'Are We Prepared?: Ryan Mackenzie Asks Experts About Security Situation For Upcoming World Cup In US

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During a House Homeland Security Committee hearing last week, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA) spoke about the security situation for the 2026 World Cup which will be partly hosted in the United States.

Transcript

00:00The gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. McKenzie, is recognized for five minutes of questioning.

00:05Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate everybody being here today to discuss such a serious topic

00:11about how we can protect our communities and individuals who are attending mass gatherings

00:16from terrorist attacks and other threats. My first question, I'd like to go to Mr. Janelle

00:24from Live Nation Entertainment. We are fortunate to have a venue that is being operated in

00:29coordination with Live Nation in our local community. Now it's a mid-size venue, I would

00:34characterize it. So can you please talk to what in particular you are doing for events like that,

00:42maybe not the high-profile events for the World Cup or anything like that, but communities like

00:48mine are hosting music events and gatherings on a regular basis. Tell me about what you're doing

00:53at mid-size events like that. Yes, sir, regardless of the size of the event,

00:59the concern is the same. We want to make sure that we're prepared as can be. We're trained,

01:06facilitating all the intelligence sharing and everything else through our federal, state,

01:12and local law enforcement partners, and working highly in a collaborative process to make sure

01:17that we have the standards. We have a clear picture of the issues that we're dealing with,

01:23understanding what our rules and responsibilities are, and then what our partners will be bringing

01:29to the table as well, so that we have that robust resilience around the event, regardless of the

01:37size. Thank you. And for all of our testifiers, then obviously the attention of our country is going

01:44to shift next year to the America 250, the World Cup, other big events like that that are taking place

01:51all across our country. So for anybody on the panel, do you feel that we are prepared at this point,

01:57or is there more work that needs to be done? And if so, is it resources training? What can we assist

02:02with from a federal level and as members of Congress? I think we're working towards being prepared.

02:09Those plannings are being put, committees are in place, and the collaboration started, especially on

02:14FIFA and also the Olympics. Club Cup is coming next year. That brings a different clientele to the

02:20country that's different than the FIFA World Cup, and they have a tendency to operate outside social

02:26norms that we might consider in America, taking to the streets, levels of intoxication, celebrations,

02:32fan fest, which might be problematic. So yes, we are in the planning stages, but it takes resources.

02:37I look at that not as a cost, it's an investment into the planning, the preparedness, the logistics,

02:44the training, the tactics, the equipment. All of those things need to start happening now,

02:48or else we'll be behind the curve when the time comes to be responsive and keeping our public safe.

02:52And do you feel at this point in time that we are on track to be ready for those events?

02:56I think we are in the planning stage, which for the Olympics, I think we're on track. I think

03:01there's already been some pre-planning on the Olympics with the Los Angeles City and County that has

03:05had advanced teams look at what's happened in Paris and others. The threat environment has changed,

03:10and it's ever-evolving, so we have to be dynamic, and we look at mitigating the threats as they change

03:16over time, and they will change between now and 2028. And we have to stay ahead of the curve and make

03:20sure that we are well-planned and well-prepared to take whatever threat comes next, especially in the

03:25area of cyber. We should anticipate the cyber threat advancing well beyond our capabilities,

03:30not picking on the administration, but stepping away from cyber at this time and put it on the

03:35shoulders of locals. We're going to have different response capabilities across the country, and who

03:40can interdict, intervene, and be responsive to cyber attacks, DDoS attacks, whatever it might be

03:46that's going to change, not to mention traditional attacks like bomb threats and swatting incidents,

03:51and then intentional attacks and the normal crime that comes with these events. All of these things make

03:56this a very complex solution that needs to be implemented over a prolonged period of time.

04:01It's not doing any one thing. It's doing 100 things simultaneously. It's going to put us in a

04:06position of preparedness, and that has started, but I think we have a long way to go.

04:11Well, again, I'd like to thank all of you. All law enforcement across the country put themselves in

04:16harm's way every single day. We appreciate that work that you do, and the preparedness that we are

04:22looking for as a country, I think we are in many ways on track. I know there are some things that

04:27we want to continue to work on. As you mentioned, threats evolve, and the nature of those threats

04:32change with time, and so we've got to continue to stay on top of those as we prepare for an incredible

04:38year next year, again, celebrating America's 250, and also welcoming people from around the world for

04:43the World Cup. So thank you again, and with that, I yield back.

04:46The gentleman from Pennsylvania yields back. I now recognize the gentleman.

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