Government
Lawmakers and public health officials, along with officials from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, have launched the Capitol Hill Steering Committee on Pandemic Preparedness & Health Security.
This nonpartisan group will convene educational... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T’s) Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program (P25 CAP) has initiated an effort to perform third-party first responder equipment assessments.
The Department of Interior laboratory in Denver, Colorado, would... Read More »
Recent news that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had overruled the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow COVID-19 lab-developed tests to come to market without FDA review was met by major warnings from House Democrats this week.
In a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar,... Read More »
A new test being developed by molecular diagnostics company Cepheid gained support from federal agencies this week, on the promise that it could become a one-stop-shop for diagnosing COVID-19, influenza, and RSV.
Support is coming from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced an interim final rule designed to strengthen the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program for U.S. workers.
The H-1B program was designed to allow employers to fill gaps in their workforce; however, it has now expanded far beyond that, often to the... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released its Homeland Threat Assessment (HTA) – a report that synthesizes threat information across DHS, including intelligence and operational components.
“This HTA is as close as the American people will get to seeing and understanding the... Read More »
Biological materials management and standards organization ATCC has secured a potential 10-year, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract award from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
The agreement, which possesses a ceiling value of $250 million,... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) personnel, seeking continued immunization efforts.
Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Tina... Read More »
Over the course of three years, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will pay approximately $22 million to Vaxxas to fund phase 1 clinical trials in the U.S. and Australia for a high-density microarray patch capable of administering vaccines needle-free.
This comes... Read More »
A joint effort between the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) brought $98.35 million to COVID-19 testing efforts this week, as part of six contracts awarded under the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative.
The... Read More »
A new technology called Trusted Mobile System (TrustMS) developed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is designed to secure apps from cyber attackers.
TrustMS, developed by the DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and Intelligent... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has partnered with Mapp Biopharmaceutical, Inc. to develop a new monoclonal antibody therapeutic for all seven major types of Botulinum Neurotoxin.
Botulinum is an incredibly lethal substance responsible for botulism, though it... Read More »
The World Health Organization (WHO) hosted a special session of its Executive Board this week, providing an opportunity for discussion and review with Member States and seeking their guidance regarding strategic response efforts for COVID-19.
While President Donald Trump announced earlier this... Read More »
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged individual and cooperative efforts by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the U.S. State Department to counter biological threats around the world, prompting lawmakers to reevaluate the dangers that infectious disease outbreaks pose to U.S. national... Read More »
U.S. Sens. John Hoeven (R-ND) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced legislation that would create a voluntary Cyber Sense program at the Department of Energy to test the cybersecurity of products and technologies intended for use in the bulk-power system
The Cyber Sense Act (S.4795) would also... Read More »
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) is advocating for a change to the House of Representative’s Rules to give the Committee on Homeland Security primary jurisdiction over the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Both Republicans and Democrats have expressed openness to revisiting House Rule X and... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said personnel within the agency’s Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention program (TVTP) recently hosted its fifth Digital Forum on Terrorism Prevention.
The initiative primarily involved Atlanta-based civil society leaders, providing an opportunity... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, seeking insight regarding Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to reopen southern entry ports.
Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) joined Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-TX),... Read More »
Following three successful clinical trials, Veklury (remdesivir) is now available for hospital purchase directly from its distributor, Gilead Sciences, ending the government’s distribution role.
The move follows five months during which the U.S. government managed allocation and distribution... Read More »
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has selected Tufts University to spearhead a $100 million program to assess and address zoonotic viral disease threats such as SARS-CoV-2.
The effort would target spillover from animals to humans to reduce the risk of infection,... Read More »
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) have released a film designed to increase awareness regarding foreign intelligence activities.
The presentation outlines how entities use fake profiles and other forms of deception on social... Read More »
The Essential Medicines Strategic Stockpile Act of 2020, introduced last week by U.S. Reps. Early Cater (R-GA) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) would create an essential medicines strategic stockpile and reduce supply chain reliance on foreign nations.
"At the beginning of the Coronavirus... Read More »
As part of a community-focused move, particularly among schools, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and The Rockefeller Foundation have agreed to identify and share effective approaches for using rapid point-of-care antigen tests to screen for COVID-19.
The pilot... Read More »
A group of Democratic U.S. Sens. sponsored legislation to establish a new core public health infrastructure program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act (PHISLA) would include up to $4.5 billion in annual funding to fight... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and John Katko (R-NY) introduced legislation to protect against foreign influence designed to weaken the U.S. electoral system.
A statement from the U.S. Intelligence Community reported in August that “foreign states will continue to use covert and overt... Read More »
America's foreign adversaries, chief among them China, could utilize one of the federal government's most noteworthy immigration programs against the United States, threatening its national security and undermining democracy, U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) told Homeland Preparedness... Read More »
Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced this week legislation designed to address antimicrobial resistance via drug development targeting infections, improving antibiotics use, and ensuring domestic availability.
The Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging... Read More »
A pair of investigational drugs targeting antibiotic-resistant infections will receive nearly $20 million in initial funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to support phase two and three clinical trials and other efforts to reach U.S. Food and Drug... Read More »
Members of the House China Task released its final legislative report, which includes an assessment of the growing threats posed by China, policies that strengthen America’s supply chains and economy, and opportunities to expand agriculture.
The task force, which launched in May, met with 125... Read More »
The Denver Health and Hospital Authority signed a $3 million cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) to demonstrate the effectiveness of a Regional Disaster Health Response System... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program has awarded $1.96 million to a pair of businesses to aid emergency communication network risk management assessments.
Orem, Utah-based Achilles Heel Technologies and SecureLogix, of San Antonio,... Read More »
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said the agencies have invited airports to participate in the Preclearance program for the first time in four years.
“Preclearance is an excellent passenger facilitation program that complements our... Read More »
BARDA is partnering with Inversa to develop a treatment for eye problems associated with DNA damage, particularly those caused by chemical agents like sulfur mustard gas.
Ingrained in the public mind since its widespread use in WWI, sulfur mustard is a means of chemical warfare that causes the... Read More »
Reps. Seth Moulton (D-MA) and Jim Banks (R-IN), the co-chairs of the Future of Defense Task Force, released their final report with recommendations to enhance the national security innovation base to meet emerging threats.
Specifically, the report suggests strategies to win the artificial... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester introduced a bill that seeks to correct a longstanding disparity between federal firefighters and their state, local, and municipal counterparts.
The Federal Firefighter Flexibility and Fairness Act would allow federal firefighters more flexibility in shift trades without... Read More »
