Policy
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 would create Office of Public Safety Communications
Legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would establish the Office of Public Safety Communications. The Public Safety Communications Act would amend the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Organization Act to create an Office of Public... 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 »
Legislation aims to stop Chinese espionage
A bipartisan, bicameral bill reintroduced on Friday in the U.S. House of Representatives aims to stop Chinese Communist Party (CCP) espionage, intellectual property theft and economic warfare against the United States. The Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act would... Read More »
Legislation would enhance counterterrorism efforts
Legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would enhance the Department of Homeland Security’s counterterrorism efforts. The Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act would require an evaluation of the threat posed to the United States by individuals in Syria with ties to... Read More »
Congress members urge USDA to fight avian flu outbreak
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) and a bipartisan group of Congress members asked U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to explore all available options to address the latest avian flu outbreak. In a Feb. 18 letter, the group said the USDA should explore all the mitigation and prevention... Read More »
Justice Department fines companies $11M for cybersecurity violations
The U.S. Department of Justice said Health Net Federal Services Inc. (HNFS) and Centene Corporation will pay more than $11 million to resolve claims they violated cybersecurity requirements. The DOJ said HNFS, based in Rancho Cordova, Calif., and its parent company Centene, based in St. Louis,... Read More »
Legislation to reform school safety introduced on school shooting anniversary
Legislation to reform school safety measures was introduced last week, officials said. The legislation, the Measures for Safer School Districts Act, introduced by U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) would modernize the school safety... Read More »
Firefighters with service-related cancers supported under federal bill
U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) introduced legislation on Feb. 12 that would expand access to federal support for the families of first responders who suffer from service-related cancers. The bill, the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, would make firefighters and other first responders eligible... Read More »
Coast Guard Reauthorization Act introduced in U.S. Senate
The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, legislation that would bolster funding for the military branch’s critical missions, was introduced by leaders on the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on Feb. 11. Drafted and agreed to between the Senate Commerce Committee, on which U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz... Read More »
Bill introduced in Congress to protect space systems as critical infrastructure
U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) introduced legislation that would designate space systems, services and technology as a sector of the U.S. critical infrastructure. The bill, the Space Infrastructure Act, H.R. 1154, would ensure the security and resiliency of space assets, advocates said. The... Read More »
FEMA borrows $2 billion to pay flood insurance claims
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently borrowed $2 billion from the U.S. Treasury to pay eligible National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholder claims. “The widespread, devastating flooding following hurricanes Helene and Milton reemphasizes the financial effects flooding... Read More »
Cyber PIVOTT legislation reintroduced in Congress
U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), chair of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, has reintroduced the Cyber PIVOTT Act to address the country’s cybersecurity workforce shortage. First introduced in the 118th Congress, the Cyber PIVOTT Act would establish a new full-scholarship program for... Read More »
Cocaine valued at $1.4M seized by U.S. CBP in Texas at Mexico border
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) field operations officers seized cocaine with an estimated street value of $1.4 million at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry between Texas and Mexico on Thursday. The seizure occurred on Camino Real International Bridge. A CBP officer referred for secondary... Read More »
Legislation to combat fentanyl passed in House
Legislation led by U.S. Reps. Bob Latta (R-OH) and Morgan Griffith (R-VA) to halt the flow of fentanyl into the country has passed in the House. The legislation, the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) of Fentanyl Act, would make the temporary class-wide scheduling order for fentanyl-related... Read More »
Legislation would reduce cost of medical services provided outside of Military Treatment Facilities
Legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would work to reduce reimbursement costs for TRICARE and Community Care plans that cover medical services provided outside of Military Treatment Facilities. The Servicemember Site-Neutrality Act would direct the secretary of... Read More »
DHS Inspector General issues final report on Insufficient Oversight of FEMA COVID-19 grants
A new report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General found that a lack of sufficient oversight of FEMA’s COVID-19 Emergency Protective Measures Grants led to more than $8.1 billion in questionable costs and $1.5 billion in over-obligated funds. The OIG... Read More »
Legislation would conduct study of certain foreign technologies
Bipartisan legislation recently reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would safeguard communications networks from foreign adversary-controlled technology. The Removing Our Unsecure Technologies to Ensure Reliability and Security (ROUTERS) Act would require the Department of... Read More »
Legislation reintroduced targeting fentanyl producers in China
Legislation to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for fentanyl coming into the United States was reintroduced by U.S. Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) on Wednesday. The legislation would amend the Fentanyl Sanctions Act to allows the U.S. government to impose sanctions on Chinese individuals and... Read More »
Trump orders building of Iron Dome Missile Defense shield
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday instructing the military to begin building an “Iron Dome” for the United States. The order directs the military to do “a review of theater missile defense posture to defend United States troops deployed abroad and an increase in... Read More »
Legislation seeks to make assaulting law enforcement officers deportable offense
Legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Senate would make it a deportable offense for a non-citizen to assault a law enforcement officer. The Protect Our Law Enforcement with Immigration Control and Enforcement (POLICE) Act of 2025 would explicitly designate the assault of a law enforcement... Read More »
Legislation securing undersea cables introduced in Congress
U.S. Reps. Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced legislation safeguarding the U.S. submarine cable infrastructure Thursday. The legislation, the Undersea Cable Protection Act, would ensure deployment and maintenance of undersea cables, while... Read More »
Pennsylvania Attorney General Henry, state police announce charges against 20 alleged cocaine traffickers
Attorney General Michelle Henry along with the Pennsylvania State Police and New Jersey State Police have announced charges against 20 alleged cocaine traffickers who allegedly used firearms to protect their trafficking operation in the greater Philadelphia area. Dozens of search warrants were... Read More »
Legislation introduced to address foreign supply chain threats
Legislation aimed at addressing security threats to the nation’s supply chain was introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) Monday. The legislation, the Federal Acquisition Security Council Improvement Act, would improve the effectiveness of the Federal... Read More »
DARPA, U.S. Army join forces to evaluate Cyber Threat Detection technologies
Recently, major military organizations came together to test and evaluate new cyber threat detection technologies, the agencies said Monday. As part of a joint operation with the U.S. Army Cyber Command Technical Warfare Center, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the... Read More »
Bill authorizing new VA facilities advances Senate
Legislation authorizing several new construction projects for the Veterans Affairs medical facilities passed in the U.S. Senate on Friday. The legislation, Fiscal Year 2024 Veterans Affairs Major Medical Facility Authorization Act, sponsored by U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Jon Tester... Read More »
DHS unveils framework for AI deployment in critical infrastructure
In a first-of-its-kind collaboration with industry and the AI supply chain, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released its recommendations for the development and deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in critical infrastructure Thursday. The recommendations lays out clear guidance... Read More »
CISA launches Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the agency tasked with cyber defense and the national coordinator for critical infrastructure security, recently launched Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience (CISR) Month. CISA uses CISR Month to educate and engage the... Read More »
U.S., Canada and Finland to build Artic, polar icebreakers
Building off of landmark agreements signed in July, the governments of the United States, Canada and Finland signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to start work on developing world-class Arctic and polar icebreakers. The MOU covers the exchange of knowledge, information and resources in... Read More »
Republican senators request policy shift toward Qatar
A coalition of Republican senators is requesting the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of State to reverse American diplomatic policies toward the state of Qatar. Citing Qatar’s hospitality toward Hamas and Hamas’ role in the killing of several U.S. citizens during the... Read More »
House Armed Services Committee panel urges inclusion of military quality of life provisions in National Defense Authorization
Members of the House Armed Services Committee’s Military Quality of Life Panel urged the Senate Armed Services Committee to include their recommendations in the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. The panel, led by U.S. Reps. Don Bacon (RNE) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), said erosions... Read More »
DHS, Japan partner for technical research and development
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) recently signed a joint statement of intent for collaborative research, development and foreign technical exchanges. Under... Read More »
TSA establishes cyber risk management programs for railroads, pipelines
A new rule proposed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will establish cyber risk management and reporting requirements for pipeline and railroad owners and operators. In a proposed rule published as a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the TSA said Wednesday that it would continue... Read More »
Bipartisan efforts seeks to crack down on Iran funding crime in United States
U.S Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) announced a bipartisan effort to crack down on individuals committing or attempting to commit violent crimes in the United States on behalf of Iran and other foreign adversaries. The Congresswomen said Iran has allegedly paid criminal... Read More »