{"id":21395,"date":"2026-04-15T20:46:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T20:46:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/dhs-shutdown-disrupts-world-cup-planning-officials-tell-senators\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T20:46:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T20:46:45","slug":"dhs-shutdown-disrupts-world-cup-planning-officials-tell-senators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/dhs-shutdown-disrupts-world-cup-planning-officials-tell-senators\/","title":{"rendered":"DHS shutdown disrupts World Cup planning, officials tell senators"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The Department of Homeland Security shutdown is already undermining federal preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, administration officials warned senators Wednesday \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has significantly impacted our operations,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Tomney, who is serving as the federal government\u2019s senior coordinating official for the 2026 tournament, said the shutdown has \u201chindered our coordination with state and locals\u201d and \u201creduced our planning efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that \u201chundreds\u201d of unpaid Transportation Security Officers have quit during the DHS funding lapse: \u201cWe just can\u2019t replace that expertise overnight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tomney\u2019s testimony provided the starkest public acknowledgment yet of the DHS shutdown\u2019s impact on the administration\u2019s 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\u2019s rhetoric toward foreign visitors could dampen international travel and undercut the economic upside host cities are counting on.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

On hand alongside Tomney was Douglas Olson, special agent in charge of the FBI\u2019s Portland Field Office and the bureau\u2019s senior coordinating official on the White House task force for the World Cup; and Robert O\u2019Leary, deputy assistant secretary for travel and tourism at the Commerce Department.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Sen. Katie Britt<\/a> (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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Olson told senators that unmanned aerial systems remain one of the most serious concerns heading into the tournament: \u201cThe threat is very real. It\u2019s growing,\u201d he said, noting that drones are increasingly easy to acquire and difficult to detect.<\/p>\n

Sen. Jerry Moran<\/a> (R-Kan.), who chairs the Commerce-Justice-Science panel, asked what the federal government is doing to show that the United States is \u201copen\u201d and \u201cwelcoming\u201d to fans from around the world.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Leary 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

But Democrats argued that Trump\u2019s own policies are sending the opposite message.<\/p>\n

Sen. Chris Van Hollen<\/a> of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations subcommittee, said he is anxious that the administration\u2019s actions unrelated to security \u2014 including the president\u2019s anti-immigration rhetoric and travel restrictions \u2014 will discourage fans from coming and blunt the financial benefits expected to flow to host communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat 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,\u201d Van Hollen said.<\/p>\n

He pointed to weaker-than-expected international tourism trends and pressed O\u2019Leary on why Commerce had not yet produced updated travel forecasts required by law.<\/p>\n

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen<\/a> (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\u2019s rhetoric toward America\u2019s northern neighbor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love our Canadian visitors,\u201d said O\u2019Leary, adding that the administration welcomes travel from Canada.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps you should share that with President Trump,\u201d Shaheen shot back.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Department of Homeland Security shutdown is already undermining federal preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, administration officials warned senators Wednesday \u2014 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-congress"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21395"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21395\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}