Policy
Bipartisan group introduces legislation to support pandemic preparedness workforce
A bipartisan group including U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Susan Collins (R-ME), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AR) introduced legislation on Thursday that would bolster the country’s ability to respond to future public health emergencies. The Bolstering Infectious Outbreak... Read More »
American Security Task Force conducts discussion with law enforcement leaders
In the wake of the group's creation earlier this year, members of the American Security Task Force recently conducted a roundtable discussion with law enforcement leaders regarding domestic policing. Task force member participants included U.S. Reps. John Rutherford (R-FL), Michael Guest (R-MS),... Read More »
Bipartisan group of senators pushes amendment to formally authorize National Guard Fireguard program
U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced this week an amendment that would formally authorize the National Guard’s Fireguard program and alter its year-by-year approval structure to a more certain, five-year authorization. The senators argued... Read More »
DoD selects Anchorage to host Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has identified Anchorage, Alaska, as the sole candidate city to host the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies. The DoD would continue to navigate the Department of the Air Force Strategic Basing process to evaluate facilities within Anchorage to... Read More »
Sens. Whitehouse, Hassan introduce amendment to fight drug financing schemes
U.S. Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) announced Tuesday that they had introduced an amendment to the national defense bill that will strengthen and coordinate the federal government’s response to drug... Read More »
Rep. Kim introduces National Wildland Fire Risk Reduction Program Act amendments
U.S. Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) recently introduced National Wildland Fire Risk Reduction Program Act amendments to improve wildfire communications and address meteorologist shortages. The amendments occurred during a House Science, Space and Technology Committee markup on the measure, noting the... Read More »
Proposed legislative amendments target cybersecurity efforts
U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Gary Peters (D-MI), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced this week an annual defense authorization bill amendment that focuses on bolstering cybersecurity. The Cyber Incident Reporting Act and Federal Information Security Modernization Act of... Read More »
Sen. Peters touts cybersecurity strengthening measures
Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) is espousing the benefits of varied cybersecurity provisions he spearheaded that will be included in the recently passed infrastructure bill. Officials indicated the Peters' efforts would provide $1 billion to state, local, tribal and territorial governments as a means of... Read More »
Sen. Young addresses China’s alleged bill opposition
U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) recently responded to a report alleging the Chinese Communist Party is expressing opposition to his bill he said seeks to invest in technologies aiding in outcompeting China. Young's rebuttal stemmed from a Reuters report alleging that the Chinese Embassy is... Read More »
Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act includes strengthened efforts for domestic PPE production
Contained within the sprawling provisions of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act signed into law this week are production-minded provisions that will require federal agencies to focus long-term personal protective equipment (PPE) production on domestic companies. These... Read More »
Los Angeles CBP details record counterfeit merchandise seizures
Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel recently detailed record seizures of counterfeit and prohibited merchandise. During Fiscal Year 2021, which spans from Oct. 1, 2020, to Sept. 30, 2021, trade enforcement seizures increased by 24 percent and the overall... Read More »
Legislators celebrate Biden’s signing of Secure Equipment Act
U.S. Reps. Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), and U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ed Markey (D-MA) applauded President Joe Biden signing the Secure Equipment Act of 2021 into law on Friday. The new law prohibits the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from reviewing or issuing... Read More »
DHS launches new cybersecurity hiring program to recruit, train and retain professionals
With cybersecurity professionals in increased demand across the public and private sphere, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this week launched the Cybersecurity Talent Management System (CTMS) to help it attract, develop and keep talent of its own. “The DHS Cybersecurity Talent... Read More »
European Commission authorizes Ronapreve cocktail for treating non-hospitalized adult, adolescent COVID-19 patients
Ronapreve, a Roche and Regeneron-developed drug cocktail of casirivimab and imdevimab, gained marketing authorization from the European Commission last week for treatment of COVID-19 cases before hospitalization among adults and adolescents at least 12 years old. Ronapreve can now be used in... Read More »
Bill seeks to expand career transition program for veterans
U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced legislation last week to expand upon a career preparation and training program designed to aid service members transitioning to civilian life. The Onward to Opportunity Act increases the availability of the Onward to... Read More »
Newly signed Ensuring Compliance Against Drug Diversion Act addresses registration loopholes surrounding illegal opioid distribution
President Joe Biden signed the Ensuring Compliance Against Drug Diversion Act (H.R.1899) into law last week, codifying current drug regulations to make it harder for bad actors to create shell companies or transfer registration to evade crackdowns and continue distributing illegal... Read More »
Nearly $280M in relief funding allocated to New York following Hurricane Ida
As of Nov. 8, nearly $280 million in assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration has flowed into New York to help those affected by Hurricane Ida. The September hurricane flooded streets and subway stations and left parts of the... Read More »
Biden plans to tap Califf as next FDA commissioner
President Joe Biden on Nov. 12 announced he will nominate cardiologist Dr. Robert Califf to be the next commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a key role as the government continues to combat the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Current Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock’s... Read More »
Feinstein bill seeks to improve National Guard emergency response efforts
A bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) would provide states with added flexibility to allow members of the National Guard to respond to emergencies. Specifically, the bill would allow full-time Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) National Guard members with the ability to respond to... Read More »
DHS issues fourth National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin of the year
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas has issued the agency's fourth National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin since January 2021. DHS indicated the country continually faces a diverse and challenging threat environment. Several... Read More »
HHS to provide $143.5M for community-based efforts to improve COVID-19 vaccination outreach
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced this week that it will provide $143.5 million to expand community-based efforts at vaccination outreach, specifically to build vaccine confidence and break down barriers to COVID-19 vaccination. “Today’s investments are part of... Read More »
DHS funds earmarked for vehicle-borne explosives detection
Block MEMS, LLC has secured a $2,622,082 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) award to develop vehicle-borne explosives detection technology. The funding, provided through S&T’s Long-Range Broad Agency Announcement (LRBAA) process, would result in... Read More »
Bills target wildfire response redesign, bolstering resources
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) spearheaded a bicameral effort detailing the FIRE Act and the Disaster Equity and Fairness Act -- two bills that address federal wildfire response redesign and efforts to bolster resources when such outbreaks occur. The FIRE Act... Read More »
Biden administration to invest $650M in rapid COVID diagnostic testing
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced on Wednesday that it would be investing $650 million from the American Rescue Plan to strengthen the manufacturing capacity for quality diagnostic testing through rapid point-of-care molecular tests and increase Americans’ access to them.... Read More »
Amendment addresses potential nuclear force reductions
U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) joined 16 other legislators to introduce a National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) amendment that seeks to prevent the Biden administration from executing unilateral cuts to the nation’s nuclear forces. The amendment was introduced in the wake of reports... Read More »
Justice Department outlines conviction of Chinese intelligence officer
The U.S. Department of Justice recently outlined a federal jury's conviction of a Chinese national and Deputy Division Director of the Sixth Bureau of the Jiangsu Province Ministry of State Security. Authorities indicated Yanjun Xu was convicted of conspiring to and attempting to commit economic... Read More »
Wildfire initiatives included in infrastructure bill
The $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed Friday night by the U.S. House of Representatives contained a number of provisions to help the country’s fire and emergency services, including funding for wildfire response and mitigation. Wildfire provisions in the package... Read More »
Bipartisan Afghanistan War Commission Act introduced to create investigative body on Afghanistan war, lessons learned
U.S. Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced this week a legislative amendment that would create a nonpartisan commission to examine the war in Afghanistan, mistakes made therein, and recommendations for avoiding them in the future. “Our country invested two decades in... Read More »
HHS awards MSA Safety $4M contract for elastomeric air-purifying respirators
MSA Safety Inc. earned a $4 million contract from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week to produce elastomeric air-purifying respirators to be added to the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). The MSA’s Advantage 290 Air-Purifying Respirator (APR) consists of a... Read More »
Bipartisan Senate bill seeks 9/11 style commission to investigate COVID-19 outbreak
Reckoning with the more the 750,000 Americans killed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the failures that stalked response, and the threat of future outbreaks, a bipartisan collection of four senators introduced a new bill last week to build a 9/11-style commission charged with investigating the outbreak... Read More »
Reps. Katko, Meijer express unfilled national security post concerns
U.S. Reps. John Katko (R-NY) and Peter Meijer (R-MI) expressed concerns regarding what they maintain is the nation's potential vulnerable security posture amid national security positions in the Biden administration being unfilled. Katko and Meijer sent a letter to President Joe Biden stating... Read More »
DHS funds target interoperable messaging capabilities
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) recently awarded funds to a firm to advance first responder interoperable messaging capabilities. The $1,545,286.03 allotment to Mobility 4 Public Safety (M4PS) would aid in developing the Bridge 4 Public... Read More »
Infrastructure Act includes $20M for Office of National Cyber Director
U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH), Angus King (I-ME), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Mitt Romney (R-MA) applauded the House’s passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for its inclusion of $21 million in funding for the Office of the National Cyber Director (NCD). The NCD is a new position... Read More »
Legislation seeks to bolster intelligence capabilities
U.S. Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced legislation seeking to bolster the nation's intelligence capabilities. The lawmakers indicated the Advancing American AI Innovation Act (S. 3175) would establish a Department of Defense (DoD) pilot program forming artificial... Read More »