of the summer.

Hochul cited several high-profile events in 2026 as potential “prime targets,” including the World Cup, a tall ships flotilla, an international naval review and America’s 250th birthday celebration.

"These detection and mitigation measures must first protect critical infrastructure like population centers, utilities, and military assets," she said.

The NYPD has also lobbied Congress and the White House for the authority to disable drones, a power currently limited to a few federal agencies.

Ahead of this year’s Fourth of July celebration, NYPD leaders said they were hopeful a June 6 executive order from Trump could eventually grant local agencies those powers.

Under current law, only the departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Defense and Energy are authorized to use drone mitigation technology.

For now, local police must rely on those federal agencies to take down threatening drones.