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Last year brought serious increases in encounters along south Texas ports of entry, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, who reported 10,243 pounds of cocaine seized and 57,732 non-U.S. citizens encountered in violation of immigration laws.
The figures spanned the... Read More »
With the finalization of their Lots 15 and 16 agreement, the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin announced this week that the company will produce and provide up to 398 F-35s in exchange for $30 billion.
These lots themselves include 272 aircraft. However, the arrangement... Read More »
In a civil complaint filed last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) opened a nationwide lawsuit against AmerisourceBergen Corp. and two of its subsidiaries, which together form one of the largest pharmaceutical distributors, for violating federal law on the distribution of controlled... Read More »
President Joe Biden signed Thursday a critical omnibus into law, setting up the Congressionally approved Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2617) to fund the government and, importantly, numerous health care and consumer protection efforts.
“As Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee,... Read More »
The Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act became law this week in the United States, establishing a series of new priorities and requirements for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to guide federal cybersecurity to post-quantum cryptography.
Specifically, the legislation–... Read More »
With a signature from President Joe Biden, the Protecting Firefighters from Adverse Substances (PFAS) Act became law this week, officially directing federal agencies to create new best practices, training, and educational programs to limit and shield firefighters from exposure to hazardous... Read More »
In a tour of local fire stations, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) used this week as an opportunity to promote new legislation that would renew federal grants programs supporting local fire departments in Michigan and beyond and expand their capabilities.
“Firefighters put their lives on the line... Read More »
After being worked into the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022, the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) Reauthorization Act, and several oceans provisions are slated to be signed into law by President Joe Biden.
As part of the larger... Read More »
In a rare flex against the military for the United States, a bipartisan mix of senators and representatives have introduced the Streamline Pentagon Budgeting Act, which would repeal statutory requirements to provide unfunded priorities lists, increase oversight and reduce wasteful reporting... Read More »
A new report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) looked into a 2013 radiological incident in Hueypoxtla, Mexico, in which a radioactive source was stolen, and used the incident as a sign that security and law enforcement needs to be trained en masse in radiological protection and... Read More »
The Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act (H.R.7535) crossed its final legislative hurdle this week after a positive vote in the United States House, setting up its provisions for enhancing national cybersecurity to be signed into law by President Joe Biden.
The bill was introduced in... Read More »
Through the introduction of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Transparency Act to the House this week, U.S. Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Rick Crawford (R-AR), along with nine other Republicans, seek to increase oversight of foreign purchases of U.S. agricultural land.
To do otherwise, they... Read More »
Following its passage from the Senate last week, the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act officially navigated both chambers of Congress, setting up changes to national security through new quantum computer defenses if signed into law by President Joe Biden.
The bill (H.R.7535) was... Read More »
Following a two-year investigation by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, a new report detailed significant failures in the federal government’s initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic and overall preparedness.
Released... Read More »
President Joe Biden is expected to sign newly advanced legislation from U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) this week, making the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Risk Index (NRI) permanent and advancing how government invests in disaster mitigation projects... Read More »
A partnership between VBI Vaccines Inc. and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) expanded this week with a new development agreement seeking the development of multivalent coronavirus shots for use against multiple coronavirus threats.
Based on VBI’s proprietary enveloped... Read More »
With President Joe Biden’s signature, the Disaster Resiliency Planning Act became law this week, launching a bipartisan measure that requires federal agencies to factor in disaster resilience for investments in and management of federal property and assets.
Extreme weather has picked up pace... Read More »
Moving to increase supply chain visibility and more swiftly identify high-risk shipments, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the beginnings of a pilot program known as the Global Business Identifier (GBI) last week.
Undertaken with 13 partner government agencies, the concept behind GBI... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced last week the Holding Russian Mercenaries (HARM) Act to designate the Russian-based PMC Wagner Group as a foreign terrorist organization.
The bill – which also has a companion measure in the House led by U.S. Reps. Steve Cohen... Read More »
In a move that will affect every jurisdiction in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced this week that $3.2 billion will be issued to state, local, and territorial jurisdictions to strengthen their public health workforce and its infrastructure.
The... Read More »
As part of its Antiviral Program for Pandemics (APP), meant to accelerate the discovery, development, and manufacturing of antivirals, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) recently awarded more than $12 million to three institutions for new therapies.
These new... Read More »
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) announced last week that ZeroEyes, a company with an artificial intelligence (AI)-based gun detection video analytics platform, will run a pilot program designed to reduce violence on train platforms.
Currently, ZeroEyes’ automated... Read More »
In exchange for new solutions to identify and resolve issues, and to promote resilience and wellness among its workforce, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) awarded five companies more than $730,000 in total funding last week.
Awards stemmed... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, this week released the results of an investigation into the rise of domestic terrorism and federal actions against it – and alleged that it has come up short.
Specifically, he pointed to... Read More »
A team at Sandia National Laboratories completed four years of work on and published a summary of various vulnerabilities in electric vehicle charging infrastructure this week in the journal Energies, drawing attention to the risks of evolution.
While all growth comes with its share of risks,... Read More »
At least 39 ammunition sellers have been shipping ammunition directly to New York residents and failing to keep records of the transactions in violation of state law, according to the results of an investigation announced this week by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Under the New York... Read More »
The startup Flux Tensor captured the interest of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) last week with the potential to apply motion-identifying algorithms to complex security videos and improve safety for soft targets.
The department... Read More »
Airport screenings have long been a source of consternation for many and rife with accusations of discrimination in their handling – but a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report laid out a path for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to take to reduce the potential for... Read More »
Capitalistic values continue to hinder vaccine development, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) first report on the global vaccine market since COVID-19, with prioritizes vaccines not being developed due to limited profit potential and limited access for lower-income countries... Read More »
Earlier this month, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) held a training exercise on enforcement of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, also known as the Jones Act, a complex and tricky law that demands specificity from federal agents.
When established, the law limited how cargo could be... Read More »
Two Republican legislators are criticizing the Biden administration for not developing or implementing an emergency plan for the U.S. economy in the event of a disaster, despite being required to do so within two years by the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021.
In a letter to President... Read More »
In a letter to their Canadian counterparts last week, four U.S. representatives sought to kick off a joint fix for the growing logjam in the NEXUS system, the Trusted Traveler Program for the U.S.-Canadian Border.
That system requires travelers to undergo in-person interviews with agents from... Read More »
Building on companion legislation in the Senate, a new bill introduced into the House last week seeks to boost federal resources for local fire departments throughout the United States and reauthorize existing funds for staffing, equipment, training, and emergency services.
The Fire Grants and... Read More »
As announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul and U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY) this week, the United States Department of Homeland Security awarded $500,000 in federal funds for support, threat assessment, and management of efforts to combat targeted violence and domestic terrorism in New York.
"New York... Read More »
The U.S. military, looking for ways to counter the threat of blackouts, announced this week that it tapped microgrid support software provider Xendee to reduce energy system engineering costs with optimized, scalable microgrid designs for its installations.
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)... Read More »
