Policy
Reps. Pallone, McNerney introduce bill to emergency communications
U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Jerry McNerney (D-CA) introduced a bill in the House of Representatives to improve network resiliency in times of emergency. The Reinforcing and Evaluating Service Integrity, Local Infrastructure, and Emergency Notification for Today’s Networks Act (H.R.... Read More »
Democrats Senators seek answers from Defense Secretary on W76-2 warheads
A group of Democratic Senators recently questioned Defense Secretary Mark Esper about the decision to begin fielding W76-2 “low-yield” nuclear submarine-launched ballistic missile warheads. “We write to express our concern about the recent decision to begin fielding the W76-2 low-yield... Read More »
Senate bill would give National Guard and Reserve members equal hazard duty incentive pay
A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate would give National Guard and Reserve members equal hazard duty incentive pay (HDIP). The bill was sponsored by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). Similar legislation has already been introduced in the House. “The... Read More »
GAO recommends ways to improve implementation of National Biodefense Strategy
The United States is struggling to implement a National Biodefense Strategy, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review, but there are additional efforts that could make the strategy more effective. GAO first recommended that the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary should... Read More »
Public Health Emergency Response and Accountability Act aims to create permanent emergency response fund
New legislation proposed by U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tina Smith (D-MN) and Angus King (I-ME) seeks to create a permanent fund to encourage quicker responses to public health emergencies. The Public Health Emergency Response and... Read More »
CBP launches biometric facial recognition at Houston airport
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently launched biometric facial comparison technology at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport. The technology is intended to secure and streamline international travel. CBP has processed more than 43 million travelers using biometric facial... Read More »
Senate Democrats call upon Trump officials to provide more resources for coronavirus
A group of Senate Democrats expressed concerns to Trump Administration officials about the relative lack of resources to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. The request follows the release of the Trump Administration’s new budget proposal, which suggested cutting public health and... Read More »
Counterintelligence plan addresses evolving threats
The National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) recently released a plan outlining counterintelligence approaches to threats that have evolved significantly since the last report in 2016. The National Counterintelligence Strategy of the United States of America 2020-2022 lists five... Read More »
Reps McCarthy, Schweikert urge FDA to hold workshop on Valley Fever
U.S. Reps. Kevin McCarthy (R-TX) and David Schweikert (R-AZ) sent a letter to both the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the development of medicine to combat Valley Fever. Valley Fever is a fungal infection that can cause fever,... Read More »
DHS released $1.8B in funding opportunities for preparedness grants
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released funding opportunities for eight preparedness grant programs totaling nearly $1.8 billion. The grant programs provide funding to state and local governments, as well as transportation authorities, nonprofits, and the private sector, to... Read More »
FirstNet bringing enhancements to New Hampshire ahead of schedule
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) is bringing enhancements to the FirstNet network in New Hampshire ahead of schedule. AT&T and Gov. Chris Sununu recently hosted an event to celebrate. FirstNet is a nationwide, wireless communications platform for first responders... Read More »
Merck injectable vaccine being licensed in four African countries for Ebola prevention
A new milestone in the fight against Ebola was achieved last week with the announcement that Merck’s injectable vaccine, Ervebo, has been licensed for use against Ebola in four nations: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, Ghana, and Zambia. Additional registrations of the... Read More »
Nearly 190 incidents of unregulated nuclear materials in 2019
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) received notifications of nearly 190 incidents of nuclear and other radioactive materials not under regulatory control in 2019, according to the agency’s annual fact sheet. The fact sheet was published during a recent IAEA conference on... Read More »
FDA moves to ensure protections against Novel Coronavirus
As part of the response to the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak worldwide, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week outlined its efforts to facilitate diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of the disease, keep an eye on the medical product supply chain and maximize the... Read More »
Legislation would establish arms-trafficking team within DHS
Legislation recently introduced in the House of Representatives would establish a Border Enforcement Security Team (BEST) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) focused solely on reducing arms trafficking. There are currently 57 security teams within DHS, but none with this dedicated... Read More »
Democrats object to the transfer of funds to border wall
The Department of Defense has transferred $3.8 billion to fund President Donald Trump’s southwest border wall, of which democrats on the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee strongly disapprove. They recently voiced their opposition in a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper. The... Read More »
Senators urge HHS to reimburse state, local governments for coronavirus aid
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators recently called on the Department of Health and Human Services to set guidelines for how state and local governments will be reimbursed for costs incurred while assisting the federal response to the coronavirus outbreak. “Many state and local health... Read More »
Efficacy of travel bans in disease containment largely unknown, study finds
Since the rapid outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on Wuhan, China, and beyond, numerous governments have restricted travel to and from China, but a new university-run study reminds one and all that the effectiveness of travel bans remains unknown. While the World Health Organization... Read More »
Experts voice concern about drug supply chain, safety during coronavirus epidemic
Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, is also a production hub for pharmaceutical ingredients for the United States. As the virus spreads throughout China, the U.S. drug supply remains vulnerable to reduced production and export of essential materials. There are 400 drug... Read More »
Senators press for appointment of senior global health security expert for first time in nearly two years
With the growing weight of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) felt at home and abroad, members of the Senate have grown increasingly uncomfortable with a nearly two-year-old vacancy for a national senior public health security expert -- and last week, 27 of them pushed for a change. The vacancy... Read More »
Rep. Granger says US needs to do more in fight against coronavirus
U.S. Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) said the federal government must strengthen its capacity to produce pharmaceuticals to fight the novel coronavirus. “For years, I have fought to ensure that funds are available in case of a public health emergency, and I was assured the Administration has the... Read More »
IDSA criticizes White House 2021 budget cuts that leave US open to disease outbreaks
While the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has prompted a public health emergency declaration in the United States and renewed global concerns over pandemics, the White House 2021 budget would cut programs that help prevent infectious disease outbreaks and earned the ire of the Infectious Diseases... Read More »
TSA should develop plan for safety working group, GAO says
Threats in the public areas of airports have increased, prompting the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to issue a recommendation to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) administrator. The recommendation suggests the administration develop a plan outlining roles and... Read More »
Cybersecurity, election security programs to be fully funded
Programs that promote election security and combat cyberthreats will be fully funded in the next fiscal year’s budget, a DHS official confirmed at a Senate hearing. The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) program as well as the Election Infrastructure Information... Read More »
House bill would help state, local governments fight hackers
Legislation was introduced this week to authorize a new grant program at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to address cybersecurity vulnerabilities on government networks. State and local governments have been frequent targets of cybercriminals. In 2019, ransomware attacks hit... Read More »
Internet crime becoming more sophisticated, spawning highest losses and complaints to date
The FBI Internet Complaint Center’s (IC3) 2019 Internet Crime Report found that last year, internet-enabled crimes spawned the highest number of complaints and losses since May 2000. In all, IC3 took in 467,361 complaints in 2019 and tracked more than $3.5 billion in losses among individuals... Read More »
Legislation would ensure Border Patrol agents receive overtime pay
A recently introduced bipartisan bill would bring the Border Patrol pay system in line with other federal law enforcement agencies. The Border Patrol Pay Security Act would ensure agents who work more than 80 hours per week would receive overtime pay at time and a half their normal rate. It... Read More »
Trump Administration launches School Safety website
The Trump Administration launched a new website called Schoolsafety.gov, which is a resource for kindergarten through grade 12 administrators, educators, parents, and law enforcement to prepare for various threats to safety and security. "School safety is the number one priority of parents... Read More »
Sens. Murphy, Rubio encourage FDA to secure imports from China due to novel coronavirus outbreak
Fearing for the pharmaceuticals, food, and medical supplies coming from China amid the novel coronavirus, U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CN) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) implored the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take action this week. In a letter to FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, the senators... Read More »
Coronavirus Task Force briefs National Governors Association on COVID-19 outbreak
The National Governors Association (NGA) received a briefing on the U.S. response to the novel coronavirus, which was officially renamed COVID-19 by the World Health Organization this week, during its winter meeting this week, from representatives of the White House-appointed Coronavirus Task... Read More »
Senators request more aircraft at Nevada base to fight wildfires
U.S. Senators from California and Nevada are requesting the U.S. Air Force to upgrade the Nevada Air National Guard Base in Reno with eight new aircraft. Upgrading the Nevada Air National Guard’s C-130J fleet would help improve the Nevada Air National Guard’s ability to fight wildfires in... Read More »
Bill to make fentanyl Schedule I substance signed into law
The Temporary Reauthorization and Study of the Emergency Scheduling of Fentanyl Analogues Act was signed into law last week by President Donald Trump. The legislation extends the Drug Enforcement Agency’s temporary order making fentanyl-related substances Schedule I, a designation reserved... Read More »
Senators urge selection of Fort Benning as new Army Corps headquarters
Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue (R-GA) recently urged the U.S. Army to select Fort Benning as the Army’s fourth corps headquarters. Fort Benning is one of three finalists for the headquarters that is needed to fulfill National Defense Strategy requirements. In their letter to... Read More »
Democrats urge Trump administration to fully fund pandemic preparedness and response
Faced with a novel coronavirus outbreak that has taken the world by storm, U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) recently highlighted lax pandemic funding from the Trump administration. The group of Democrats pressed the administration... Read More »