US government shutdown has slowed World Cup security planning, homeland security official says

U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration Deputy Assistant Secretary for Travel and Tourism Robert O’Leary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Homeland Security Situational Awareness Director Christopher Tomney and U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Senior Coordinating Official on the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026 Douglas Olson attend a U.S. Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee and Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee joint hearing on 2026 World Cup security preparations, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 15, 2026. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

April 15 (Reuters) - The ⁠U.S. government has released all funds allocated for security at ⁠the soccer World Cup, but the ongoing shutdown of the Department ‌of Homeland Security has affected planning and coordination, a department official told a Senate hearing on Wednesday.

"A lot of the planning efforts underway for the World Cup have been slowed ​down, have been delayed due to the lapse ⁠in appropriations, individuals being furloughed," ⁠Christopher Tomney, director of the DHS Office of Homeland Security Situational Awareness, told ⁠the ‌Senate Appropriations Committee.