President Donald Trump's plans to control aerial drones during the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics, which will be held in cities across the U.S., have put the administration squarely at odds with one of its staunch allies, according to a new report.
Politico reported on Wednesday night that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is pushing back on the administration's attempts to give itself more power to take down aerial drones during the events. Cruz has described the plan as "extremely problematic" and could prevent the measure, which is tucked into the latest defense spending bill, from passing.
It’s unclear if Congress will adopt the plan, with Cruz – a key voice on aviation policy because of his chairmanship of Senate Commerce – viewing it as an 'extremely problematic' power grab that would give federal security officials too much leeway in determining how best to 'protect the public,' according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the private negotiations," Politico reported.
The Trump administration has sought to expand executive authority since the first days of the second administration. For instance, Trump has signed executive orders to dramatically reshape federal grant spending guidelines. He has also sought to unilaterally rescind Congressionally-approved grants to public universities with which he disagrees.