McCaul: Bolstering U.S. Cyber Defenses

2026 World Cup a massive success!

Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON, D.C. –As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more advanced, we must be more prepared than ever to defend our nation from cyber warfare. For years, China-backed actors have looked for any vulnerability to target our government and civilian networks and attack our critical infrastructure — including the successful data breach of four million federal government workers in 2015 and the Salt Typhoon attack in 2024. Now, advanced AI models have supercharged these threats.

In 2018, I authored and fought to pass the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act to create CISA, a permanent civilian agency inside DHS that works to strengthen our cyber defenses to get ahead of these threats. And this week, as the chairman emeritus of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I led my colleagues in conducting a war game simulation to examine AI-enabled cyber threats and ensure we are prepared for future attacks.

Now is the time to gain a decisive American lead in the AI race and to use this powerful tool to proactively defend the systems that Americans rely on. The risks of falling behind are far too great.

Successfully Securing the World Cup
As Chairman of the Special Events Task Force, I am proud to declare the 2026 World Cup a massive success! Over the past several months, my task force has conducted hearings with expert witnesses, successfully pushed for World Cup host cities to receive security grants, coordinated frequently with the White House task force, and spearheaded critical legislation to counter drone threats at our stadiums. 

Securing 11 cities, 48 teams, and over 6.5 million fans is no easy task. I'd like to congratulate all federal, state, and local law enforcement entities, the White House FIFA Task Force, and my House Homeland Security Committee colleagues on their hard work to ensure the games were safe and fun for all.