U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Huntsville) is making it a top priority to keep Americans safe during some major events that will soon be held in the country.
Strong, who Chairs of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology, led a hearing entitled, “Mass Gathering Events: Assessing Security Coordination and Preparedness” as the U.S. gears up for a historic stretch of major international events.
“By their very nature, mass gathering events draw large crowds in concentrated areas, making them attractive targets for malicious actors,” Strong said. “Ensuring their safety requires complex coordination among federal, state, and local authorities – including law enforcement and emergency services. It also requires close collaboration with partners in the sports and entertainment industries.”
Strong said the United States is entering an unprecedented period of hosting major international sporting events, including the 2025 Ryder Cup, the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, 2026 FIFA World Cup, and 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The 2026 World Cup alone will include 78 matches played in 11 U.S. cities, drawing an anticipated 5 million fans from around the globe, and as many as 6 billion viewers watching online.
“I witnessed the scale of these challenges firsthand when I led a congressional delegation to New Orleans to survey security preparations for the Super Bowl following the New Year’s attack on Bourbon Street,” Strong explained. “That incident, and others like it, serve as stark reminders that terrorist threats persist and underscore our shared responsibility to safeguard such gatherings.”
To meet these challenges, Congress and the White House have launched new efforts to strengthen event security. On March 7, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order Establishing the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026.
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Strong will also serve on the bipartisan “Task Force on Enhancing Security for Special Events in the United States,” which was formed by the House Committee on Homeland Security. It will focus on special events such as the FIFA World Cup in 2026, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and the United States’ 250th Anniversary.
“I applaud Vice Chairman McCaul, who will be chairing the task force, and Chairman Green for their leadership on this issue,” Strong said. “I’m honored to have been selected to join the task force.”
In advance of these high-profile events, the task force will visit select event sites, hold hearings, host 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.
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
