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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a waiver this week regarding specific legal requirements and regulations in order to ensure the expedited construction of physical barriers and roads within the vicinity of the U.S. international border near San Diego, California.
According... Read More »
Legislation that aims to address a variety of issues related to illegal immigration, drug smuggling, human trafficking, law enforcement officer safety, and overall security along the nation’s international borders was recently introduced in the House by U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX).... Read More »
A bill that mandates the deployment of practical and effective security technologies in order to achieve full situational awareness of the southern U.S. border with Mexico was recently introduced in the House by U.S. Reps. Will Hurd (R-TX), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), David Valadao (R-CA), Steve Knight... Read More »
An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch on Friday by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un that landed roughly 200 miles from Japan’s coast, and reports this week that North Korea was threatening an ICBM strike against the United States, are fresh warnings that the country continues to... Read More »
A bill that directs the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct a full mile-by-mile analysis of threats to the nation’s southern international border with Mexico was recently introduced in the House by U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ).
The bill, titled the Southwest Border... Read More »
FirstNet’s deployment of an interoperable National Public Safety Broadband Network for first responders is an unprecedented undertaking, CEO Michael Poth testified last week on Capitol Hill.
“Every step forward presents new challenges and requires identification of innovative solutions,”... Read More »
In Seoul, South Korea, dozens of countries are gathering this week to discuss the future of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), which seeks to protect the world from infectious disease threats and has formed the backbone of biosecurity initiatives across the globe for more than three years.
... Read More »
A number of leading anti-human trafficking organizations are applauding a recommendation made by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) conduct a criminal inquiry of Backpage.com over concerns that the website is facilitating acts of human trafficking.
On... Read More »
A bill that would require states that receive federal funds for law enforcement programs to properly document all relevant details surrounding an officer-related shooting that result in the death of a civilian was recently introduced to the Senate by U.S. Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Chuck Grassley... Read More »
A bill that reauthorizes the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its agencies for the first time since its inception in 2002 recently advanced the U.S. House of Representatives in a bipartisan vote of 386-41.
The legislation’s introduction stems from a memorandum of understanding... Read More »
The House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade recently advanced legislation that aims to establish international border security standards to close security gaps that could potentially allow foreign terrorist fighters to travel internationally. ... Read More »
The House Appropriations Committee recently passed the FY2018 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations bill, which contains a number of provisions for critical programs related to aviation security, border enforcement, natural disaster response, cyberattack mitigation, and illegal... Read More »
At a recent meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA), outgoing NGA Chair Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-VA) provided an update to his year-long initiative on strengthening state cybersecurity defenses.
Beginning in 2016, McAuliffe launched a project, titled Meet the Threat: States Confront... Read More »
By a unanimous voice vote, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence last week sent the FY2018 Intelligence Authorization Act to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.
While funding for the bill was slightly lower than in the Trump Administration’s FY2018 budget... Read More »
In the wake of reports that the Electronic Immigration System (ELIS) issued more than 20,000 green cards in error, U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) sent a letter to Acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director James McCament, requesting information regarding his department’s... Read More »
Following reports that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have been working with inoperable radios and associated communications equipment, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) sent a letter to Acting CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, asking if his department was doing enough to ensure that CBP... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Tim Murphy (R-PA) and Greg Walden (R-OR) recently sent a public letter to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), regarding the Blue Ribbon Panel’s review of the 2014 smallpox virus incident on the NIH campus that called into question a number of missed opportunities to discover vials... Read More »
Botulinum toxin, produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria, is the most potent biological toxin known to exist on Earth. The toxin causes botulism, a severe muscle-paralyzing, potentially fatal disease, characteristics that increase its likelihood as a potential bioweapon.
And while the U.S.... Read More »
According to a recent update conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Department of Defense (DOD) has identified an infrastructure manager for the chemical and biological defense program (CBDP) and is in the process of developing the position’s roles and responsibilities.... Read More »
In response to a recently reported cyberattack that targeted the nation’s nuclear facilities, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) released a statement condemning the attack while reiterating a previous call for a cybersecurity assessment by the Trump Administration.
“The disturbing reports of... Read More »
A bill that establishes a grant program for military-civilian partnerships in trauma care to allow both the military and private citizens to benefit from each other’s expertise was recently advanced by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The bill, titled the MISSION ZERO Act, was... Read More »
After the completion of a fact-finding mission (FFM) from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the organization recently confirmed the use of sarin gas on April 4 in the Khan Shaykhun area, Idlib Province in the Syrian Arab Republic.
OPCW’s final report was... Read More »
A bill that aims to strengthen the nation’s preparedness of its food, agriculture, and veterinary systems against terrorism and other high-risk events through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was recently signed into law by President Trump.
The bill was introduced by U.S. Rep.... Read More »
Following the international WannaCry ransomware attack, which has reportedly infected approximately 300,000 computer systems in more than 150 nations, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill that aims to combat cyberattacks and cybercrime against U.S. computer networks.
The Promoting... Read More »
In the wake of a massive cyberattack that led to the closure of the largest terminal at the Port of Los Angeles, U.S. Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA) said she would be reintroducing a bill that aims to improve coordination between port landlords and tenants to address various cyber-related threats.
... Read More »
Currently, Dr. Jeffrey Laskin, director of the Rutgers University CounterACT Research Center of Excellence, leads a team conducting research on the exposure and health effects of chemical warfare agents used by terrorists. The researchers are determined to develop medical... Read More »
To advance U.S. leadership in fighting threats against human health – potentially deadly threats that can be transmitted between people like HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and the Ebola and Zika viruses – requires Congress to “resolutely reject” the Trump administration’s proposed FY 2018... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) recently introduced a series of amendments to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2017 that will help enhance the safety of airline passengers at local airports and ensure that relevant stakeholders are consulted when the FAA forms its new... Read More »
A bill that seeks to enhance Congressional oversight of future Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo) detainee transfers by closing a loophole that allowed the executive branch to keep secret the terms under which terrorist detainees were released was recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by... Read More »
Joint efforts from university and federal researchers have prepared a checklist designed to help strengthen communities against infectious disease outbreaks – and what they’ve learned is it’s a messy web to navigate.
The report was prepared against the backdrop of the 2014 Ebola crisis,... Read More »
In a recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang and its role in proliferating illegal immigration along the country’s southern border, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) addressed the fact that lawmakers need to tune out both the far left and far right of the... Read More »
In preparation for National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins’ testimony before the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Appropriations, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) released a public statement urging... Read More »
Efforts to protect the nation’s agriculture sector and food supply against terrorist attacks and high-risk events would be ratched up under a bill that the House approved on Monday.
The Securing Our Agriculture and Food Act, H.R. 1238, would direct the U.S. Department of Homeland Security... Read More »
Legislation from U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) that supports the nation’s efforts to prepare for and respond to terror attacks and emergencies cleared the House Homeland Security Committee last week as part of the Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act.
Donovan, who serves as... Read More »
In response to President Trump’s proposed FY2018 budget, which calls for approximately $847 million in cuts to grant programs administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) wrote a public letter that strongly urged against any cuts to the programs.... Read More »
