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A bill to establish a bounty program where white hats, also known as ethical hackers, identify bugs in computer systems at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in order to strengthen cyber defenses was recently introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Maggie Hassan... Read More »
In response to the President’s recently-proposed fiscal year 2018 budget, which includes zeroing out funding for and closing the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC) in Frederick, Maryland, U.S. Rep. John K. Delaney (D-MD) used a public letter to come out strongly... Read More »
A bill that would establish a process for federal, state and local governments to work together to manage the use of recreational and commercial drones was recently introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
... Read More »
A leadership spot at the highest level in the United States government would be best positioned to harness and focus available resources and influence governors and the private sector on a common biodefense vision, a Texas A&M University (TAMU) international affairs expert said this... Read More »
In the wake of the deadly bombing in Manchester, England, which killed 22 people and injured dozens more, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) strongly warned against President Trump’s proposed FY2018 budget cuts to critical Transportation Security Administration (TSA) programs that safeguard... Read More »
Two bills that seek to improve law enforcement training and enhance information sharing in combating cyber terror threats were recently advanced by the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017, authored by U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe... Read More »
The United States appears ill-prepared to deal with a Zika virus outbreak although the nation’s federal public health agencies have learned valuable information during the last few years about the disease, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) says in a new report released on Tuesday to... Read More »
A bill that requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to maintain an inventory of all sensitive compartmented information facilities (SCIFs) was recently passed by the House Committee on Homeland Security.
The bill, titled the DHS Classified Facility Inventory Act, was authored by... Read More »
A bill that addresses many of the staffing shortfalls seen at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stations was recently approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
The Boots on the Border Act was cosponsored by U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jeff Flake... Read More »
A bill that seeks to reduce wasteful spending on the nation’s outdated IT systems and enhance security by expediting the government’s transition to modern technology like cloud computing was recently approved by the U.S. House of Representatives.
The bill, titled the Modernizing Government... Read More »
A bill to provide state and local law enforcement offices with tools to combat cybercrime recently advanced the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017 was introduced by U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX).
Ratcliffe’s bill authorizes... Read More »
In a rare show of bipartisanship, members of a key House appropriations panel expressed opposition to the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts for the National Institutes of Health, the main funding source for medical research in the United States.
U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), the... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) recently introduced three separate bills intended to provide additional layers of protection for law enforcement officers across the country.
“My legislation stands for two simple propositions: First, America's law enforcement officers should be at least as well... Read More »
In a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing held last week, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) heard testimony from Navy Adm. Mike Rogers, commander of U.S. Cyber Command (Cybercom), on how a potential government shutdown could complicate Cybercom’s mission.
Kaine’s concerns stem from a recent... Read More »
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti recently visited Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to hold a meeting with the country’s national authorities to discuss an effective response plan in regards to the recently-verified outbreak of... Read More »
News on Friday about the reemergence of several Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) highlights the need for both a robust global and national health security strategy, said Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, immediate past chairman of the public health committee for the Infectious Diseases... Read More »
A report detailing both the current and emerging threats to the federal government’s use of mobile devices, complete with a number of security recommendations, was recently submitted to Congress by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T).... Read More »
America’s cybersecurity efforts could be strengthened posthaste if operations were overseen by a separate nationwide combat command, witnesses on Wednesday told members of the powerful U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
“The government and military need to move... Read More »
Three bills to strengthen the federal government’s disaster response and recovery programs of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) were unanimously approved last week by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Each piece of legislation ensures that the federal government fairly considers... Read More »
Naturally occurring or man-made risks from electromagnetic pulse (EMP) are a threat to national defense, witnesses testified during a recent U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing.
And although the electric sector and the U.S. government are regularly working together and... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made progress during the past few years but faces numerous challenges strengthening America’s visa security, members of the House Committee on Homeland Security learned during a task force hearing last week.
“This is a critical time for our... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Claire McCaskill (D-MO), the committee’s ranking member, recently sent a public letter to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Inspector General John Roth, regarding assaults... Read More »
A bill authored by U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) to address staffing shortages among U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and Border Patrol agents by getting rid of duplicative mandated polygraph tests was recently approved by the House Committee on Homeland Security.
McSally’s... Read More »
Officials from the United States recently announced a pledge of $1.091 million (€1 million) to modernize the laboratories of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Siebersdorf, Austria, which provide key nuclear research in various areas of human and animal health, food security, and... Read More »
Former top executives at various Department of Defense research facilities called on Congress Wednesday to ease hiring restrictions and contracting rules to facilitate the Pentagon’s work on cutting-edge weapons and other technology.
The ongoing federal budget freeze and strict regulations... Read More »
The nation’s supply of U.S.-licensed YF-VAX yellow fever vaccine is expected to be depleted by mid-2017 due to delays in the manufacturing process at Sanofi Pasteur, according to a recent report published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
YF-VAX is the only yellow... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Will Hurd (R-TX), Robin Kelly (D-IL), and Gerry Connolly (D-VA) recently introduced the Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act, which aims to reduce wasteful spending in information technology (IT) while strengthening information security by expediting the federal government’s... Read More »
Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, commander of the U.S. European Command, recently hosted a discussion with dozens of senior NATO Leaders and European chiefs of defense on how to counter the threat of violent extremism.
“This fight against terror and violent extremists will not be easy, nor... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Tuesday introduced the Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order (EL CHAPO) Act, which reserves forfeited assets from drug lords to pay for various security measures along the U.S.-Mexico border, including President Trump’s proposed border wall.... Read More »
A new global coalition is laying the groundwork to achieve an ambitious goal of speeding up the development of vaccines to combat the spread of deadly emerging infectious diseases that pose great risk to public health.
Launched in January, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations... Read More »
A companion bill to U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe’s (R-TX) Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017 was recently introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).
Grassley currently serves as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee,... Read More »
With the nation’s signature preparedness law due for reauthorization in 2018, leaders now are readying public health stakeholders across local, state and federal levels for battle on Capitol Hill.
Not only should those in the public health sector be battle-ready to support renewal of the... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently recognized Sandia National Laboratories for its efforts in combating the 2014-2016 Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic in West Africa.
To address issues facing West African patients during the epidemic, Sandia researchers examined Liberia’s blood... Read More »
According to a recent report published by the Global Nexus Initiative (GNI), global nuclear governance is facing unprecedented challenges as non-traditional nations provide nuclear technology to emerging countries.
The report was the product of a collaborative effort from leading experts from... Read More »
The nation’s biodefense response to emerging diseases and outbreaks is on an endless loop that, without a proper foundation, is not allowing for progressive countermeasure operations, according to Merck Pharmaceuticals Executive Director Julie Gerberding, former director of the Centers for... Read More »
