Policy
DHS outlines Israeli security agreements
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has established security agreements with the Government of Israel and private sector partners to collaborate on varied joint security issues. “DHS is proud to continue to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the United States and Israel... Read More »
NIH opens multiple health technologies to potential licensing through Medicines Patent Pool
The primary goal of the international COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) to facilitate access to COVID-19 health products received a major boost last week with an offer from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) for several related technologies. These offers would allow potential... Read More »
Sens. Ernst, Warnock seek more training sought for dog-based animal disease detection
Triggered by a new case of avian flu in Iowa and cases of African Swine Fever in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) have introduced legislation to streamline funding for dogs used to detect animal diseases on cargo. The National Detector Dog... Read More »
Lawmakers tout advanced homeland security bills
Homeland Security Republicans are espousing the benefits of advancing five House Committee on Homeland Security bills they said are designed to bolster homeland security. The Securing the Checkpoint Property Screening System (H.R. 6827) authorizes appropriations for the full requirement of... Read More »
Senate advances legislation to strengthen cybersecurity, protect critical infrastructure
A new legislative package from U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) advanced through the Senate this week, setting up the House to consider revamps to public and private sector cybersecurity and the lingering question of governmental adoption of cloud technology. The... Read More »
Bipartisan push creates House Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act to get military equipment overseas
Faced with the ongoing, globally denounced Russian military invasion of Ukraine, a bipartisan collection of House lawmakers this week introduced the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022 – legislation that would make it easier to ship military equipment for Ukraine’s use. The bill... Read More »
Measure targets social media platform illegal activities
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) is espousing the benefits of a measure he introduced, which seeks to aid law enforcement and Big Tech in combating illegal activities on social media platforms. The Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee recently conducted a hearing in which Bilirakis'... Read More »
Bill seeks to bolster municipal, school cybersecurity efforts
U.S. Rep. Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY) has joined colleagues in introducing a bill he said seeks to award grants to states, local governments, and educational institutions for cybersecurity curriculum and tools. Under the Director of the Cybersecurity Grants For Schools Act of 2022 (H.R. 6868),... Read More »
Bipartisan legislators introduce Coast Guard Authorization Act
U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Sam Graves (R-MO), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), and Bob Gibbs (R-OH) are espousing the benefits of a measure that authorizes the U.S. Coast Guard funds for reinforcement and support. The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 enables support enhancing Coast Guard... Read More »
Rep. Krishnamoorthi seeks to use COVID-19 aid as counter to Russian and Chinese influence worldwide
Reckoning with a world still navigating a pandemic and the changing diplomatic realities a war in Ukraine has wrought, United States Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) this week called for increased COVID-19 aid abroad to counter Russian and Chinese influence. “As Russian tanks roll into Ukraine... Read More »
Bill seeks bolstered small business cybersecurity
A group of lawmakers recently introduced a bill seeking to bolster small business cybersecurity efforts in the wake of potential Russian cyberattacks stemming from the Ukrainian invasion. U.S. Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), and Joe Morelle (D-NY)... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Peters leads collective call to bolster funding for border security, drug detection
Five senators, led by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), are urging Senate leadership to support additional funding for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) efforts to boost security at U.S. ports of entry and improve its ability to detect and seize drugs. Peters, chairman of the Homeland Security... Read More »
Measure seeks to end northern border mandates
U.S. Rep. Chris Jacobs (R-NY) has introduced the Northern Border Reopening Act, which urges the Biden administration to end COVID-19 mandates for Canadians crossing the U.S. northern border. “Vaccine mandates being imposed upon our truckers, workers in other essential industries, families, and... Read More »
House No Surprises for COVID-19 Tests Act would extend free COVID-19 testing beyond emergency
U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Robert Scott (D-VA) introduced the No Surprises for COVID-19 Tests Act last week to close legislative loopholes and extend free COVID-19 testing. COVID-19 tests were meant to be free and widely available as a result of the CARES Act, but some companies... Read More »
New HHS report touts medical supply chain, industrial base gains over past year
The beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic were a fraught time for the medical supply chain, but a new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notes that significant gains were made by the United States health supply chain and industrial base over the last year. “The... Read More »
Rep. Buchanan hosts roundtable on crime, law enforcement threats
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) recently hosted a roundtable discussion with law enforcement personnel, which examined the overall crime uptick nationally and increased threats to first responders. The session with law enforcement personnel from Florida’s 16th District advocated for the... Read More »
Coast Guard vessel offloads over $1B in illegal narcotics
Coast Guard Cutter James recently offloaded over $1.06 billion in illegal narcotics. Coast Guard Cutter James offloaded 54,500 pounds of cocaine and 15,800 pounds of marijuana, at Port Everglades, Fla., on Feb. 17, 2022. During their 90-day patrol, the crew set new marks for the largest single... Read More »
Three men convicted of conspiring to provide material support to plot U.S. power grid attacks
Three men pleaded guilty this week after seeking to provide material support to domestic terrorists in an attempt to destroy energy facilities throughout the United States. These charges were handed out to Christopher Brenner Cook, 20, of Columbus, Ohio; Jonathan Allen Frost, 24, of West... Read More »
Sanofi, GSK press forward with regulatory authorization request for COVID-19 vaccine
With test data showing their COVID-19 vaccine’s capabilities to fight COVI-19 in regular or booster form, Sanofi and GSK announced this week that they intend to submit data as the foundation of regulatory authorization requests. The Sanofi-GSK offering is a refrigerator temperature-stable,... Read More »
Bipartisan legislators address congressional authority regarding Russia-Ukraine conflict
A group of lawmakers is encouraging President Joe Biden to gain authorization from Congress before involving domestic armed forces in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Warren Davidson (R-OH) joined 43 colleagues in signing off on the letter, which seeks the... Read More »
Reps. Demings, Fletcher introduce legislation to save First Responder Network Authority
On Tuesday, U.S. Reps. Val Demings (D-FL) and Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX) introduced legislation to save the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet). The legislation, H.R. 6768, would reauthorize FirstNet set to expire in 2027. Created to fulfill one of the recommendations of the 9/11... Read More »DHS S&T, Israeli partners seek advanced technology proposals
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Israel – U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Homeland Security (HLS) program indicated they are seeking advanced technology project proposals. The 2022 Call for Proposals focuses on mission-critical homeland... Read More »
New York to form, host Joint Security Operations Center for local, state and federal cybersecurity efforts
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the creation of a Joint Security Operations Center (JSOC) in Brooklyn that will provide data sharing and cyber coordination for local, state, and federal cybersecurity efforts. It is the first such cyber command center in the nation, and the partners involved... Read More »
Federal Firefighter Fairness Act proposes fair benefits for injuries, diseases sustained in the line of duty
Seeking to close a gap separating state, county, and municipal firefighters from federal firefighters, the Federal Firefighter Fairness Act of 2021 (HR 2499) is a bipartisan push to grant access to federal, job-related disability and retirement benefits for injuries and diseases contracted in the... Read More »
Secret Service initiates cryptocurrency public awareness hub
The U.S. Secret Service said it has initiated a cryptocurrency public awareness hub to protect the national financial infrastructure. “Blockchain technology has brought massive development to many sectors, especially within finance," Secret Service Office of Investigations Assistant Director... Read More »
Memphis CBP personnel detail drug seizure efforts
Memphis, Tennessee, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel said the division has seized 2,509 pounds of drugs since the beginning of this fiscal year. China, Mexico, and Brazil are among the countries of origin for the contraband, which includes fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, ketamine, DMT,... Read More »
Global government officials, technical experts virtually address vaccine development, equitability and more
A virtual event organized by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research last week pulled in government officials and technical experts to address the best means of accelerating... Read More »
DHS addresses unruly airline passenger actions
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said the agency does not tolerate behavior placing the safety of airport and airline personnel as well as the traveling public at risk. “We will continue to use our authorities to hold accountable those passengers that... Read More »
Senators press HHS to detail plans for developing new COVID-19 vaccines
Seven senators last week urged the Biden administration to outline plans to develop more durable COVID-19 vaccines following a year of emerging variants that have tested the efficacy of current treatments. Led by U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and... Read More »
More than 160 House Republicans demand Biden administration include Congress in any future Iran nuclear agreement
More than 160 House Republicans sent a letter to the Biden administration last week, denouncing the Obama-era nuclear agreement with Iran and demanding that any future agreement make a greater role for Congressional insight and approval. "The Iranian regime brutally represses, persecutes,... Read More »
House SUPPORT Act pledges support for Ukrainian insurgency against any Russian occupation
With worries of a Russian incursion into Ukraine ongoing, U.S. Reps. Marc Veasey (D-TX), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), and Mike Turner (R-OH) today introduce the Supplying Ukraine with Provisions to Protect against Ongoing Russian Threats (SUPPORT) Act to guarantee support to the latter. For the... Read More »
Bill seeks to bolster school resource officer funding
U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) has introduced legislation that seeks to bolster funding resulting in law enforcement agencies hiring more school resource officers. The School Resource Officer Act, which Newhouse co-authored with U.S. Reps. Chris Jacobs (R-NY), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Don Bacon... Read More »
Reps. Katko, Thompson lead legislation seeking to combat human trafficking
U.S. Reps. John Katko (R-NY) and Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) have joined 14 colleagues to introduce legislation that bolsters the nation’s ability to combat human trafficking. The Countering Human Trafficking Act would provide the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Center for Countering Human... Read More »
Collection of 10 senators call on Biden to demilitarize police through executive action
A group of 10 senators – nine Democrats and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) – wrote a letter to President Joe Biden this week, urging him to use executive action to demilitarize the nation’s police forces and reform Department of Defense programs that transfer or sell military equipment to... Read More »