By Bhargav Acharya
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.
Intelligence briefings reviewed by Reuters last month warned of the potential for extremists and criminals to target the World Cup, with officials working on preparations for the soccer tournament sounding the alarm on a delay in allocation of approved security funds.
Tomney said the Federal Emergency Management Agency has now distributed the $625 million earmarked for security. The 48-team tournament, one of the world’s biggest sporting events, will be held in June and July across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
“All the funding has been released now. FEMA GO is up and operational,” he said, referring to the disaster agency’s grants management system.
The DHS shutdown has crossed the two-month mark, with lawmakers in Congress unable to agree on legislation to fund the agency in the wake of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Trump signed an order earlier this month to pay every DHS employee.
When asked how specifically the shutdown has hampered the agency’s ability to organize the event, Tomney pointed to the departure of hundreds of transportation security officers from the Transportation Security Administration.
“We just can’t replace that expertise overnight. It has hindered our coordination with state and locals,” he said.
(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya in Toronto; editing by Scott Malone and Rosalba O’Brien)
