Congress

DHS shutdown disrupts World Cup planning, officials tell senators

Published

2 months ago

April 15, 2026

The Department of Homeland Security shutdown is already undermining federal preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, administration officials warned senators Wednesday — cautioning that the ongoing funding lapse has slowed coordination with state and local authorities and cost the agency hundreds of airport screeners as the U.S. gears up to host one of the largest sporting events in the world.

“It has significantly impacted our operations,” Christopher Tomney, DHS director of the Office of Homeland Security Situational Awareness, told lawmakers at a joint congressional hearing convened by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Homeland Security and Commerce-Justice-Science.

Tomney, who is serving as the federal government’s senior coordinating official for the 2026 tournament, said the shutdown has “hindered our coordination with state and locals” and “reduced our planning efforts.”

He added that “hundreds” of unpaid Transportation Security Officers have quit during the DHS funding lapse: “We just can’t replace that expertise overnight.”

Tomney’s testimony provided the starkest public acknowledgment yet of the DHS shutdown’s impact on the administration’s planning for the World Cup, which will bring millions of fans to 11 U.S. host cities this summer. It also highlighted broader anxieties about whether President Donald Trump’s rhetoric toward foreign visitors could dampen international travel and undercut the economic upside host cities are counting on.

Administration officials insisted the U.S. would be ready no matter what, but senators from both parties pressed witnesses on how the federal government can ensure a safe and welcoming tournament while DHS remains shuttered and key agencies juggle threats ranging from drones to cyberattacks.

On hand alongside Tomney was Douglas Olson, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Portland Field Office and the bureau’s senior coordinating official on the White House task force for the World Cup; and Robert O’Leary, deputy assistant secretary for travel and tourism at the Commerce Department.

Collectively, they sketched out an enormous effort already underway ahead of the 78-match tournament, which will unfold over 39 days and spill far beyond the official host cities into base camps, fan festivals and surrounding communities.

Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), who chairs the Senate Homeland Security funding panel and presided over part of the Wednesday hearing, asked Tomney directly how the 60-day DHS shutdown has affected preparations.

Tomney linked the shutdown to broader strains across DHS, which is expected to shoulder much of the burden for tournament security while also carrying out its regular missions in aviation, border security and emergency response.

Olson told senators that unmanned aerial systems remain one of the most serious concerns heading into the tournament: “The threat is very real. It’s growing,” he said, noting that drones are increasingly easy to acquire and difficult to detect.

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), who chairs the Commerce-Justice-Science panel, asked what the federal government is doing to show that the United States is “open” and “welcoming” to fans from around the world.

O’Leary replied that the Commerce Department is working with other agencies, host committees and tourism groups to smooth travel and encourage future visits. He also pointed to the State Department’s work to reduce visa wait times and said the administration sees the World Cup as the first in a long run of major global events that can boost U.S. tourism.

But Democrats argued that Trump’s own policies are sending the opposite message.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations subcommittee, said he is anxious that the administration’s actions unrelated to security — including the president’s anti-immigration rhetoric and travel restrictions — will discourage fans from coming and blunt the financial benefits expected to flow to host communities.

“What I worry about most is that factors unrelated to security will dampen enthusiasm for the tournament and reduce the economic benefits that should flow to communities that are hosting,” Van Hollen said.

He pointed to weaker-than-expected international tourism trends and pressed O’Leary on why Commerce had not yet produced updated travel forecasts required by law.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) zeroed in on Canada and Mexico, which are co-hosting the tournament with the United States. She said Canadian tourism to her state has dropped sharply and tied the decline to Trump’s rhetoric toward America’s northern neighbor.

“We love our Canadian visitors,” said O’Leary, adding that the administration welcomes travel from Canada.

“Perhaps you should share that with President Trump,” Shaheen shot back.

Congress

Senate to confirm Jay Clayton as soon as Thursday

Published

7 minutes ago

June 15, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

The Senate could vote as soon as Thursday on Jay Clayton’s nomination to serve as director of national intelligence — a lightning speed pace that will necessitate buy-in from all 100 senators.

Confirming Clayton could help shore up enough votes from Democrats to extend a government surveillance program that expired last Friday over opposition to Trump’s pick for acting director, Bill Pulte.

“He will come out of the committee Thursday, at least hopefully, and then if we get consent, we can move,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said in an interview Monday about Clayton, who Trump only nominated for the job late last week.

Democrats “ought to be happy with Clayton,” said Thune, adding that he’s a “good” and “solid” pick.

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, floated Sunday to CBS News that Clayton could be confirmed this week if every senator cooperates.

Senate Intelligence will hold a hearing Wednesday on Clayton’s nomination. If every member of the panel agrees, he could then get a committee vote Thursday. Confirming Clayton on the Senate floor hours later would require getting agreement from every senator to speed up the process. Opposition from a single member will punt Clayton’s confirmation to next week.

Confirming Clayton Thursday would, crucially, limit — and potentially circumvent — Pulte from becoming acting director of national intelligence, which Trump has slated to take place Friday, June 19.

The president’s decision to put Pulte in charge after Tulsi Gabbard’s departure at the helm of the Office of National Intelligence sparked bipartisan pushback, with Democrats saying they will withhold support for extending Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act while Pulte is in the acting role. Congress allowed the key government spy authority lapse last Friday without a deal.

Trump threw another curveball into a FISA extension over the weekend when he posted on social media that he was against reauthorizing Section 702 unless a GOP elections bill is attached. That bill, known as the SAVE America Act, does not have the votes to get through Congress.

Thune threw cold water Monday on tying the two issues together.

“Yeah, he’s, as you know, passionate about getting that done and wants to use every opportunity to take a shot at it,” Thune said of Trump and his desire to enact the elections bill.

But, Thune said, “we can’t get FISA done” if the policies are linked.

Congress

Senate eyes vote on updated housing affordability legislation

Published

2 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is planning to put an updated version of a bipartisan housing affordability bill on the Senate floor for a vote this week, according to two people familiar with the bill dynamics and two Senate Democratic aides granted anonymity to discuss ongoing plans.

The version of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act that the Senate will vote on will include most of the House-passed language, including a provision restricting large institutional investors from buying single-family homes. The legislation would also add back Senate bills that were dropped from the House package that passed last month, the two people and the two aides said.

The Senate legislation comes after talks between Thune, Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and ranking member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). The updated Senate package was also discussed with the House and the White House, the aides said.

Still, it’s unclear if House leadership and the White House have signed off on the legislation.

The Senate and House have gone back and forth for months on language for a housing affordability bill as lawmakers on both sides look for a win to tout during a midterm election season dominated by cost-of-living issues.

Both chambers overwhelmingly passed their own versions of the housing bill — the Senate 89-10 in March, and the House 396-13 in May. The White House supported the Senate-passed bill and then backed the House-passed bill after it retained most of the Senate’s language on reining in private equity and other large Wall Street investors in the housing market — a top priority for President Donald Trump.

The Senate’s updated legislation would remove two of the House’s community banking deregulation bills due to budget scoring concerns, said two of the people familiar: two bills that would modify the Federal Deposit Insurance Act around failed insured depository institutions. The Senate bill also added back a provision to authorize the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program for seven years, as opposed to a permanent reauthorization in the Senate’s March legislation.

The Senate additionally re-inserted several upper-chamber priorities, including the BUILD NOW Act, which would incentivize communities to build more housing through the Community Development Block Grant program; the Rental Assistance Demonstration bill, which would raise the cap on housing authorities to convert voucher-based assistance; the Moving to Work bill, which would aim to add a new cohort of MTW public housing agencies; and the VALID Act, which would require Federal Housing Administration mortgage disclosures to include cost comparison information for veterans.

The package retains core wins for the leaders of both the Senate Banking and House Financial Services committees and their members and reflects input from all four leaders of those panels, one of the people familiar said.

Congress

Capitol Agenda: The new faces of the Freedom Caucus

Published

6 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

The House Freedom Caucus is suddenly confronting an unsettled future after more than a decade at the center of GOP politics on Capitol Hill.

Some of its most prominent members are leaving Congress next year after seeking higher office, including former chair Rep. Andy Biggs and several media-friendly voices like Reps. Chip Roy, Byron Donalds and Ralph Norman.

Meanwhile, the group’s current chair, Rep. Andy Harris, is term-limited.

Who will step in to fill the shuffling ranks and maintain the caucus’ role as a hard-right vanguard is very much in question — especially as the group faces a potential shift to a Democratic House majority, which has historically made them less pivotal, and the looming transition to a Republican Party without a President Donald Trump.

The group — which is no stranger to reinventing itself — has a number of relatively unknown members ready to become the new faces of the hard right in the House.

— ERIC BURLISON: The second-term Missouri congressman and current HFC board member said he is considering running to be the next chair.

Last summer he was a vocal member demanding the full release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and has become a leading Republican pushing for more information on UFOs.

— ANDREW CLYDE: Another board member, Clyde has amassed significant power by Freedom Caucus standards by winning seats on the Appropriations and Budget panels.

He said in an interview he had not yet thought about running for chair but noted that “you don’t have to be the chairman to have outsized influence.”

— BRANDON GILL: This Texas freshman, the youngest sitting House Republican, is already seen as a rising star in the House GOP.

He’s made a name for himself through provocative social media posts and splashy legislative moves, such as seeking to impeach James Boasberg, the federal judge who ruled against some of Trump’s deportations last year.

Gill has said he wants to emulate Rep. Jim Jordan, the only founding member of the caucus still serving in the chamber.

— CLAY HIGGINS: Another board member and a more senior member of the group, Higgins said he has not ruled out seeking the chair post but is also “not interested in campaigning” for the job.

Higgins was the only lawmaker to oppose the release of the Epstein files. He said in an interview he’s hoping the group focuses more on policymaking in its next iteration rather than obstructing leadership prerogatives.

— ANDY OGLES: Inside the HFC, Ogles has emerged as a serious force over two terms, with his name floated for chair even before the end of his first term.

He also did not rule out running for chair or another caucus leadership position in a recent interview.

What else we’re watching:

— THUNE RACES TO BREAK SPY POWERS LOGJAM: Senate Majority Leader John Thune is racing to try to confirm the next director of national intelligence and end a stand off over extending a key surveillance power before members break for two weeks. The Senate Intelligence Committee will hold a hearing for Jay Clayton Wednesday — less than a week after the chamber formally received the nomination from the White House. Getting Clayton confirmed is a crucial step to unlocking Congress’ willingness to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

— ANTI-FRAUD OPTIONS FOR RECONCILIATION 3.0: Republican leaders say proposals to crack down on fraud in federal safety net programs could be included in another reconciliation package this year. Turns out, a menu of options is developing in plain sight: Just look at the stack of about a dozen bills the House has passed in recent weeks to prevent waste and abuse.

Jordain Carney and Jennifer Scholtes contributed to this report.