Government
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) has introduced a pair of bills designed to strengthen border security and protection.
“America is the most compassionate nation in the world, but our immigration system is broken," Johnson, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, said. "Reforming that system is a... Read More »
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has set aside approximately $1.98 billion to states, tribes, territories as well as Washington D.C., for community vaccination centers.
Currently, there are 175 federally supported vaccine centers operational across the country. The federal... Read More »
The former Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Clinton administration, Donna Shalala, has been appointed to the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense.
Shalala had been a founding member of the commission, established in 2014. She left two years ago to serve in the Congress from Florida... Read More »
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) officials said the organization has executed contract options to continue the Manta Ray project, which seeks to demonstrate technologies toward unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV).
“Manta Ray performers have each taken unique approaches to... Read More »
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has initiated the PROTECT Plan to mitigate domestic terrorism efforts while protecting civil liberties.
According to ADL data, right-wing extremists were linked to at least 16 extremist-related murders in America last year and have been responsible for 75 percent... Read More »
A bill was introduced in Congress last week that would establish a federal contact tracing workforce.
The Coronavirus Containment Corps Act would fill a need for more contact tracing to combat the COVID-19 virus and its variants. It would help by providing federal funding for this workforce... Read More »
A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators introduced legislation to help protect the health and safety of firefighters and emergency responders from adverse substances.
The Protecting Firefighters from Adverse Substances (PFAS) Act directs federal agencies to develop best practices, training, and... Read More »
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency officials said a review of hacking exploits by cybersecurity researchers proved the value of System Security Integration Through Hardware and Firmware (SSITH) program.
“Knowing that virtually no system is unhackable, we expected to discover bugs within... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently called on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the intelligence community to review threats posed by domestic terrorist groups and their domestic growth.
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, along with Senate... Read More »
New legislation introduced in both chambers of Congress last week -- the Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act -- proposes support for vaccination efforts and to reverse drops in vaccination rates through a mix of funding for local initiatives and access to primary care services.
The effort is... Read More »
Following efficacy and safety data reports released earlier, Johnson & Johnson announced today that Janssen Biotech, Inc. -- J&J’s pharmaceutical arm -- has applied for Emergency Use Authorization from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) outlined his key priorities as the new chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Peter said he would continue to focus on bolstering the federal government’s Coronavirus pandemic response, strengthening national security, including... Read More »
U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) is seeking answers from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on its plan to distribute COVID-19 vaccines among its frontline law enforcement workers.
Katko, ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, expressed concerns about the handling of... Read More »
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) introduced Wednesday a House Resolution seeking to establish a new National Institutes of Health unit known as The National Institute of Viral Diseases.
"I am introducing this resolution to build upon our federal government’s investment in scientific research and to... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) introduced legislation to publicly manufacture personal protective equipment, prescription drugs, and other medical supplies necessary to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Pandemic Emergency Manufacturing Act of 2021 authorizes the... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will invest $268,000 to develop standards for Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems used by public safety agencies.
The research project will seek to... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said aircrews, agents and officers are supporting local, state, and federal efforts for a safe and secure Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Fla.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection is working diligently to help secure Super Bowl LV through air and maritime... Read More »
Visby Medical, Inc. was awarded a Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) this week that will allow it to expand efforts surrounding the Visby Personal PCR Test, a COVID-19 test seeking to add the capability to distinguish between influenza cases.
The test is meant to be... Read More »
Members of the Democrat-controlled U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee argued Wednesday the Trump administration’s actions on COVID-19 were inadequate to bring the pandemic under control and only the massive expenditure being called for by President Joe Biden will be enough to defeat the... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN) reintroduced legislation designed to fund better training for police officers.
Further, the Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act would increase the number of body cameras and provide grants to police departments to help... Read More »
The UK Government has ordered 40 million more doses of Valneva’s adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine candidate for supply in 2022.
This increases the total doses of the Valneva vaccine ordered by the UK Government to 100 million. Plus, the UK Government retains options for possibly a further 90... Read More »
Air Force officials said two firms have been selected to compete for task orders through the five-year Software Development Security Operations (DevSecOps) Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) contract.
The Air Force selected Northrop Grumman Corporation and Lockheed Martin for the endeavor. Northrop... Read More »
The United States Departments of Defense (DoD) and Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded $231.8 million to Ellume USA LLC this week to expand the domestic production capacity of its COVID-19 Home Test.
These funds will increase Ellume’s U.S. production capacity by 640,000 tests per day by... Read More »
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced Thursday that it would be expanding its Operation Crystal Shield to include the cities of Chicago and San Francisco.
DEA Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Bell with the Chicago Field Division said the two cities have been designated... Read More »
A bill that seeks to help schools improve security measures was introduced in the U.S. Senate.
The Luke and Alex School Safety Act of 2021 would codify the Federal Clearinghouse on School Safety into law. The clearinghouse is available at SchoolSafety.gov and informs parents and educators on... Read More »
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officials said the agency would be collaborating with federal, state, and local law enforcement to provide public safety efforts for Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida.
“I am proud of the efforts of HSI Tampa, the National Intellectual Property Rights... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a series of recommendations regarding the federal COVID-19 response via the CARES Act, focusing on critical gaps and plans to address the gaps.
The GAO indicated the agency's recommendation concerning the importance of clear and... Read More »
The New Jersey Senate has passed legislation that would require doctors to prescribe an opioid overdose antidote in conjunction with any opioids they prescribe for high-risk patients.
The bill, S-2323, aims to reduce the number of opioid deaths in that state.
“The opioid crisis continues... Read More »
A bipartisan bill was introduced in Congress to ensure that federal firefighters, law enforcement officials, Border Patrol officers, and other federal first responders qualify for full retirement benefits if they are injured on the job.
The First Responder Fair RETIRE Act addresses inequities... Read More »
House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul (R-TX) reintroduced the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP) Act (H.R. 567), which authorizes an interagency program to strengthen counterterrorism operations and while improving the coordination of assistance to address... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently joined Cactus League officials and affiliates in an exercise designed to review pre-incident preparedness measures and response plans.
For the second consecutive year, the tabletop exercise... Read More »
Even with the rollout of mass vaccination worldwide, COVID-19’s spread is nowhere near an immediate end.
So, it might seem perplexing when biosecurity researchers appear optimistic about a future without pandemics.
That reality is exactly what a new report has outlined. Released this week... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin this week, citing a heightened threat environment across the United States that is likely to persist over the coming weeks.
The acting DHS secretary issued the bulletin after consultation with... Read More »
Colorado's congressional delegation is encouraging President Joe Biden to suspend the Trump administration's decision to move Space Command from Colorado Springs, Colo., to Huntsville, Ala., until a thorough review.
On Jan. 13, the Air Force announced Huntsville would serve as the Space Command... Read More »
Marine Corps officials said the branch's completion of defense-focused training engagement in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with UAE forces enhances collective crisis response capability in the region.
During the week-long initiative, two crisis response forces participated in live-fire... Read More »
