Policy
Rep. Johnson calls on National Guard to guarantee future reenlistment bonuses
Troubled by a trend of suspended or delayed reenlistment bonuses, U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) recently wrote to National Guard Bureau Chief Daniel Hokanson urging the service branch to maintain incentive payments for its members. “In October 2023, over 9,000 soldiers were identified as... Read More »
Justice Department adds major Missouri, Mississippi, and Connecticut cities to Violent Crime Initiative
Building on successful proof of concepts in other cities since 2022, the United States Justice Department announced this week that it will add the cities of St. Louis; Jackson, Mississippi; and Hartford, Connecticut to its Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). “The Justice... Read More »
New Senate bill seeks to make federal agencies track value of their contracts
A bill recently introduced by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) – the Improving Contracting Outcomes Act of 2024 – aims to shore up federal oversight of taxpayer funds produced by requiring each agency to track their returns on investment. The bill would create a pilot program dedicated to... Read More »
DHS Cyber Safety Review Board blames corporate culture for 2023 Microsoft Exchange Online incident
Following an independent review of the Microsoft Exchange Online intrusion in summer 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB) announced that the attack had been preventable, and steps should be taken to do so in the future. Last summer, Microsoft... Read More »
House Republicans seek review of National Institutes of Health research safeguards
In a letter to the Governmental Accountability Office (GAO), House Republican leaders of the Energy and Commerce Committee and its subcommittees urged an investigation of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and how it protects research funds from Chinese exploitation. Accusing China of... Read More »
Air Force introduces cold weather special duty pay for those stationed in North Dakota
Beginning this July, the U.S. Air Force will allot special cold weather pay for those eligible airmen and guardians stationed at bases where the temperature drops below -20 degrees Fahrenheit. As called for in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the plan acts as a sort of... Read More »
DoD’s Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity Strategy calls for strengthened structures, collaboration
With the recent release of its Defense Industrial Base (DIB) Cybersecurity (CS) Strategy, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) sought to lay out a means to achieve internal and industry-facing cybersecurity through 2027. The strategy is split into four goal areas: Strengthening the DoD... Read More »
CISA seeks public input on new cybersecurity incident, ransomware reporting plans
As required by the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 (CIRCIA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on new cybersecurity measures meant to bolster its real-time capabilities. “Cyber... Read More »
FY 2024 Defense Appropriations Bill contains expansions for North Dakota’s military role
Following the recent passage of the fiscal year 2024 Defense Appropriations Bill, U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) began a statewide tour of North Dakota, to highlight all the ways the bill benefits the state’s involvement with the U.S military. Overall, the bill provided a 3 percent boost to... Read More »
Sen. Barrasso raises concerns over DOE’s ability to protect AI R&D from China
With artificial intelligence (AI) the increasing focus of interest for Washington and private companies, U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) this week wrote to U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm with doubts about her department’s ability to protect research from Chinese interests. “In the... Read More »
Senate advances legislation that emphasizes federal building security
The Senate greenlit the Federal Building Security Act (S. 3613) this week, moving to the House’s consideration a bill that would make federal agencies respond to Federal Protective Services (FPS) security recommendations within 90 days. “Every day, Americans across the country visit federal... Read More »
Senate bill seeks to compel national security risk analysis of economic integration with China
A bipartisan group of senators recently introduced the American Economic Independence Act, which would require the president to provide Congress with a comprehensive threat assessment of integrating economically with China. It would focus on numerous sectors, demanding analysis of both current... Read More »
Sen. Peters presses federal agencies to increase cybersecurity for American health care
Citing cases where cyberattacks targeted health care systems in the United States, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) recently wrote to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) requesting cybersecurity boosts for the... Read More »
U.S. Justice Department launches National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center to curb gun violence
The U.S. Department of Justice recently launched a new resource center – the National Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) – to offer training meant to ultimately keep guns away from extreme risk individuals. Vice President Kamala Harris announced the new resource center at Marjory Stoneman... Read More »
Government funding agreement includes $3M allotment to create Northern Border security center
Among the provisions included in the recent $1.2 trillion funding agreement signed by President Joe Biden was a carve-out of $3 million to establish and manage a Northern Border Coordination Center. Championed by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental... Read More »
Senate advances legislation to streamline support, improve response amid disasters
The Senate recently advanced legislation from U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and John Kennedy (R-LA) that seeks to improve the situation facing disaster survivors by reforming the federal support system and the efficacy of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Under the Helping... Read More »
Senate Homeland Security Committee jointly investigating threats posed by biological research, technology
High-risk biological research and technology both in the United States and abroad is under new scrutiny from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee, after the announcement of a new investigation by its chair and ranking member. “Biotechnologies, such as CRISPR, are... Read More »
House Energy and Commerce Committee advances ROUTERS Act to scrutinize foreign equipment
Among a flurry of 28 bills advanced 43-0 by the House Energy and Commerce Committee recently was a technology-check bill by United States Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH): the Removing Our Unsecure Technologies to Ensure Reliability and Security (ROUTERS) Act. ROUTERS targeted routers, modems and similar... Read More »
ASPR releases multiyear budget assessment for medical countermeasure priorities
In order to support medical countermeasure priorities for the U.S. government, a new report from the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) projected needs of up to $79.5 billion between fiscal years 2023 and 2027. The Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasure... Read More »
DHS collaborates with European Union for transatlantic comparison of cyber incident reporting
Looking to better align approaches to cyber incidents on both sides of the Atlantic, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the European Commission’s Directorate General for Communications, Networks, Content, and Technology (DG CONNECT) recently launched a new comparison... Read More »
Senators urge Pentagon to reform approach to defense industry mergers, acquisitions
Building on findings by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) called on the Department of Defense (DoD) to change how it handles defense industry consolidations to protect taxpayer funding and national security alike. Back in... Read More »
DHS trained more than 275,000 people to combat human trafficking in 2023
Last year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reportedly expanded training and education efforts about human trafficking, successfully training more than 275,000 people to recognize the signs and take action. These findings were documents in the recently released Center for... Read More »
Bipartisan legislators seek emergency reserve of key pharmaceutical ingredients through PREPARE Act
In order to avoid some of the worst issues experienced by supply chains at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and Don Bacon (R-NE) recently introduced a bill to create an emergency reserve of active pharmaceutical ingredients while incentivizing domestic... Read More »
Improvements to information sharing between U.S. Intelligence Community, private companies introduced in Congress
Several Democrat and Republican lawmakers from both chambers of Congress recently introduced the Enhancing Public-Private Sharing on Manipulative Adversary Practices in Critical Minerals Projects Act to increase the information sharing relationship between private companies and the U.S.... Read More »
DARPA’s Semantic Forensics program reaches final stage, promising commercialization of deepfake defense
As a result of the Semantic Forensics (SemaFor) program, DARPA recently reported that defense technology to help against manipulated media may be ready for commercialization. “Our investments have seeded an opportunity space that is timely, necessary, and poised to grow,” Dr. Wil Corvey,... Read More »
House advances bill to force sale of or effectively ban TikTok in major bipartisan vote
The U.S. House recently passed H.R. 7521, a significant bipartisan bill that seeks to to prevent foreign adversaries, like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), from targeting, surveilling, and manipulating the American people through applications such as TikTok. Specifically, H.R. 7521 – the... Read More »
Congress passes bipartisan one deadline bill for FEMA Disaster Assistance Programs
Following passage by the Senate last year, the House this week voted through the Disaster Assistance Deadlines Alignment Act (H.R. 7568), meaning that all Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance program deadlines could soon solidify into one. If approved by President Joe Biden,... Read More »
Bill to further empower tribal law enforcement advanced through House Committee
The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources this week advanced Rep. Dan Newhouse’s (R-WA) Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act (H.R. 4524), which seeks to empower tribal officers with the reach of federal law enforcement. “This legislation is key in improving hiring and retention among... Read More »
World’s largest crane manufacturer faces Congressional investigation over Chinese access to U.S. critical infrastructure
House Homeland Security Committee leaders sent a letter to the global crane manufacturer Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC) this week following a joint investigation that found communication equipment on Chinese-made cranes used at American ports. “Over the course of our eight-month... Read More »
Agricultural Risk Review Act becomes law, guaranteeing place for agriculture secretary in Committee on Foreign Investment
The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture will be a permanent member of the Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS) in the United States, thanks to passage of the Agricultural Risk Review Act (H.R. 3378) as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act. As a part of the committee, the secretary would be... Read More »
DHS to set up wildfire, wind sensors across Hawaii
In an effort to mitigate and manage wildfires in the Hawaiian islands, the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) plan to deploy 80 wildfire sensors and 16 wind sensors throughout the state. Earlier detection and alerts are the focus of the push, which was in... Read More »
END Fentanyl Act headed for president’s signature, with policy updates promised for CBP
After passing its final hurdles in the U.S. House, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-FL) Eradicating Narcotic Drugs and Formulating Effective New Tools to Address National Yearly Losses of Life (END FENTANYL) Act is headed for review by President Joe Biden. If signed into law, the bill – S.206 –... Read More »
House Science Committee leaders question DoD for lack of concerns over science-based emissions reduction rule
Republican leaders of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee recently called on the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to explain its silence over a Biden administration-proposed emissions rule they denounced for alleged national security concerns. In January, the committee released a... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection extends direct-hire authority for 200 air interdiction agents to 2026
Expedited hiring authority is in place for the induction of 200 air interdiction agents by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and recently, that authority was extended through Jan. 30, 2026. The position is open to pilots with a minimum of 1,500 flight hours, including 250 as... Read More »