by
Isabelle
Ouvrard/SEPA.Media
/Getty
Images)
With
just
over
100
days
until
kickoff,
U.S.
host
cities
for
the
2026
World
Cup
went
to
Capitol
Hill
with
a
warning
—
not
a
progress
report.
Before
the
House
Homeland
Security
Committee,
local
officials
described
frozen
FEMA
funds,
coordination
gaps,
and
mounting
pressure
as
security
preparations
enter
their
most
critical
phase.
Their
message
was
direct:
time
is
short,
money
is
stalled,
and
the
risks
are
real.
Congress
should
be
concerned.
This
is
not
a
routine
sporting
event.
The
tournament
organized
by
FIFA
will
be
the
largest
World
Cup
in
history.
Expanded
teams.
Expanded
venues.
Expanded
global
attention.
Multiple
U.S.
cities
will
temporarily
become
international
epicenters,
drawing
massive
crowds
and
worldwide
visibility.
That
scale
carries
consequence.
World
Cup
matches
are
high-profile
global
gatherings
requiring
layered
security
planning
—
counterterrorism
coordination,
cybersecurity
defenses,
transportation
safeguards,
emergency
medical
integration,
intelligence
sharing,
and
seamless
federal-local
command
structure.
These
systems
are
built
deliberately,
tested
repeatedly,
and
funded
predictably.
Predictability
is
exactly
what
host
cities
say
they
don’t
currently
have.
FEMA
dollars
that
were
earmarked
for
security
preparation
remain
frozen.
That
may
sound
procedural,
but
operationally
it’s
disruptive.
Cities
cannot
responsibly
finalize
staffing,
procure
specialized
equipment,
run
full-scale
exercises,
or
lock
in
contracts
without
clarity
on
reimbursement.
Local
governments
are
now
left
to
either
front
millions
in
costs
and
hope
federal
dollars
arrive
—
or
slow
aspects
of
preparation
and
accept
heightened
vulnerability.
Neither
option
inspires
confidence.
Funding
is
only
part
of
the
problem.
Officials
also
pointed
to
coordination
friction
between
federal
agencies
and
local
planners.
At
this
stage
—
with
just
over
three
months
remaining
—
alignment
should
be
seamless.
Any
bureaucratic
lag
becomes
a
strategic
liability.
Major
international
events
are
symbolic
targets.
That
is
not
speculation;
it
is
a
sober
assessment
shared
by
security
professionals
across
administrations.
The
larger
the
stage,
the
greater
the
exposure
—
operationally,
diplomatically,
and
politically.
If
something
were
to
go
wrong,
the
record
will
show
that
host
cities
raised
concerns
in
advance.
The
question
would
then
shift
to
Congress:
What
did
you
do
when
you
were
warned?
There
is
also
a
broader
structural
issue
lurking
beneath
the
surface.
FIFA
generates
billions
in
global
revenue
from
its
tournaments.
Host
cities
assume
logistical
strain.
Federal
agencies
carry
national
security
responsibility.
American
taxpayers
underwrite
much
of
the
protective
apparatus.
When
funding
freezes
threaten
readiness,
lawmakers
should
be
asking
whether
the
financial
architecture
matches
the
security
burden.
With
just
over
100
days
remaining,
this
is
not
about
theoretical
preparedness.
It
is
about
execution.
Congress
does
not
need
to
panic.
But
it
does
need
to
act.
Because
when
the
people
tasked
with
securing
the
event
say
the
system
is
not
moving
fast
enough,
that
is
not
background
noise.
That
is
the
alarm.
Michael
J.
Epstein,
a
Harvard
Law
School
graduate,
is
a
trial
lawyer
and
managing
partner
of The
Epstein
Law
Firm,
P.A., a
law
firm
based
in
New
Jersey.