Government
A group of U.S. Senators recently asked the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and the three largest private prison operators about the procedures they have in place to manage a potential spread of the coronavirus in federal prisons.
Over 175,000 individuals are incarcerated in federal prisons and... Read More »
A report by the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund finds that law enforcement officers face a higher risk of death and injury traveling to the scene of an incident than at the actual scene itself.
The report revealed that vehicle-related collisions are one of the leading causes of... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced this week that it will continue to forego most foreign inspections through April, due to ongoing coronavirus concerns -- the same concerns that have prompted Congressional leaders to inquire about potential impacts to the medical product supply... Read More »
Building off of the momentum embodied in an $8.3 billion emergency funding package approved earlier this month, House Democrats have introduced legislation meant to guarantee health care facilities have exposure control plans in place to protect workers from COVID-19.
The COVID-19 Worker... Read More »
Dr. Robert Kadlec, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), on Wednesday confirmed his duties as the top emergency preparedness official coordinating the COVID-19 coronavirus response from both the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the federal... Read More »
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic, making it the first pandemic caused by a coronavirus.
Though WHO had already determined the novel coronavirus a matter of the highest risk globally, the new declaration ended weeks of questioning and... Read More »
Sandia National Laboratories has joined forces with the Council on Strategic Risks to launch an initiative to make bioweapons obsolete.
The two organizations have released a report called “Making Bioweapons Obsolete: A Summary of Workshop Discussions. It makes recommendations for significantly... Read More »
A bill that seeks to develop treatment and a cure for the COVID-19 coronavirus was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week.
The Cure the Coronavirus Act (HR 6019) encourages the rapid innovation and approval of a treatment to prevent or cure the 2019 coronavirus. The World... Read More »
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) recently conducted a roundtable discussion with federal, state, and local public health officials regarding the coordinated response to the coronavirus outbreak.
“I am grateful to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Illinois Department of Public Health,... Read More »
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials have forwarded warning correspondence to seven companies for allegedly selling unapproved products that include deceptive coronavirus claims.
“There already is a high level of anxiety over the potential spread of... Read More »
A new molecular diagnostic test created by Hologic, Inc. to quickly identify the virus that causes COVID-19 will receive advanced development support from the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
The test could theoretically be attached to a system capable of... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) are urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to unlock emergency funds allocated for state and local governments to deal with the coronavirus.
The emergency funding was allocated in an $8.5 billion supplemental spending... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is looking for companies that develop technology that enhances privacy.
It’s for a first-time event called the 2020 Privacy Technology Demonstration, a showcase for technologies intended to protect the... Read More »
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI) welcomed this week a £20 million ($26.2 million) investment from the U.K. government while highlighting the need for upwards of $2 billion to develop a vaccine against the virus that causes COVID-19.
CEPI, a global partnership dedicated to the... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) recently updated a broad agency announcement to solicit new medical products capable of diagnosing, preventing, or treating coronavirus infections, with an eye on COVID-19.
BARDA, as part of the Department of Health and Human... Read More »
Air Force officials recently met with Northrop Grumman personnel to garner insight regarding B-21 engineering and manufacturing developments.
Air Force senior leadership visited Northrop Grumman’s Melbourne B-21 Raider design and development headquarters, with scientists there offering updates... Read More »
The House of Representatives has advanced a bill designed to extend Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) equal rights and protections provided other workers under Title 5 of the U.S. Code.
Reps. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) and Nita Lowey (D-NY) sponsored the Rights for Transportation Security... Read More »
A bipartisan bill that would establish a framework for overseeing diagnostic testing at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Public health officials have long called for greater oversight of diagnostic testing. Health care providers and... Read More »
Members of Congress from Maryland met with defense department officials last week to discuss funding for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) and the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD).
The meeting was precipitated... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) February 2020 operational update indicated rises in meth and fentanyl seizures along the southwest border, as well as a significant tunnel discovery.
“The processing pathways and repatriation initiatives which have been implemented by the administration... Read More »
Officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last week to address steps being taken to contain COVID-19 and prevent future epidemics.
The novel coronavirus has... Read More »
Resolute in the face of equipment shortages, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that it intends to purchase 500 million N95 respirators for the Strategic National Stockpile over the next 18 months.
N95 respirators are close-fitting, efficient systems that filter... Read More »
The former director of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) told Homeland Preparedness News on Friday that Congress should go above and beyond requested supplemental funding to ensure the United States is more prepared to fight the coronavirus outbreak and other future threats.
“There is... Read More »
President Donald Trump signed into law an $8.3 billion emergency funding package on Friday aimed at combatting the spread of the coronavirus that has led to more than 3,000 deaths globally.
The legislation, H.R. 6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act,... Read More »
A bipartisan coalition of Congress members recently launched an effort to combat transnational trafficking.
The Counter-Trafficking Initiative is designed to explore and expose the breadth and reach of transnational trafficking networks and their illicit finances.
“Whether it’s human... Read More »
During the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee’s hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget for National Guard and Reserve Components, Sen. Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) inquired about a funds transfer.
Durbin, vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee,... Read More »
Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced Wednesday a bill ensuring National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-certified respirators have the same liability protections as other medical products,... Read More »
Specific states and local jurisdictions stand to benefit from federal funding under a targeted effort to counter COVID-19, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced this week.
Through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an initial $25 million cooperative... Read More »
The bipartisan Cure the Coronavirus Act ( H.R. 6019) was introduced this week in the House in response to a growing presence of COVID-19 in the United States.
Through the legislation, U.S. Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-CA-), Rep. Peter King (R-NY), and Rep. Jaime Herrera... Read More »
U.S. Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett is visiting the Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota Thursday at the invitation of Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND).
Hoeven invited Barrett to visit the facilities during her confirmation process last year. The senator, a member of the Senate Defense... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) urged officials from U.S. health agencies to take action to stem the spread of the coronavirus at a Senate Health Committee hearing on the coronavirus this week.
Specifically, Collins said they should work to prevent drug shortages and protect Americans,... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) a portfolio management recommendation regarding the agency’s nuclear weapon stockpile modernization efforts.
The GAO said the recommendation stemmed from the NNSA modernizing the nation's... Read More »
The World Health Organization (WHO) this week warned that severe disruption of the global supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) is endangering lives already at risk by COVID-19 and other infectious diseases as reports of equipment hoarding, crisis profiteering, and general misuse have come... Read More »
U.S. House and Senate leaders reached an agreement on an $8.3 billion emergency supplemental appropriations package on Wednesday to fund the nation’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, including critical funding for vaccine research and development.
“Today Democrats and Republicans in... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently indicated its PreCheck program has reached a milestone of 10 million members, adding the landmark figure is essential to aviation security.
TSA PreCheck is an expedited screening program enabling low-risk travelers to undergo screening... Read More »
