Congresswoman Nellie Pou (D-9) has been named to co-lead the House Homeland Security Committee’s bipartisan task force focused on oversight of security for the FIFA 2025 and 2026 World Cups, the 2028 Summer Olympics, and the 250th birthday celebrations of the United States.

Both the FIFA World Cup 2025 and the FIFA World Cup 2026 will play several games, including the final matches, in the Congresswoman’s New Jersey district.

The Democratic members of the Task Force on Enhancing Security for Special Events in the United States include Congressmembers Pou, Eric Swalwell (D-CA-14) and LaMonica McIver (D-NJ-10). The task force plans to visit select event sites in advance, hold hearings and roundtables, and release a final report on their findings as part of the committee’s oversight of National Special Security Events (NSSEs) and major Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) events.

“I am gratified to be named to help lead this important task force on the security of the World Cup,” said Congresswoman Pou. “Every four years the men’s FIFA World Cup is the biggest global sports event, even bigger than the Super Bowl. With several games including the final match to be played in our district, I take security for the World Cup, as well as other upcoming high-profile events, very seriously. The coordination among federal, state and local agencies will be massive, complex, and in need of vast resources. We must be ready to meet the moment. Our congressional task force will do its best to ensure that we are.”

Congresswoman Pou is a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, which has jurisdiction over key agencies at the Department of Homeland Security tasked with providing security funding and support for the World Cup. Last week, Congresswoman Pou offered an amendment to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee portion of the Trump budget that would provide a fresh stream of funding to help for the planning of transportation options to and from the 2026 World Cup and surrounding areas. Unfortunately, it was blocked by House Republicans.

Earlier this year, Congresswoman Pou joined a bipartisan House Homeland Security Committee delegation to New Orleans to assess security preparations in the run-up to Super Bowl LIX that was played in the Crescent City on February 9.