Two Republican members of Congress, Michael McCaul and Elijah Crane, have called on the Trump administration to empower the National Guard to address potential drone threats at the upcoming World Cup matches, urging a unified federal security posture.

In a letter sent Friday to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, they demanded immediate interagency action to secure airspace over the 11 US host cities.

The lawmakers warned that potential personnel shortages and complex jurisdictional divides between event organizers and host cities risk creating a fragmented security environment, necessitating a unified federal approach.

“With its rapid deployability, nationwide scalability, and extensive experience responding to domestic emergencies, the National Guard is uniquely positioned to assist federal and state authorities with C-UAS mitigation and unified coordination for World Cup security,” they wrote.

The Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, and Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The call came a day after a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, raising new security concerns.

The White House said Monday that the matches will be safe. “President Trump is focused on ensuring that this is not only an incredible experience for all fans and visitors, but also the safest and most secure in history,” spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement.

Source: www.aljazeera.com