Lawmakers express concerns about World Cup prep amid ongoing DHS shutdown

+ Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu --> Newsletters NPR Shop Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions The Best Music of 2025 Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions The Best Music of 2025 About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Lawmakers express concerns about World Cup prep amid ongoing DHS shutdown At a Senate hearing on the upcoming World Cup, lawmakers raised concerns about how travel, tourism and safety preparations are going. National Lawmakers express concerns about World Cup prep amid ongoing DHS shutdown April 16, 20264:44 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition Juliana Kim Lawmakers express concerns about World Cup prep amid ongoing DHS shutdown Listen &middot; 2:07 2:07 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5786684/nx-s1-9732211" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript At a Senate hearing on the upcoming World Cup, lawmakers raised concerns about how travel, tourism and safety preparations are going. Sponsor Message LEILA FADEL, HOST: The partial government shutdown is creating problems for this summer's World Cup. That's what a federal official told lawmakers at a congressional hearing on Wednesday. NPR's Juliana Kim reports.

+ JULIANA KIM, BYLINE: During a Senate subcommittee hearing on World Cup preparations, one topic continued to come up. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) KATIE BRITT: I think it's important to note that this hearing is obviously being held against the backdrop of a shutdown of DHS. KIM: That's Katie Britt, a Republican senator from Alabama. She's referring to the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security that started two months ago. DHS oversees agencies like TSA and FEMA. Both play a role in making sure the World Cup games run smoothly and safely across the 11 U.S. cities hosting between June 11 and July 19. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) CHRISTOPHER TOMNEY: It's long since time to reopen the Department of Homeland Security. We have been shut down more days than we've been open this fiscal year. KIM: Christopher Tomney is a DHS official involved with World Cup preparations. He said that during the shutdown, TSA lost hundreds of airport screeners who were forced to work without pay. A few weeks ago, President Trump signed a memo to start paying TSA agents. Still, Tomney said it'll take time to make up for the staff turnover. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) TOMNEY: We just can't replace that expertise overnight. It has hindered our coordination with state and locals. It has reduced our planning efforts. KIM: As far as FEMA funds, in late February, local officials told Congress that because of the shutdown, host cities couldn't access the $625 million earmarked for their security needs. They warned that fan events would need to be canceled or scaled back if funds weren't released soon. Those funds have since been distributed, according to Tomney. It's unclear whether the delay will have an impact on any upcoming events. FIFA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about the possible impact of the DHS shutdown on the World Cup. Juliana Kim, NPR News. (SOUNDBITE OF BEASTIE BOYS SONG, "MULTILATERAL NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT") Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor MessageBecome an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{1167:function(e,n,c){e.exports=c(323)},323:function(e,n,c){"use strict";c.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([c.e(1),c.e(2),c.e(3),c.e(4),c.e(82)]).then(function(e){c(3),c(1140),c(116),c(94),c(52),c(493),c(239),c(102),c(104),c(1141),c(143),c(1142),c(238),c(48),c(1143)}.bind(null,c)).catch(c.oe)}},[[1167,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();