Policy
Democratic legislators seeks reduced nuclear weapons national security strategy
A group of lawmakers recently urged the Biden administration to consider fulfilling a pledge to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in the nation's national security strategy. U.S. Reps. John Garamendi (D-CA), Don Beyer (D-VA) and U.S. Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Jeffrey A. Merkley (D-OR)... Read More »
Biden administration pledges more than $1.6B for COVID-19 testing, mitigation in high-risk communities
Drawing on funds from the American Rescue Plan, the Biden administration announced last week that its Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will invest more than $1.6 billion into testing and mitigation efforts focused on the communities most vulnerable to COVID-19. “As we continue... Read More »
House advances bill seeking to protect local transportation systems
Legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA) to improve security at U.S. railways and mass transit systems advanced the U.S. House, the congresswoman announced Tuesday. The Strengthening Local Transportation Security Capabilities Act (H. R. 1870) would put more federal... Read More »
House committee advances eight cybersecurity bills
The U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee has advanced eight bills, which would promote more secure networks and supply chains while securing a wireless future. The Secure Equipment Act of 2021 would direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt rules... Read More »
Rep. Meng secures $30M to expand provisions of COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act
Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) announced Tuesday that she has secured $30 million for the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill as a means of expanding COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act provisions. The key spending bill is slated for the House of Representatives in anticipation of passage later this... Read More »
Senate cyber bill would require immediate reporting of cyber intrusions
U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced Wednesday the Cyber Incident Notification Act of 2021, which seeks to make it mandatory for federal agencies, government contractors, and critical infrastructure to report cyber intrusions to the Cybersecurity... Read More »
Bill to combat human trafficking advances House
U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI) announced Tuesday his bill to combat human trafficking passed the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support. The DHS Blue Campaign Enhancement Act would bolster the existing efforts of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to combat human... Read More »
Bill seeks to protect law enforcement, first responders from lethal substances
U.S. Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH) and David Trone (D-MD) recently introduced a bill that seeks to protect law enforcement personnel and other first responders from lethal substances such as fentanyl. The Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposure Act would improve state and local government... Read More »
Bipartisan measure offers support for Office of the National Cyber Director
A newly introduced bill seeks to authorize utilizing individuals with expertise from other agencies to assist the Office of the National Cyber Director (NCD). U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD), Rob Portman (R-OH), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Angus King (I-ME), and Gary Peters (D-MI) recently presented... Read More »
DHS, TSA directive requires specific cybersecurity efforts for critical pipelines
Pushing back against the string of cybersecurity threats instigated this year, the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issued a new Security Directive this week that requires owners and operators of critical pipelines to roll out urgent cyber protections. “Secure... Read More »
House advances SAFE Act, supporting participation in CEPI
The House of Representatives voted this week to advance the Securing America from Epidemics (SAFE) Act, which would authorize U.S. participation in the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI). CEPI is a public-private partnership focused on developing vaccines for highly infectious... Read More »
IDSA applauds infectious diseases inclusion in U.S. House funding, but says more is still needed
On Monday, the Infectious Diseases Society of America commended the U.S. House for appropriations that would bolster the fight against COVID-19 and HIV, antibiotic research and development, and global health security while combating the effects of the opioid crisis. However, the organization... Read More »
Bill addresses small business cyberattack preparedness
U.S. Reps. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Steve Chabot (R-OH), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), and Dwight Evans (D-PA) introduced Monday the Small Business Cyber Security Training Act, which seeks to aid small businesses in cyberattack preparedness. The legislators indicated the legislation would assist the... Read More »
Report details southern border activity
A fact sheet recently released by Homeland Security Republicans showed that southern border activity demonstrates the situation has become a humanitarian crisis involving thousands of migrants. According to the report, border crossings this year included more than 1.1 million illegal crossings... Read More »
Bipartisan group of legislators advocate maximum wildfire preparedness
A group of Oregon lawmakers led by U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) is encouraging the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to make efforts to maximize wildfire preparedness initiatives. Merkley and DeFazio, chair of the House Transportation and... Read More »
Two House bills seek to guarantee U.S. treats pandemics as national security threats
Given the destructive nature of the past year and a half under the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) last week introduced two bills to strengthen pandemic response and treat them as national security threats rather than political minefields. First was the National Security... Read More »
DHS announces funding for preparedness grants
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced Friday the final allocations for seven competitive preparedness grants for Fiscal Year 2021. The $475 million in grants add to the nearly $1.5 billion in non-competitive grant funding announced earlier this year, bring to $2... Read More »
CEPI seeks improved flow of critical COVID-19 vaccine supply chain with COVAX Marketplace
Partners in COVAX, a global collaborative effort to accelerate development, manufacturing and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, launched the COVAX Marketplace last week to match buyers with suppliers through a secure new platform and overcome short-term bottlenecks. The Marketplace is a... Read More »
Sen. Ernst sounds alarm on threats to homeland after Afghanistan exit
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernest (R-IA) introduced legislation Wednesday that would require military and intelligence agencies to monitor the threat from terrorist organizations that could result from the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Ernst, a combat veteran and member of the Senate Armed... Read More »
Justice, Homeland Security Departments launch website designed to combat ransomware
Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said the agencies have united with federal partners to launch a new website designed to combat ransomware attacks. StopRansomware.gov serves as a hub for ransomware resources accessible to individuals,... Read More »
Legislation protecting full-time jobs of FEMA Reservists advances Senate
A bill seeking to prevent Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Reservists from losing full-time employment when aiding community disaster response advanced the U.S. Senate last week. U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced the Civilian Reservist Emergency Workforce... Read More »
U.S. Surgeon General stresses continued threat of health misinformation amid COVID-19 vaccination efforts
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy recently issued the first Surgeon General's Advisory of this administration warning of the urgent dangers posed by health misinformation and disinformation, threatening COVID-19 vaccination efforts in the United States. The American public needs to be aware... Read More »
Bills to strengthen cybersecurity advance in Senate
The U.S. Senate advanced this week legislation authored by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) designed to protect public and private networks from cyber threats. Peters' two pieces of legislation - The K-12 Cybersecurity Act and the Supply Chain Security Training Act - passed unanimously in the... Read More »
Legislation offers protections from clawbacks of assistance to disaster victims
U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Gary Peters (D-MI) recently introduced legislation designed to offer disaster victims protections from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance clawbacks due to agency errors. The senators commended the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental... Read More »
Appropriations Committee approves Defense Funding Bill for FY 2022
On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee approved the Defense Funding bill for FY 2022 on a 33-23 vote. The bill provides $705.9 billion in defense spending, an increase of 1.4 percent over 2021’s budget. The increase reflects President Joe Biden’s budget... Read More »
Cyber, infrastructure investments included in approved Homeland Security funding bill
The U.S. House Appropriations Committee announced this week the approval of the fiscal year 2022 Homeland Security funding bill, which invests in cyber and infrastructure security while combating domestic extremist violence. The action also expands the Coast Guard's Arctic reach and the maritime... Read More »
HHS awards $398M from the American Rescue Plan to aid small rural hospitals with COVID-19 efforts
Approximately $398 million was issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as a means of helping 1,540 small rural hospitals address COVID-19 testing and mitigation. “Our state-based SHIP grantees... Read More »
Congress launches probe into Covid-19 origins
A congressional panel began the formal process of investigating the origins of Covid-19 Wednesday amid recriminations over allegations of researchers being intentionally misled by the Chinese government and American media and politicians. U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) labeled it “a bit... Read More »
IAEA breaks ground on International Nuclear Security Training Center
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced it had broken ground on a new facility to strengthen countries’ abilities to tackle nuclear terrorism Monday. According to Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of IAEA, the new IAEA Nuclear Security Training and Demonstration Centre... Read More »
Reps. Burgess, Lee introduce legislation incentivizing a full DOD audit
U.S. Reps. Michael Burgess (R-TX) and Barbara Lee (D-CA) recently introduced a bill to address defense budget transparency and accountability, ensuring the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) achieves a clean audit opinion on its financial statements. The Audit the Pentagon Act of 2021 will seek to... Read More »
Former NSA official Jen Easterly confirmed as director of CISA
After an eight-month void in official leadership, the U.S. Senate this week confirmed former Obama-era senior National Security Agency official Jen Easterly to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) amid increasingly frequent digital attacks. Easterly, who formerly... Read More »
Measure seeks domestic genomics protections
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is encouraging Senate passage of his legislation, The Genomics Data Security Act (S.1744), which establishes protections addressing Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) national security risks. S.1744 was presented in the wake of a recent Office of... Read More »
Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security proposes 13 initiatives to improve future pandemic response
Is the United States prepared for the next pandemic? That question has forced experts to either rethink preparedness strategies or find ways to bolster existing policy in the era of COVID-19. For the researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, this has meant identifying 13... Read More »
Sens. Collins, Bennet introduce opioid, substance abuse training legislation
U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced bipartisan legislation Wednesday to standardize opioid and substance abuse training for prescribers. The Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act would require controlled substance providers to complete substance... Read More »