Policy
Amendment blocks Saudi nuclear weapon development
House legislators have adopted an amendment prohibiting U.S. sales of nuclear power equipment to Saudi Arabia without safeguards preventing nuclear weapon development. Officials said the House adopted the language as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which is expected to... Read More »
Legislation targets border trafficking, smuggling
Citing the disabling of smuggling and trafficking as a national intelligence priority, Reps. Will Hurd (R-TX) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) introduced last week a measure to address the matters along the border. The Trafficking and Smuggling Intelligence Act of 2019 ensures the intelligence... Read More »
House bill would create task force to fight inflow of opioids
A bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last week to establish a task force at the Department of Homeland Security to stop the inflow of fentanyl and other opioids into the U.S. The bill – the Joint Task Force to Combat Opioid Trafficking Act – is sponsored by Reps. Jim... Read More »
Experts support a future Manhattan Project for Biodefense to thwart new threats
An effort similar to the Manhattan Project — in which American-led R&D produced the first nuclear weapons during World War II — is needed now in defense against the growing global threats posed by infectious diseases and bioterrorism, sources said Thursday during a Blue Ribbon Study Panel on... Read More »
DHS finishes assessment of contract oversight procedures
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) maintains a recently completed audit determined the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lacks contract management policy and guidance. The OIG said DHS components did not always properly solicit, award, and manage contracts according to federal and... Read More »
Amendment aids military bases damaged by earthquakes
Reps. Paul Cook (R-CA) and Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) introduced Wednesday a National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) amendment as a means of aiding military bases sustaining recent earthquake damage. The amendment includes damages sustained at Edwards Air Force Base, Fort Irwin, and Naval Air... Read More »
Congress advances bill to ensure prosecution of those possessing biological toxins
The House this week advanced a measure introduced by U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX), following similar successful efforts in the Senate, and raising the potential to prosecute the possession of biological toxins. The Effective Prosecution of Possession of Biological Toxins and Agents Act of... Read More »
Mental health treatment bill moves to president’s desk
The Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis (STOIC) Act, which would improve mental health treatment and support for our nation’s law enforcement officers, now heads to the president’s desk for signature. The bill highlights the need for suicide prevention. Law enforcement officers are... Read More »
Rep. Langevin blasts Trump for not providing Congress with copies of National Security memo
U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) criticized the Trump Administration for its refusal to provide Congress with copies of National Security Presidential Memoranda (NSPM) regarding Department of Defense cyberspace operations. Langevin, the co-chair of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus and... Read More »
Coast Guard issues vessel cybersecurity guidelines
The Coast Guard released this week a best practices Safety Alert in the wake of what is categorized as a growing cybersecurity threat landscape amid expanded reliance on technology to support vessels. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is encouraging vessel and facility... Read More »
Rep. Norton seeks to give DC mayor control over National Guard for local emergencies
U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) proposed legislation to give the District of Columbia home-rule authority over the D.C. National Guard. This bill -- filed as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020 -- would give the D.C. mayor the same authority that... Read More »
CBP seizes ship that carried 20 tons of cocaine to Philadelphia
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized 20 tons of cocaine last month at the Port of Philadelphia and seized the vessel July 4. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued a seizure warrant for the vessel, MSC Gayane, after an application was filed by the U.S.... Read More »
Texas man pleads guilty to terrorist activities with ISIS
A Houston man pleaded guilty to attempting to join and provide information to the terrorist organization the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Kaan Sercan Damlarkaya, 20, attempted to join and support ISIS, the U.S. Justice Department claims. He provided information to other ISIS... Read More »
Laredo CBP effort nets sizeable narcotics seizure
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said a pair of recent Laredo enforcement operations yielded narcotics seizures worth a combined estimated street value exceeding $4.1 million. “I congratulate our officers for their dedication which has prevented these dangerous narcotics from... Read More »
Workshop aims to strengthen African disease response
South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases, in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other global agencies, held a workshop last month addressing biosecurity and biosafety gaps. More than 50 experts from the Southern African region met in... Read More »
NTI effort addresses high consequence biological risks
Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) personnel recently joined a series of partners in addressing the increasing risks of a catastrophic biological event. Citing such factors as rapid technological advances, an increasingly interconnected world with health security challenges, ongoing global... Read More »
Stefanik language included in Intelligence Authorization Act
House officials said language from Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (R-NY) Counterintelligence Accountability Act bill has been incorporated in the 2019 Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA). The IAA ensures the Intelligence Community has the necessary resources, funding, and authorities to protect and... Read More »
CBP agriculture specialists identify rare, aggressive pest in Florida
A shipment of malangas -- a starchy root vegetable common in South America -- from Mexico to Florida’s Port Manatee was found to contain a rare, aggressive and highly destructive type of New World army ant known as Eciton. The discovery, made in June, was conducted by U.S. Customs and Border... Read More »
Congressmen urge advancement of Don’t Break Up the T-Band Act following GAO report
Following the release of a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), Representatives Lee Zeldin (R-NY-1), Eliot Engel (D-NY-16), Peter King (R-NY-2), and Al Green (D-TX-09) recently urged the advancement of a bill that would preserve the T-Band spectrum for use by emergency... Read More »
PA Sen. Casey includes several key provisions in National Defense Authorization Act
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) announced last week that several key provisions that he worked to advance were included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Taking Back Congressional Authority Over War Authorization amendment prohibits the United States from spending funds that could... Read More »
Engineer convicted of violating International Emergency Economic Powers Act
The Department of Justice said an electrical engineer has been found guilty of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and faces a maximum prison sentence of 219 years. After a six-week trial, Yi-Chi Shih, 64, a part-time Los Angeles resident, was found guilty of... Read More »
IDSA board member urges Congressional effort to stabilize antibiotic market, encourage new drugs
In testimony before the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Dr. Helen Boucher -- treasurer for the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) -- called for action to circumvent the growth of antimicrobial resistance. “While bacteria develop resistance in nature,... Read More »
Senators urge White House to put pressure on Iran’s nuclear program
The International Atomic Energy Agency recently confirmed Iran violated the restrictions on stockpiling enriched uranium specified in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In response, three Republican senators sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging the administration to put... Read More »
DHS action expedites border wall project
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said an agency waiver would expedite construction of three miles of a new border wall system in the Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Sector. The work would be located west of Roma near Fronton, in Starr County, Texas, with the waiver... Read More »
Army looks to biotech for solutions to protect soldiers from mosquito-borne illnesses
Since the U.S. Army discovered in 1904 that mosquitoes were transmitting yellow fever, malaria, and other diseases, they have been working on ways to protect themselves. Even in modern times, US troops, deployed to mosquito-infested areas, have been using basic or crude protections.... Read More »
Sen. Rubio touts DHS cybersecurity resources
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is encouraging Florida League of Cities and Florida Association of Counties officials to take advantage of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) resources to bolster cybersecurity efforts. Rubio recently forwarded correspondence to both organizations in response to... Read More »
Legislation creates annual DHS deepfake report
A group of lawmakers recently introduced legislation designed to direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct an annual study of deepfakes and other types of similar content. Deepfakes are hyper-realistic, digital manipulations of real content depicting events that did not... Read More »
Bill package addresses national security
House Republican recently introduced fours bills as part of the Republican’s American Security Agenda. The agenda is aimed at combating new and evolving threats by providing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with resources, reforming structure and management, and granting the agency... Read More »
Package restores northern border staffing levels
House lawmakers have advanced an emergency spending package containing a provision restoring a robust Customs and Border Protection (CBP) presence along the northern border. “Restoring hours at these ports is critical to commerce, emergency medical services, and to everyone who lives and... Read More »
Sens. Burr, Warner laud passage of National Defense Authorization Act
Citing it as an investment in the nation’s Intelligence Community, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr (R-NC) and Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) recently commended the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passage. The NDAA, which addresses fiscal year 2020,... Read More »
Bill includes $74M for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
The U.S. Senate recently passed the fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that includes $74 million for the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) located at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Funding for the base will be used to continue upgrades to... Read More »
Antimicrobial resistance challenges discussed at G20 meeting
The healthcare community needs to address antimicrobial resistance, or future generations will be at risk, a leading health expert said at the first-ever joint meeting of G20 Finance and Health Ministers in Osaka, Japan last week. Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi,... Read More »
Experts warn of antimicrobial resistance, additional threats to national biosecurity
Dr. Asha George understands firsthand the threats biological agents can cause. George, who is executive director of the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense, served in Operation Desert Storm. She knows what it’s like to be standing on the battlefield wondering whether antimicrobial resistant... Read More »
Senate bill would establish national campaign for vaccine awareness, support vaccine research
New legislation, recently introduced by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), seeks to increase vaccination rates through a campaign of awareness, grants, and research support. Primarily, under the VACCINES Act, the Centers for Disease Control and... Read More »