Policy
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 »
DHS selects Northeastern University to lead new Center of Excellence
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced it had selected Northeastern University to lead a consortium of U.S. academic institutions for a new Center of Excellence for Engineering Secure Environments from Targeted Attacks... Read More »
House Comprehensive TB Elimination Act seeks to empower U.S. health officials to tackle tuberculosis
Last week, U.S. Reps. Ami Bera (D-CA), M.D. and Don Young (R-AK) introduced a bill to reauthorize a national tuberculosis strategy, authorize grants for state health departments to focus on TB in high-risk populations, and promote interagency coordination in containing the disease. Despite the... Read More »
Bills seek to reform federal wildfire disaster response
U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced last week two bills to address the government's wildfire response and equitable distribution of natural disaster resources. The FIRE Act would revise the Stafford Act governing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),... Read More »
CISA issues guidance on reducing known exploited vulnerabilities
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued guidance to prioritize remediation of vulnerabilities presently actively exploited by adversaries. Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01 - Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities establishes a... Read More »
Rep. Katko, Sen. Wicker address potential TSA workforce shortage due to vaccination requirement
U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) asked David Pekoske, administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), for an update on the agency’s contingency plan for a potential workforce reduction due to President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement for... Read More »
UK authorizes Merck, Ridgeback’s oral COVID-19 medicine Molnupiravir for use on adults
The antiviral Molnupiravir became the first oral treatment for COVID-19 to receive authorization this week, winning approval from the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency for treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 cases in adults. Specifically, users must have had at... Read More »
NDAA amendment seeks to increase funding in Army vehicles manufactured in Wisconsin
U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced Wednesday a Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) amendment increasing funding to Army vehicles produced in Oshkosh, Wis. The action would apply to the heavy wheeled vehicles and add $109 million as a means of... Read More »
GOP senators score Biden’s COVID-19 response at Senate hearing
Republican U.S. senators took aim at the Biden administration’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 epidemic during a Thursday hearing, criticizing the new mandate on vaccinations and blaming federal policies for shortages of therapeutics, testing and other critical materials. “Cases and... Read More »
Lawmakers levy energy infrastructure security concerns
A group of lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), noting concerns regarding energy infrastructure security. U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, (R-MO), ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and U.S. Sen. Roger... Read More »
Bill addresses wildfire preparedness, response
U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Jerry McNerney (D-CA), and Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) recently introduced the National Wildland Fire Risk Reduction Program Act (H.R. 5781), which seeks to enhance wildfire preparedness, resilience, and response. The measure aims to identify and... Read More »
NSA, CISA issue 5G cloud infrastructure guidance
National Security Agency (NSA) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) personnel have issued 5G cloud infrastructure guidance the agencies indicated address building and configuration. “This series provides key cybersecurity guidance to configure 5G cloud... Read More »
Rep. Katko introduces legislation countering anti-police attitudes
U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) announced Monday that he has introduced legislation to strengthen public safety and counter anti-police sentiment. The Stop Enabling Repeat Violence and Endangering (SERVE) Our Communities Act would provide incentives for states to adopt policies that would hold... Read More »