Host-city leaders warn timing and guidance on federal World Cup/Olympics grants must be clarified
Loading...
Summary
Kansas City and other witnesses told the House task force they are still awaiting guidance on how the recently approved $625 million for World Cup security will be allocated, creating procurement and training timelines compressed for host cities.
City and local law enforcement leaders told the House Homeland Security Task Force that the recent congressional appropriation for World Cup and Olympic planning provides needed resources but lacks implementation guidance, creating compressed timelines for procurement and training.
Chief Stacy Graves of the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department said her department had not yet received federal funding for planning and that the department had submitted a personnel and equipment budget request to the KC 2026 planning committee. Graves told the task force she believed the $625,000,000 appropriation for World Cup planning and security would be distributed among host committees based on budget estimates, "and will follow the general structure of the State Homeland Security Grant Program," but she said timing, program restrictions and the application process were still pending guidance.
Witnesses and members said delays or unclear rules could impede host cities'ability to procure equipment, train personnel and deploy capabilities in time. Chief Graves and other witnesses urged that funding execution be finalized quickly and that grants allow for procurement, continuous training and maintenance rather than one-time purchases. Representative Crane and other members urged quicker action from Congress to ensure that procurement windows are sufficient given the proximity of World Cup 2026 and the 2028 Olympics. The task force recorded the testimony; members requested written follow-up on grant guidance and timing but made no immediate appropriation decisions at the hearing.
