Government
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), chairman of House Homeland Security Committee, met with Acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan this week to discuss the threat of domestic terrorism following recent shootings in Gilroy, Calif., El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.
The Aug. 13 meeting took place in... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel recently located and tracked a cocaine-filled go-fast style vessel in the Western Caribbean, resulting in a 8,791 pound, $114.6 million seizure.
Officials said a CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO) P-3 Orion Long Range Tracker crew assigned to the... Read More »
U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders have written to the U.S. Comptroller General requesting that the Government Accountability Office examine the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) new biodetection technology system known as BioDetection 21.
The BioDetection 21 pilot program... Read More »
Apprehensions along the U.S. Southwest border declined 20 percent in July, the second consecutive month of decreases, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan announced on Aug. 8.
The reductions are attributed mainly to an agreement with Mexico that was signed in June intended to... Read More »
The U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center's Global Positioning Systems Directorate has given Raytheon's new GPS modules and receivers security certification, the company said on Wednesday.
The modernized modules and receivers will provide military aircraft, ships, ground vehicles and... Read More »
A group of Republican senators led by U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) sent a letter on Aug. 6 to U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, asserting their support for the continued expansion of the F-35 joint strike fighter program.
“Since its inception over 25 years ago, the F-35 program has depended... Read More »
The Florida Department of Health (DOH) in Miami-Dade County has issued mosquito advisories this week after confirmation of a locally acquired case of dengue virus in the region.
As the DOH-Miami-Dade, Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control and Habitat Management Division continues surveillance and... Read More »
Four democratic legislators are calling on their colleagues to pass their bill banning high-capacity gun magazines holding more than 10 rounds.
Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO), Ted Deutch (D-FL), and Dina Titus (D-NV) and Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) are urging passage of the Keep Americans Safe Act,... Read More »
New Jersey will receive $57.6 million grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for emergency preparedness, terrorism prevention, and bolstering port security and transit security efforts.
“Because of our state’s proximity to New York and Philadelphia, as well as our major... Read More »
With research on hold at its Fort Detrick, Md., location following a federal-government-ordered shutdown, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) this week began what it deems “a major re-set of its biological safety program,” which provides leading-edge... Read More »
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently identified several challenges related to the nation’s ability to detect and respond to biological events. These hurdles transcend what any one federal department or agency can individually address.
The GAO found four precarious areas,... Read More »
Citing the state’s desire to upgrade California’s analog 9-1-1 system microwave network to a digital platform, Gov. Gavin Newsom recently touted a $1 billion investment in emergency preparedness and response funding.
During a 9-1-1 call center tour at the San Francisco Department of... Read More »
Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) recently forwarded correspondence to President Donald Trump to certify to Congress that Colombia is committed to working with authorities to combat the illegal drug trade.
Colombia, who the senators said is one of the most proactive nations... Read More »
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) instituted last week a new final rule, altering its 2020 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) in a way that changes how Medicare services are paid for, along with greater payment for newer antimicrobial drugs.
The new rule... Read More »
The U.S. Senate passed a bill this week that would allow federal workers to assist the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) efforts.
The National Urban Search and Rescue Parity Act would override a policy that currently bars federal employees from... Read More »
Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) is encouraging the Department of Defense to reestablish the U.S. Space Command in Colorado and use its existing military assets to address emerging space threats.
Gardner recently forwarded correspondence to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, highlighting Colorado’s... Read More »
The Air Force awarded Monday a contract to Raytheon Company to provide a pair of prototype high energy laser weapon systems (HELWS) to overseas troops.
The effort includes 12 months of in-field operation against unmanned aerial systems and operator training, noting Raytheon's HELWS uses pure... Read More »
Building on non-competitive grant funding already provided to various preparedness efforts throughout the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced $350 million will be divided between six competitive preparedness grant programs this year.
Those funds will support... Read More »
The United States officially withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty last week, ending a 30-year ban on a class of weapons that both the United States and the then Soviet Union, now Russia, recognized as particularly dangerous and destabilizing.
These land-based... Read More »
A bill designed to protect the health and safety of firefighters and emergency responders frequently exposed to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in foams was recently introduced by Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Gary Peters (D-MI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH).
The... Read More »
As he called for immediate action to eradicate a major outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) last week, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) also denounced the Trump Administration for its failures to combat the growing crisis adequately.
The outbreak is now recognized by the... Read More »
A bill urging the Trump Administration to place limits on Russia’s strategic nuclear arms was introduced in the U.S. Senate last week.
The legislation – sponsored by Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) -- calls for extending the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START)... Read More »
Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) reintroduced Wednesday a measure designed to close loopholes they said offenders exploit to obtain firearms through straw purchasing and firearms trafficking.
The Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2019 is landmark... Read More »
As a means of addressing this year’s fire season, California officials are highlighting efforts to bolster preparedness with a series of actions to prepare for wildfires and other natural disasters.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order increasing the number of seasonal firefighters... Read More »
The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation advanced a bill that would authorize appropriations for the U.S. Coast Guard operations through Fiscal Year 2021.
The bill, among other things, will help the Coast Guard recruit and retain a workforce through a number of... Read More »
Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced this week a bill requiring the State Department to investigate potential benefits of establishing a U.S.-Israel cybersecurity center.
According to the legislators, the U.S.-Israel Cybersecurity Center of Excellence Act would aid in... Read More »
Reps. Pete Stauber (R-MN) and Jared Golden (D-ME) introduced Wednesday a measure designed to ensure fire station infrastructure nationwide enables firefighters to perform their duties efficiently and safely.
The Fire Station Infrastructure Safety Act directs the U.S. Fire Administration to... Read More »
U.S. Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced cybersecurity legislation this week, seeking to improve the work of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program.
Their solution is the Advancing Cybersecurity Continuing... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) exercised its first $261 million contract option with Emergent BioSolutions Inc. to procure its next-generation anthrax vaccine known as AV7909 for delivery into the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) over 12 months, the company... Read More »
As a means of simulating a full-scale response to a large-scale attack, the Coast Guard and local officials slated an active shooter drill at the Port of New Orleans Cruise Terminal on Wednesday.
The effort will involve coordination between the U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Bureau of Investigation,... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) five recommendations as a means of addressing nuclear security program concerns.
The IAEA executes its nuclear security program under its Division of Nuclear Security through four subprograms,... Read More »
A new weapon has moved closer to readiness, following completion of a successful baseline design review by defense contractor Raytheon Company and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
The Tactical Boost Glide system, as it is known, is a boost glide weapon -- meaning it uses a... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) are encouraging the leadership of the Senate and House Armed Services Committee to include the DETER Act in the final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference report.
The Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing... Read More »
Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Mike Lee (R-UT) recently called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide Congress with the status of an overdue biometric identification technology report.
Under the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018, DHS was required to... Read More »
Legislators have requested Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) include Valley Fever in the Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher (PRV) Program.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) spearheaded a recent effort to forward correspondence to HHS Secretary Alex Azar... Read More »
