ICYMI: McCaul Pens Op-Ed on Preventing Security Incidents at Upcoming Mass Spectator Events

WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) — chairman of the bipartisan Task Force on Enhancing Security for Special Events — penned an op-ed in The Washington Times highlighting the task force’s work to ensure the safety of millions of spectators and participants at major upcoming events including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 2028 Olympics, and America's 250th birthday celebrations. 

The Washington Times

Preventing another Boston Marathon bombing

Congressman Michael McCaul

July 22, 2025 

I will never forget April 15, 2013, the day a jihadi bombed the streets of Boston during a marathon, killing three and wounding more than 260 innocent runners and spectators.

It was a day that shook the nation. As chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, I led the investigation into the bombings and saw firsthand how terrorists exploit mass-spectator events to unleash chaos, inflict pain and spread fear.

Over the next few years, the United States will welcome millions of visitors for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, our nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Although these events offer powerful opportunities to showcase America’s leadership and commitment to excellence, they also provide backdrops for nation-state adversaries, foreign terrorist organizations and lone wolf extremists to make statements of terror on the world stage.

History has shown us the seriousness of this threat.

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We would be naive not to expect and prepare for similar threats at our upcoming events. This is especially true as Iran, the leading state sponsor of terrorism, has threatened violence on U.S. soil.

That’s why the House Committee on Homeland Security established the Task Force on Enhancing Security for Special Events in the United States. As a former lawyer with a background in counterterrorism, I’m proud to chair this important task force alongside my committee colleagues. Our goal: to prepare the nation to prevent, detect and respond to emerging threats.

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Identifying and stopping these threats will require seamless coordination, not just by FIFA and the International Olympic Committee but also among states and localities, the Department of Homeland Security, federal partners and our international allies.

Unfortunately, past incidents have revealed how difficult this level of coordination can be. My investigation into the Boston Marathon bombing exposed glaring gaps in the way federal, state and local law enforcement agencies share information. These gaps should have been fixed in the aftermath of 9/11, when we first saw the consequences of failing to connect the dots.

Unmanned aircraft systems, or drones, also pose alarming threats. Inexpensive, widely available and easily weaponized, drones have become fixtures of conflicts abroad, as demonstrated in Ukraine, Israel and across the Middle East, to conduct reconnaissance, targeted strikes and swarm attacks.

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Now is the time to act to close coordination gaps, fund key security platforms, modernize authorities and ensure our nation is ready to meet the moment. Thankfully, we’ve already begun.

House Homeland Security Committtee Republicans secured critical funding in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including $625 million for security preparations ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, $1 billion for the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics and $673 million for U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s entry-exit system to help detect fraudulent identities at our ports of entry.

This week, the task force held its first hearing, “Lessons Learned: An examination of historic security incidents at mass gatherings.”

We heard testimony from retired Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, with whom I worked closely in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing, and Louisiana State Police Col. Robert Hodges. These men know as well as I do that we must learn from the past to prevent future tragedies.

Important work lies ahead. The world will be watching our events live, but those who wish to do us harm are already planning.

Let them be warned: The United States will not be caught off guard. We will meet any threat with the full strength and resolve of a nation united and prepared so that what happened on April 15, 2013, will never happen again.

Click here to read the full op-ed in The Washington Times.

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