Councilwoman Nellie Pou speaks during the North Halden Borough Council meeting held at Eastern Christian High School in North Halden, New Jersey, USA, on August 20, 2025. The US government has yet to deliver $625 million allocated to local authorities for security at the upcoming FIFA World Cup. The New Jersey lawmaker said the situation boils down to partisan politics.
The Department of Homeland Security planned to pay the subsidy by January 30, but has not yet paid it, raising concerns that local governments hosting the World Cup will not be able to properly prepare for the event.
Rep. Nellie Poe, a New Jersey Democrat and member of the House Homeland Security Committee, told Front Office Sports about DHS’ payment delays: “There’s no question they’re using this for political reasons.”
She added that the Trump administration’s motivations are “100%” political.
Pou represents the region that includes MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., where eight games are scheduled to be played, including the final on July 19. FIFA, which does not use sponsor names for the stadium, refers to the stadium as the ‘New York and New Jersey Stadium’.
“Secretary (Kristi) Noem is saying they are withholding data because of funding constraints, which is absolutely not true,” Pou added of the DHS director.
Noem wrote in a statement last week: “FEMA was in the final stages of reviewing applications to ensure proper oversight when Democrats shut down the government, placing a significant portion of FEMA employees on administrative leave. No funds have yet been awarded under the FIFA World Cup Grant Program. The longer DHS is unfunded, the less prepared our country will be for the threats of the FIFA World Cup and America 250. This Democratic shutdown has a direct impact on our national security and the ability of DHS to keep Americans safe during these events.
“Democrats must end this shutdown now so the Department of Homeland Security can get back to its mission of protecting our homeland.”
Other regions are also focusing on releasing money.
The House Homeland Security Committee held a hearing last week, and Miami Host Committee COO Raymond Martinez said of the $70 million in grants his group expects: “There’s a deadline coming up within the next 30 days. I know local agencies are very anxious, but if we don’t get this money, it could be disastrous for our planning and coordination.”
Kansas City (Mo.) Deputy Police Chief Joseph Mabin added during the hearing, “The funding will be critical for our staff and our mutual aid partners to come and support. We don’t have enough officers in our department to handle every threat.”
–Field level media
