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Senate to consider bill to renew, expand federal oversight of drones
The Safeguarding the Homeland from the Threats Posed by Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Act crossed its first legislative hurdle last week, after it was advanced from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to full Senate consideration. A joint work from U.S. Sens. Gary... Read More »
Senators urge invocation of Defense Production Act to bolster monkeypox vaccine production
From a virtual press conference to a letter to the White House, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) led eight colleagues in pressing for the Biden administration to tap the Defense Production Act to increase domestic production of monkeypox vaccines. The senator’s state of New York currently... Read More »
White House appoints team to lead federal monkeypox response
As more states and localities declare emergencies over the growing monkeypox outbreak, President Joe Biden this week formed an official White House national monkeypox team from other agencies to guide federal response. Helming the team will be FEMA’s Regional Administrator for the American... Read More »
New House legislation seeks modernization of federal efforts to tackle WMDs, pandemics
New legislation up for consideration in the U.S. House would revamp the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts on weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) by modernizing its Countering WMD office and formalizing and expanding its Office of Health Security. The Health Security and Countering... Read More »
House advances Cicilline legislation representing first vote on assault weapons ban in nearly 30 years
In a close vote of 217-213, the House advanced the Assault Weapons Bill (H.R. 1808) last week, marking the first vote on an assault weapons ban by the full House since 1994. Originally introduced by U.S. Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), the ban advanced with support from major gun safety... Read More »
San Francisco declares local public health emergency over monkeypox
San Francisco declared monkeypox a local public health emergency last week as New York state designated the disease an imminent threat. In both cases, such designations will help focus preparedness and response efforts to rising cases of monkeypox. That same disease was declared a public health... Read More »
Sens. Peters, Hawley introduce legislation to seek illicit drug plan from DHS
The newly introduced Enhancing DHS Drug Seizures Act seeks to bolster efforts by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detect and seize illicit drugs, including through the development of a plan for stronger public-private partnerships. Introduced by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and... Read More »
USDA launches five-year, $1B Community Wildfire Defense Grant program
Drawing on funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that $1 billion is now being offered through the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program to assist at-risk communities. “Insight and guidance from the communities most at risk for... Read More »
Soligenix ricin antigen licensed to SERB Pharmaceuticals for treatment of ricin poisoning
The biopharmaceutical company Soligenix, Inc. signed a worldwide exclusive license this week guaranteeing supply of its ricin antigen to SERB Pharmaceuticals, which the latter intends to use in developing a therapeutic treatment for ricin toxin poisoning. "We are pleased to be partnering with... Read More »
Senators push for federal acknowledgement of and work to change inequities in vaccine access amid monkeypox outbreak
As an international monkeypox outbreak continues to grow in scope, U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and 20 colleagues last week dispatched a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calling for... Read More »
Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act introduced to Senate to improve federal security
Last week, U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced a security modernization bill known as the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act to address wide-reaching cybersecurity issues. The bill would require federal agencies to engage the most up-to-date... Read More »
Sens. Peters, Cornyn introduce Non-Intrusive Inspection Expansion Act to bolster screening at ports of entry
U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the Non-Intrusive Inspection Expansion Act (S. 4572) this week, seeking to improve the screening of vehicles, cargo, and overall border security at the nation’s ports of entry. Drug detection is one of the major focuses of the... Read More »
Senate Homeland Security committee hears of weapons of mass destruction risks, DHS security efforts
At a hearing convened by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, lawmakers heard from federal officials about the risks posed by chemical, biological, nuclear, and radiological weapons, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) efforts to counter them, and the creation of... Read More »
Gunlocks, mapping, youth employment programs among gun violence reduction initiatives in New York’s Erie County
Following a spate of shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., last summer, the Erie County Gun Violence Prevention Task Force was formed to promote gun violence reduction initiatives and engage with the community, and as of this week, it delivered its first report on the efforts and successes that... Read More »
Rep. Swalwell introduces Proactive Cyber Initiatives Act to invest in new cybersecurity methods
Worried about rapidly fixing cyber vulnerabilities in the highly digital age, U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) introduced the Proactive Cyber Initiatives Act of 2022 last week to direct investment into new cybersecurity efforts and shift from responsive defensive tactics to proactive ones. The... Read More »
Pandemic prevention in focus with passage of National Defense Authorization Act
A major provision of the recently passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA, or H.R. 7900) – which advanced from the House by a vote of 329-101 last week – addresses commercial wildlife markets and illegal wildlife trafficking. An amendment to the act from U.S. Reps. Mike Quigley... Read More »
CONSULT Act introduced in Senate to crack down on Chinese, Russian penetration of national security contracting
U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced this week the CONSULT Act, which aims to prevent Russian, Chinese, and other countries of concern from meddling with national security consulting firms. CONSULT, or the Combating Obstructive National Security... Read More »
COVID-19 pandemic caused setbacks in fight against antimicrobial resistant infections throughout United States
While the general focus has been on the immediate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the outbreak also reversed years of progress in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AR), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In a report released this week – "COVID-19:... Read More »
Moderna bivalent booster displays high antibody response to Omicron subvariants
With new and aggressive strains of COVID-19 continuing to emerge, such as the omicron subvariants BA.4/5, Moderna, Inc. has continued developing new means to counter them, including its booster candidate mRNA-1273.214, which recently delivered promising results. One month after administration... Read More »
Coalition of scientists, researchers and public health experts recommend means to strengthen oversight of pathogen research
New recommendations meant to overhaul U.S. research oversight for enhanced potential pandemic pathogens (ePPPs) and life sciences dual-use efforts were submitted last week by a 34-member group of scientists, public health experts, and policy researchers. These recommendations were submitted by... Read More »
Reps. Turner, Veasey seek to halt release of terrorists to Afghanistan
In response to Afghanistan’s return to Taliban rule, U.S. Reps. Mike Turner (R-OH) and Marc Veasey (D-TX) introduced legislation last week – the Preventing Terrorist Transfers to Afghanistan Act – that would disallow the release of terrorism-aligned individuals to Afghanistan. A similar... Read More »
Maryland Gov. Hogan announces $122.5M to re-fund police departments through State Aid for Police Protection program
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced this week that $122.5 million had been awarded through the State Aid for Police Protection (SAPP) program to expand resources for police departments statewide. “Prioritized by our budget, this record 60% increase in funding will help police officers and the... Read More »
DHS awards $195,000 to winners of extreme heat challenge
As part of a competitive search for climate-friendly cooling solutions in the face of extreme heat conditions, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded $195,000 to winners of the Cooling Solutions Challenge this week. Participants worked on innovative solutions to heat, inventing... Read More »
HHS orders 2.5 million additional doses of Bavarian Nordic’s monkeypox vaccine
Responding to the more than 450 cases of monkeypox reported in the United States as of July 1, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ordered another 2.5 million doses of Bavarian Nordic’s JYNNEOS vaccine for smallpox and monkeypox. The case count held at 459 at the end of... Read More »
Collaborative, NIH-funded research develops fast, cheap genotyping approach to detect SARS-CoV-2 variants
The efforts of an interdisciplinary research team funded by the National Institutes of Health’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) Tech program have yielded a quick, cost-effective new means of detecting and identifying known variants and subvariants of SARS-CoV-2. The results of the... Read More »
DOJ forms collaborative New England Prescription Opioid Strike Force in focus on illegal opioid prescriptions
Struggling to contain a national opioid epidemic, the United States Justice Department (DOJ) Criminal Division this week gathered various law enforcement operations together under the New England Prescription Opioid (NEPO) Strike Force. The strike force represents a renewed focus on unlawful... Read More »
New DARPA-funded blockchain study points out exploits of security
A new study conducted by consulting firm Trail of Bits and funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) concluded that despite claims to the contrary, blockchains are not impenetrable but can be subverted to dishonest means. Despite the growing prevalence of blockchains... Read More »
FDA to review biologics license application for Emergent BioSolutions anthrax vaccine candidate
With the acceptance of a biologics license application (BLA) from Emergent BioSolutions Inc. last week, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is set to review the potential of AV7909, an anthrax vaccine candidate. “Over the last 20 years, Emergent has partnered with the U.S.... Read More »
National Defense Authorization Act for 2023 advances to chamber reconciliation
After a final vote last week, the House’s $850 billion version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023 advanced toward reconciliation with its Senate counterpart. Notably, the NDAA as written surpassed President Joe Biden’s own proposal for $813 billion and... Read More »
Soligenix bivalent thermostabilized vaccine demonstrations full protection against filovirus in non-human primates
Late-stage biopharmaceutical company Soligenix, Inc. announced last week that it has created and tested a bivalent filovirus vaccine that offered 100 percent protection to non-human primate test subjects against the lethal Marburg and Ebola viruses. "Filoviruses such as Zaire ebolavirus, Sudan... Read More »
Global Fund partners with SC Johnson to address malaria throughout Africa
A new partnership arranged between SC Johnson and the Global Fund this week will focus on resource development for malaria, one of the world’s oldest and deadliest diseases. Together, the pair intend to push for social impact in some of the places malaria has proven most stubborn: Burundi, the... Read More »
OPCW Director-General meets U.S. Arms Control officials to discuss current international security, stockpile destruction
In an official visit to Washington, D.C., the Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Fernando Arias, met with various U.S. officials to address current international security and prevent the re-emergence of chemical weapons. Under... Read More »
Bipartisan Senate push seeks higher level leadership to remain at helm of Jerusalem-based USSC post
A bipartisan collection of 34 senators expressed concern this week amid reports that the Pentagon may downgrade the U.S. Security Coordinator (USSC) position based in Israel to a colonel rather than a three-star general. The senators argue that the change could disrupt operations at a key U.S.... Read More »
DHS releases enforcement strategy for blocking forced labor-made goods from China’s Xinjiang
Following up on the demands made by the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last week published its official strategy for barring importations from China’s Xinjiang region and cracking down on goods made from forced labor. China has come... Read More »