Policy
Democrats introduce additional COVID-19 actions to ensure health workers’ safety
Building off of the momentum embodied in an $8.3 billion emergency funding package approved earlier this month, House Democrats have introduced legislation meant to guarantee health care facilities have exposure control plans in place to protect workers from COVID-19. The COVID-19 Worker... Read More »
Kadlec details role coordinating coronavirus response across HHS, federal government
Dr. Robert Kadlec, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), on Wednesday confirmed his duties as the top emergency preparedness official coordinating the COVID-19 coronavirus response from both the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the federal... Read More »
WHO officially declares COVID-19 a pandemic amidst warnings of inaction
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic, making it the first pandemic caused by a coronavirus. Though WHO had already determined the novel coronavirus a matter of the highest risk globally, the new declaration ended weeks of questioning and... Read More »
Bill to cure coronavirus introduced in Congress
A bill that seeks to develop treatment and a cure for the COVID-19 coronavirus was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week. The Cure the Coronavirus Act (HR 6019) encourages the rapid innovation and approval of a treatment to prevent or cure the 2019 coronavirus. The World... Read More »
Agencies target deceptive coronavirus advertising
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials have forwarded warning correspondence to seven companies for allegedly selling unapproved products that include deceptive coronavirus claims. “There already is a high level of anxiety over the potential spread of... Read More »
Sens. Menendez, Booker call on HHS to release emergency funding for coronavirus
U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) are urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to unlock emergency funds allocated for state and local governments to deal with the coronavirus. The emergency funding was allocated in an $8.5 billion supplemental spending... Read More »
CEPI urges need for $2B investment COVID-19 vaccine in light of recent investment from UK
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI) welcomed this week a £20 million ($26.2 million) investment from the U.K. government while highlighting the need for upwards of $2 billion to develop a vaccine against the virus that causes COVID-19. CEPI, a global partnership dedicated to the... Read More »
House advances legislation extending Transportation Security Officer rights, protections
The House of Representatives has advanced a bill designed to extend Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) equal rights and protections provided other workers under Title 5 of the U.S. Code. Reps. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) and Nita Lowey (D-NY) sponsored the Rights for Transportation Security... Read More »
Reps. Degette, Bucshon introduce bill to improve FDA oversight of diagnostic testing
A bipartisan bill that would establish a framework for overseeing diagnostic testing at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. Public health officials have long called for greater oversight of diagnostic testing. Health care providers and... Read More »
Maryland Congressional leaders discuss funding from DoD to fight infectious diseases
Members of Congress from Maryland met with defense department officials last week to discuss funding for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) and the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD). The meeting was precipitated... Read More »
Senators hold hearing with DHS, HHS to address COVID-19 priorities
Officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last week to address steps being taken to contain COVID-19 and prevent future epidemics. The novel coronavirus has... Read More »
Strategic National Stockpile requires more funds to bolster inventory, says former director
The former director of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) told Homeland Preparedness News on Friday that Congress should go above and beyond requested supplemental funding to ensure the United States is more prepared to fight the coronavirus outbreak and other future threats. “There is... Read More »
President signs into law $8.3B emergency funding to fight coronavirus outbreak
President Donald Trump signed into law an $8.3 billion emergency funding package on Friday aimed at combatting the spread of the coronavirus that has led to more than 3,000 deaths globally. The legislation, H.R. 6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act,... Read More »
NTI helps launch fund to help countries prepare for pandemics
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) is part of a new initiative to help fill gaps in pandemic preparedness that have emerged with the rapidly evolving COVID-19 coronavirus crisis. NTI, along with other global health security organizations, is helping to launch a fund called the Global Health... Read More »
House subcommittee leads initiative to combat transnational trafficking
A bipartisan coalition of Congress members recently launched an effort to combat transnational trafficking. The Counter-Trafficking Initiative is designed to explore and expose the breadth and reach of transnational trafficking networks and their illicit finances. “Whether it’s human... Read More »
Sen. Durbin initiates inquiry into transfer of funds from National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account
During the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee’s hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget for National Guard and Reserve Components, Sen. Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) inquired about a funds transfer. Durbin, vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee,... Read More »
Legislation seeks to provide protections for NIOSH-certified respirators
Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced Wednesday a bill ensuring National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-certified respirators have the same liability protections as other medical products,... Read More »
HHS to provide initial funding for certain states, localities as part of COVID-19 response
Specific states and local jurisdictions stand to benefit from federal funding under a targeted effort to counter COVID-19, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced this week. Through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an initial $25 million cooperative... Read More »
Bipartisan effort introduces Cure the Coronavirus Act to spur vaccine efforts
The bipartisan Cure the Coronavirus Act ( H.R. 6019) was introduced this week in the House in response to a growing presence of COVID-19 in the United States. Through the legislation, U.S. Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-CA-), Rep. Peter King (R-NY), and Rep. Jaime Herrera... Read More »
Air Force Secretary to visit the Minot Air Force Base
U.S. Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett is visiting the Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota Thursday at the invitation of Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND). Hoeven invited Barrett to visit the facilities during her confirmation process last year. The senator, a member of the Senate Defense... Read More »
Sen. Collins probes US health officials on coronavirus response
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) urged officials from U.S. health agencies to take action to stem the spread of the coronavirus at a Senate Health Committee hearing on the coronavirus this week. Specifically, Collins said they should work to prevent drug shortages and protect Americans,... Read More »
Lockheed Martin touts F-35 milestones
Lockheed Martin recently highlighted a pair of F-35 aircraft milestones, one related to delivery and the other to logged flight hours. Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Joint Program Office have delivered the 500th F-35, and last month, the F-35 enterprise surpassed 250,000 flight hours. “These... Read More »
GAO offers NNSA portfolio management recommendation
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) a portfolio management recommendation regarding the agency’s nuclear weapon stockpile modernization efforts. The GAO said the recommendation stemmed from the NNSA modernizing the nation's... Read More »
Congress reaches deal on $8.3B emergency funding package to fight coronavirus
U.S. House and Senate leaders reached an agreement on an $8.3 billion emergency supplemental appropriations package on Wednesday to fund the nation’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, including critical funding for vaccine research and development. “Today Democrats and Republicans in... Read More »
Right-wing extremists account for majority of extremist-related murders last year, ADL reports
Right-wing extremists were responsible for a majority of extremist-related murders in the United States last year, according to a report by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Of the 42 extremist-related murders in the nation last year, 38 were committed by individuals subscribing to various... Read More »
Firm secures Rio Grande Valley border wall contract
Two government agencies said Southwest Valley Constructors Co. has secured a contract to build 15 miles of new Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Sector border wall. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) officials announced the contract, valued at $179,580,000,... Read More »
Rep. Buchanan urges rapid COVID-19 response after cases reach Florida
With reports of COVID-19 cases spreading further across the U.S. day by day, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) has become the latest lawmaker calling for swift congressional action to contain the virus. While the novel coronavirus’s spread in the United States has remained low, Centers for... Read More »
Lawmakers seek medical supply chain clarity
Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Gary C. Peters (D-MI) recently forwarded correspondence to two agencies to inquire about medical supply chain security and stability in the event of a coronavirus outbreak. Johnson and Peters sent a letter to Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary... Read More »
Measure addresses border personnel fentanyl exposure
Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced last week a measure designed to protect Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees from accidental exposure to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. The Synthetic Opioid Exposure Prevention and Training Act of 2020 would... Read More »
Reps. Fitzpatrick, Jackson Lee and Ruiz chair coronavirus task force
Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), and Raul Ruiz (D-CA) have been selected to head up the new Bipartisan Congressional Coronavirus Task Force. The task force will marshal the experience and expertise of Congress members and committee leaders to develop an action plan for... Read More »
UN shoring up most vulnerable nations against coronavirus with $15M funding
While raising the global risk surrounding the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, to very high, the World Health Organization (WHO) this week released $15 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) as a means of shoring up defenses in more vulnerable nations. “We do not yet see evidence... Read More »
Representatives applaud Senate passage of communications bill
The U.S. Senate recently passed the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act, a bipartisan House bill that would secure America’s telecommunications supply chain. The bill was introduced by Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Greg Walden... Read More »
Sens. Feinstein, Markey seeks answers from GAO on NNSA nuclear spending
U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Edward Markey (D-MA) are asking the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to examine if the nuclear modernization activities by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) are sustainable and affordable. The GAO issued a report in 2017 recommending... Read More »
CBP Acting Commissioner pitches $18.2B budget plan to House Appropriations Committee
The House Appropriations Committee took testimony from Acting U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Mark Morgan this week, regarding the CBP’s portion of the Trump administration’s proposed FY 2021 budget. For CBP, that portion amounts to a more than $18.2 billion budget... Read More »