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Bill to address transnational repression passes out of committee
A bill focusing on coercive tactics used by repressive foreign governments to silence political dissention has passed out of the House Homeland Security Committee, U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI) said. The Strengthening State and Local Efforts to Combat Transnational Repression Act, introduced... Read More »
Legislation introduced to combat Chinese-backed cyberattacks
U.S. Reps. Andy Ogles (R-TN), Mark Green, MD (R-TN) and Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) reintroduced legislation that would help combat Chinese-backed cyberattacks. The legislation, Strengthening Cyber resilience Against State-Sponsored Threats Act, would require the federal government to assess and... Read More »
Senators voice concern over NSA firings
U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Chris Coons (D-DE) are voicing their concerns over the recent firing of the director of the National Security Agency (NSA), and the reassignment of the agency’s deputy director. In a letter to President Donald Trump, the senators led their... Read More »
Legislation introduced to reauthorize Project Safe Neighborhoods program
A group of Republican Senators introduced legislation that would reauthorize a national program allowing law enforcement to use evidence-based, data-driven approaches to reducing violent crime. U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer (R-NE), John Cornyn (R-TX), Gary Peters (D-MI), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Thom... Read More »
Legislation would restore FEMA as independent agency
Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Senate would restore the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as an independent cabinet-level agency. The FEMA Independence Act would remove FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The agency then would report directly to... Read More »
ICE, USCIS investigation leads to arrest of 370 illegal aliens in Massachusetts
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement partnered with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in an investigation that led to the apprehension of 370 illegal aliens in Massachusetts. The agencies said that during a six-day enhanced operation in March, federal law enforcement partners and... Read More »
Legislation exempting taxes on military bonuses introduced
U.S. Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) introduced legislation that would exempt from taxation all bonuses paid to members of the U.S. Armed Forces. The No Tax on Military Bonuses Act, would exempt all taxes on the enlistment, reenlistment, retention or other incentive bonuses. Currently, service members... Read More »
Legislation to extend concealed carry privileges to law enforcement officers reintroduced
U.S. Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX) said their legislation extending concealed carry privileges to law enforcement officers would improve public safety and offer real solutions to terrorism and mass shootings. The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Reform Act (LEOSA) would extend... Read More »
Coast Guard increases presence near Mexico border
The Coast Guard recently increased its operational presence near the border between the United States and Mexico with the goal of enhancing border security and immigration enforcement. Coast Guard District Eleven has increased its counter-illicit-maritime-activities since Jan. 21, tripled its... Read More »
DOJ seizes cryptocurrency intended to fund Hamas
Officials with the U.S. Department of Justice said a court-authorized seizure of more than $200,000 in cryptocurrency will disrupt an ongoing Hamas funding scheme. According to a press release from the DOJ, the office seized $201,400 in cryptocurrency held in wallets and accounts intended to... Read More »
Congressmembers applaud contract modification for Polar Security Cutter program
Congressmembers in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee applauded the U.S. Coast Guard’s decision to award a contract modification to Bollinger Mississippi Shipyards for the Polar Security Cutter (PSC) program. U.S. Reps. Sam Graves (R-MO) and Mike Ezell (R-MS) said the... Read More »
Legislation reintroduced to use AI to prep for, respond to pandemics
Legislation re-introduced into Congress this week would direct the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence to create a program leveraging artificial intelligence to prepare for and respond to pandemics. Sponsored by U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM),... Read More »
Congress members seek answers on monitoring, countering drones
A group of five Republican Congress members recently sent a letter to Pete Hegseth, Department of Defense secretary; Kristi Noem, Department of Homeland Security secretary; and Chris Rocheleau, Federal Aviation Administration acting administrator; to question how the agencies are monitoring and... Read More »
Legislation to prohibit U.S. investments from fueling Chinese aggression introduced
Legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Andy Barr would prevent U.S. capital from financing the Chinese Communist Party, officials said. The legislation, the Foreign Investment Guardrails to Help Thwart (FIGHT) China Act, would establish a comprehensive outbound investment screening regime to... Read More »
Legislation would exclude certain service members from federal taxes
Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would ensure that U.S. service members stationed in certain high-risk areas receive critical tax exclusion benefits. The bill would extend the Qualified Hazardous Duty Area (QHDA) designation to Chad, Burkina Faso,... Read More »
MS-13 leader arraigned in court on federal terrorism, racketeering charges
A high-ranking MS-13 leader, who was added to the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List in February, was arraigned in federal court Wednesday. Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales, also known as Veterano de Tribus, 47, of Ahuachapán, El Salvador, and Veracruz, Mexico, had been a fugitive for nearly... Read More »
Central Command Forces kill ISIS #2 leader
U.S. Central Command forces announced they have conducted a precision airstrike in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, that killed the Global ISIS #2 leader. Officials with Central Command said Emir-Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, also known as “Abu Khadijah,” chief of operations was killed in the... Read More »
Rep. Garbarino urges DHS to examine Cyber Safety Review Board
U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) urges the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to look into the structure of the Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB) as the Trump administration considers reconstituting it. In a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Garbarino, the chair of the House Homeland... Read More »
Legislation to counter transnational repression introduced
Members of the House Committee on Homeland Security reintroduced legislation to strengthen the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s response to countering transnational repression on U.S. soil. Transnational repression occurs with foreign actors, like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or... Read More »
CBP closing processing facilities due to low border apprehensions
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced it has begun reducing the number of soft-sided facilities along the southwest border due to low apprehensions. CBP will close soft-sided facilities in Donna, North Eagle Pass and Laredo, TX, as well as in Yuma and Tucson, Ariz. SSFs in San Diego,... Read More »
Air Force, Space Force leaders tell Senate they’re ready but facing challenges
Officers with the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Space Force testified in a Senate subcommittee hearing that their services are ready and capable, but that budget challenges remain. U.S. Air Force Deputy Chief for Operations Lt. Gen. Adrian Spain, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, and... Read More »
Legislation introduced to save Air Force fighter structure
Legislation introduced by U.S. Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) would preserve U.S. Air Force fighter force structure and prioritize the recapitalization of fighter squadrons ready to respond to world events. The legislation, the Fighter Force Preservation and Recapitalization Act,... Read More »
Legislation combatting China’s influence on the supply chain passes House
Two bills officials say will counter the influence of China’s Communist party on the supply chain passed in the U.S. House of Representatives Monday. The bills, the “Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependence Act,” H.B. 1166, and the “SHIELD Against the CCP Act,” H.R. 708,... Read More »
Republicans ask for information about TSA’s cybersecurity measures
Republicans in the House Homeland Security Committee are requesting information from the Transportation Security Administration on its measures and resiliency following recent cybersecurity incidents. U.S. Reps. Mark Green, MD (R-TN), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Andre Garbarino (R-NY), and Sheri... Read More »
Coast Guard Reauthorization bill passes Senate
With a possible government shutdown looming, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan Coast Guard Reauthorization Act to fund the U.S. Coast Guard through 2026. The bill, introduced last month by U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Tammy Baldwin... Read More »
Canadian nationals charged in multi-million dollar “grandparent scam”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have uncovered a scam by nearly two dozen Canadian nationals that allegedly defrauded Americans of more than $21 million. Officials said 23 Canadian nationals were indicted by a federal grand jury in Vermont and arrested provisionally by Canadian law... Read More »
Bill ensuring Coast Guard personnel gets paid during government shutdown reintroduced
Members of the Senate Commerce Committee reintroduced bipartisan legislation ensuring Coast Guard personnel would receive pay in the event of a government shutdown Tuesday. U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair and ranking member of the committee, along with Sens. Roger... Read More »
Legislation would assess how terrorists groups use technology
Legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would examine how foreign terrorist organizations use the internet and emerging technology to recruit, radicalize, and inspire attacks in the homeland. The Generative AI Terrorism Risk Assessment Act would require the... Read More »
Legislation introduced to combat online radicalization
In response to the treat posed to the U.S. by terrorist organizations like ISIS and al Qaeda, U.S. Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) introduced legislation to examine how foreign terrorist organizations use the internet and other technology to recruit and radicalize members against the U.S. Pfluger,... Read More »
Legislation would provide small law enforcement agencies with funding opportunities
Bipartisan legislation recently reintroduced in the U.S. Senate would increase grant funding for small law enforcement agencies. The majority of law enforcement agencies nationwide have less 175 full-time sworn officers. The Invest to Protect Act would establish a grant program through the... Read More »
Homeland Security Committee advances Cyber Pivott Act
The Cyber Pivott Act, legislation strengthening the cybersecurity workforce, advanced out of the House Committee on Homeland Security this week. The legislation, formally H.R. 1000, the Providing Individuals Various Opportunities for Technical Training to Build a Skills-Based Cyber Workforce... Read More »
GAO offers DHS guidance on improving transparency in acquisitions
A new report from the General Accountability Office offers the U.S. Department of Homeland Security guidance on how to increase the department’s transparency in its acquisition goals. As part of the DHS Appropriations Act of 2015, the GAO is required to review DHS’s major acquisitions on an... Read More »
State Department increases pressure on Iran oil sanctions
The U.S. State Department announced increased pressure on entities and vessels involved in Iran’s oil industry Monday. The State Department and the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said they were sanctioning a total of 22 people and identified 13 vessels as... Read More »
Legislation reintroduced to strengthen security at major events
U.S. Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV) and Richard Hudson (R-NC) reintroduced legislation that would strengthen the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s ability to support security at major sporting and entertainment events. The DHS Special Events Program and Support bill would permanently codify... Read More »