Government
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators recently introduced the International Narcotics Trafficking Emergency Response by Detecting Incoming Contraband with Technology (INTERDICT) Act, which aims to reduce the flow of illicit fentanyl coming into the United States.
Cosponsors of the bill include... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) recently intercepted two vessels carrying more than 2,900 pounds of cocaine traveling in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
“This latest seizure provides a glimpse of the vigilance our experienced aircrews exhibit when... Read More »
During a Senate Homeland Security Committee Hearing this week, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) received support from U.S. Border Patrol for enhancing security along the northern U.S. border with Canada.
The hearing comes in the wake of President Trump’s request for 5,000 additional border agents... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) recently reintroduced two bills aimed at improving cybersecurity standards for both cars and aircraft.
The first bill, the Security and Privacy in Your Car (SPY Car) Act, would direct both the National Highway Traffic Safety... Read More »
The United States must prepare for surprise attacks at home and abroad from traditional weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and from the new, emerging and largely unknown consequences posed by synthetic biological threats, a senior defense official told House congressional members on Thursday.
... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed this week the TSA Administrator Modernization Act of 2017, which seeks to address various leadership issues within the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
The bill was authored by U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) and is currently... Read More »
The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) recently hosted a Digital Security Challenge at its Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI) in Singapore, which saw digital forensic experts and cybercrime investigators from 20 countries compete to gather evidence, identify a suspect, and... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Will Hurd (R-TX) and Martha McSally (R-AZ) recently published an oversight letter, requesting specific details regarding the Trump Administration’s $999 million request for the planning, design, and construction of the first installment of the proposed border wall between the United... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently released two requests for proposals (RFPs) to award multiple contracts, along with initial task orders, for the design and construction of wall prototypes to be used in President Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico.
The President’s... Read More »
U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) introduced a bill last week aimed at providing state and local law enforcement the tools necessary to combat cybercrime.
The Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017 would authorize the National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI), based in... Read More »
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently conducted a study examining actions the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have taken to manage the use of medically-important antibiotics in food animals.
For its review, GAO... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) held a hearing last week to examine the effectiveness of emergency preparedness grant programs that allow locales to identify and respond to various disaster scenarios.
Barletta, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP), in conjunction with the Joint Task Force-West, South Texas Corridor (JTF-W STC), recently apprehended a known human smuggler operating in Rio Grande City.
Abigail Del Angel was arrested in a joint operation on Mar. 8 by JTF-W STC and the Starr County... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, introduced legislation last week to ensure the safety of the nation’s food supply by addressing various threats posed by acts of agro-terrorism.
The bill was cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), who serves... Read More »
The U.S. House Ways and Means Committee introduced two bills last week in an attempt to prevent identity theft by enhancing protections for social security numbers (SSNs).
The first bill, titled the Social Security MAIL Act (H.R. 1513), would prevent the Social Security Administration from... Read More »
Emergent Biosolutions Inc. on Friday signed a two-year contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) valued at $100 million for the delivery of the company’s anthrax vaccine, called BioThrax, to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile (SNS).
The most recent... Read More »
In response to recent missile launches by the North Korean government, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joe Dunford held a 30-minute telemeeting with the Chairman of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Sun Jin-Lee to assess the security situation for allies in the area.
On... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents and agriculture specialists stationed along eight different South Texas ports of entry seized a series of shipments containing a large amount of narcotics, currency, false documents, while uncovering numerous agricultural violations over the course of... Read More »
Over a series of targeted enforcement raids conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, a total of 248 foreign nationals were recently arrested in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware.
ICE officials said the raids were specifically targeted at migrants who had... Read More »
Democrats serving on the House Committee on Homeland Security recently appointed its members to the committee’s Task Force on Denying Terrorists Entry into the United States.
Democratic members on the temporary panel include U.S. Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), vice ranking member of the... Read More »
A group of Democratic members of Congress recently sent a public letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price and the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), questioning how actions by the Trump Administration could harm the CDC’s preparedness in the... Read More »
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued last week a Zika virus travel notice for Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Maldives, and the Solomon Islands.
The CDC’s travel notices warn individuals, particularly pregnant women, to practice enhanced precautions when traveling to... Read More »
Congressmen of the San Antonio, Texas delegation recently introduced a cybersecurity preparedness bill to both the U.S House of Representatives and the Senate, aiming for better training for local authorities against cyber attacks.
The National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act requires... Read More »
Recent presidential administrations confronted infectious disease emergencies that threatened both human lives and the U.S. economy, and with the likelihood high that the Trump administration will be no exception, the U.S. government should strengthen its public health emergency preparedness now,... Read More »
According to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, more actions are needed from federal agencies to strengthen transportation security for risk-significant radioactive materials during ground transport.
GAO was originally asked to review federal procedures over risk-significant... Read More »
U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) chaired a cybersecurity hearing last week to examine various opportunities for enhancing partnerships between the private sector and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The hearing, titled The Current State of DHS Private Sector Engagement for... Read More »
The State of New York recently received more than $5 million in federal Homeland Security grant funding for local governments across the state to enhance counterterrorism initiatives and strengthen public safety-related projects.
The funding was announced by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, U.S.... Read More »
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey delivered a keynote address at the inaugural Boston Conference on Cybersecurity last week and laid out the bureau’s five-part strategy to address various cyber intrusions.
The conference is part of a partnership between the FBI and... Read More »
The U.S. House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday marked up a bill that requires a stress test of various U.S. government protection and prevention programs against potential terrorist attacks.
The Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel Exercise Act of 2017 was introduced by U.S. Rep.... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stationed near the Laredo Port of Entry recently seized a shipment of alleged cocaine worth approximately $365,000.
The incident occurred on Mar. 2, as agents stationed at the World Trade International Bridge in Texas referred a 2006 Wentworth... Read More »
Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit recently arrested a former Colombian National Army battalion commander who was wanted for charges of forced disappearance, homicide of a protected person, and weapons and ammunition... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), David Young (R-IA) and Dan Donovan (R-NY) recently introduced a bill to ensure the safety of the nation’s food supply by combating the threat of potential agro-terrorism.
The Securing our Agriculture and Food Act would require the Secretary of Homeland... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) SIGMA program, a project aimed at preventing attacks from radiological or “dirty” bombs, recently completed its biggest test deployment of vehicle-mounted radiation detectors in Washington, D.C.
The test, which began last July and... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, along with U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-LA), recently introduced a bill to examine the cybersecurity capabilities of various federal agencies and require regular audits of their progress as more... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) introduced legislation last week to help protect against a terror-style attack on the nation’s agriculture industry and ensure food safety for American consumers.
The Securing our Agriculture and Food Act would require the Secretary of... Read More »
