Houston Applies for $65M in Federal Funds to Help Cover Police Overtime During World Cup
Houston is asking for more than $64.6 million in federal funds to cover public safety operations as the city prepares to host seven 2026 FIFA World Cup games this summer.
The City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved an application for some of the $625 million that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is offering the 11 World Cup host cities in the U.S. as they prepare to welcome 5 million visitors.
Around 500,000 of those visitors will be coming from the Netherlands, Portugal, Curaçao, Germany, Uzbekistan, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia and other countries to watch the games at NRG Stadium in Houston.
It will be a heavy lift for members of the police department, who will be expected to help manage crowds, traffic, and fan events like marches and the Fan Festival, which will take place next to Shell Energy Stadium in Houston's East End.
Police overtime problem
Police officials told council members earlier this month that they expect the department's overtime expenses to staff the World Cup games and events to be covered through grants like the one officials agreed to apply for Wednesday.
This would be a relief to a department already plagued by high overtime costs. HPD exceeded its overtime budget by $6.4 million in the last fiscal year, which ended in June 2025, and has already spent $13.8 million on overtime this fiscal year. Its budget for the year for overtime is around $14.8 million.
Costs can add up quickly. For example, the city spent around $102,000 for about 200 officers to work a No Kings protest with about 15,000 protestors.
Larry Satterwhite, Mayor John Whitmire's director of public safety and homeland security, directed questions about the grant application to the mayor's office. Whitmire and his team did not respond to a request for comment, and have not responded to any Chronicle reporters' written requests for comment on city matters since Aug. 17.
Council also approved a separate application for $15 million from the Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems grant established through President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill. The money would be used to help the city detect and monitor unlawful drones during the games.
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