Policy
House bill would require FBI to track police officer suicides, suicide attempts
A bill that would require the FBI to collect data on suicides and attempted suicides by police officers was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week. The FBI tracks police and law enforcement personnel deaths in the line of duty, but there is no such effort to track suicides or... Read More »
Amendment bolsters Intelligence Authorization Act
A legislative amendment introduced by Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and Will Hurd (R-TX) has been incorporated into the Intelligence Authorization Act as a means of addressing trafficking and smuggling networks. The amendment directs the intelligence community to prioritize efforts to combat... Read More »
DRC Ebola outbreak ruled global health emergency
After nearly a year of battling an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo without success, the World Health Organization (WHO) this week declared the situation a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The declaration means the outbreak now poses a considerable... Read More »
Colorado representative calls for national strategy to combat opioid deaths
U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), chairwoman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Oversight and Investigations panel, said Tuesday that there needs to be a national fentanyl-response strategy to combat a rising number of opioid-related deaths. Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic... Read More »
Legislation would prohibit removal of Huawei from Entity List without Congressional approval
A bill that would prohibit the removal of Chinese telecom company Huawei from the Commerce Department Entity List without an act of Congress was introduced in the U.S. Senate Tuesday. The Entity List identifies entities reasonably believed to be involved in activities contrary to the national... Read More »
DOD releases digital modernization strategy
The Department of Defense (DOD) recently released Digital Modernization Strategy, which replaces the 2014 Resources Management Strategic Plan and outlines the department’s implementation of information technologies. The strategy addresses artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, the cloud, and... Read More »
DHS seeking proposals from colleges to serve as terrorism prevention Center of Excellence
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is committing $35 million for a new DHS Center of Excellence for Terrorism Prevention and Counterterrorism Research (TPCR). Colleges and universities in the United States are invited to submit proposals to serve... Read More »
UN-hosted meeting in DRC reaffirms support for Ebola containment
With an outbreak of Ebola continuing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations (UN) hosted Monday a high-level meeting that reaffirmed support for their system-wide approach to combating the disease and reaffirmed support for the government-led response. The disease has... Read More »
New Lyme Disease amendment tells DOD Inspector General to investigate “bioweaponization” of ticks
A new amendment advanced by the House last week will require the Inspector General of the Department of Defense (DOD) to investigate claims that the DOD weaponized Lyme disease in ticks and other insects from 1950 to 1975. The amendment was introduced by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who has... Read More »
Bill aiding officer suicide prevention heads to president’s desk
House and Senate lawmakers have approved a measure restoring grant funding for law enforcement support services, enabling the establishment of suicide-prevention programs and mental health services. The Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis Act was co-sponsored by Sen. Martha McSally... Read More »
Rep. Brooks supports Senate version of National Defense Authorization Act
Rep. Susan W. Brooks (R-IN) recently expressed her support of the Senate’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), citing its ability to prioritize national security and provide military readiness funding increases. She had previously voted against the House edition NDAA and... Read More »
Derco to expand workforce with additional US investment in F-35 jets
The U.S. government is planning to invest additional funding in F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, President Donald Trump announced last week during a visit to Derco, a Milwaukee-based aircraft supplier. "From here in Milwaukee, you are supporting magnificent aircraft, and soon you'll support the... Read More »
Rhode Island Department of Health to receive more than $5M in funding
The Rhode Island Department of Health will receive $5.4 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The bulk of the funding, through the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement, will be used to prepare for natural disasters and public health... Read More »
Amendment blocks Saudi nuclear weapon development
House legislators have adopted an amendment prohibiting U.S. sales of nuclear power equipment to Saudi Arabia without safeguards preventing nuclear weapon development. Officials said the House adopted the language as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which is expected to... Read More »
Legislation targets border trafficking, smuggling
Citing the disabling of smuggling and trafficking as a national intelligence priority, Reps. Will Hurd (R-TX) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) introduced last week a measure to address the matters along the border. The Trafficking and Smuggling Intelligence Act of 2019 ensures the intelligence... Read More »
House bill would create task force to fight inflow of opioids
A bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last week to establish a task force at the Department of Homeland Security to stop the inflow of fentanyl and other opioids into the U.S. The bill – the Joint Task Force to Combat Opioid Trafficking Act – is sponsored by Reps. Jim... Read More »
Experts support a future Manhattan Project for Biodefense to thwart new threats
An effort similar to the Manhattan Project — in which American-led R&D produced the first nuclear weapons during World War II — is needed now in defense against the growing global threats posed by infectious diseases and bioterrorism, sources said Thursday during a Blue Ribbon Study Panel on... Read More »
DHS finishes assessment of contract oversight procedures
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) maintains a recently completed audit determined the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lacks contract management policy and guidance. The OIG said DHS components did not always properly solicit, award, and manage contracts according to federal and... Read More »
Amendment aids military bases damaged by earthquakes
Reps. Paul Cook (R-CA) and Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) introduced Wednesday a National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) amendment as a means of aiding military bases sustaining recent earthquake damage. The amendment includes damages sustained at Edwards Air Force Base, Fort Irwin, and Naval Air... Read More »
Congress advances bill to ensure prosecution of those possessing biological toxins
The House this week advanced a measure introduced by U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX), following similar successful efforts in the Senate, and raising the potential to prosecute the possession of biological toxins. The Effective Prosecution of Possession of Biological Toxins and Agents Act of... Read More »
Mental health treatment bill moves to president’s desk
The Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis (STOIC) Act, which would improve mental health treatment and support for our nation’s law enforcement officers, now heads to the president’s desk for signature. The bill highlights the need for suicide prevention. Law enforcement officers are... Read More »
Rep. Langevin blasts Trump for not providing Congress with copies of National Security memo
U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) criticized the Trump Administration for its refusal to provide Congress with copies of National Security Presidential Memoranda (NSPM) regarding Department of Defense cyberspace operations. Langevin, the co-chair of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus and... Read More »
Coast Guard issues vessel cybersecurity guidelines
The Coast Guard released this week a best practices Safety Alert in the wake of what is categorized as a growing cybersecurity threat landscape amid expanded reliance on technology to support vessels. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is encouraging vessel and facility... Read More »
Rep. Norton seeks to give DC mayor control over National Guard for local emergencies
U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) proposed legislation to give the District of Columbia home-rule authority over the D.C. National Guard. This bill -- filed as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020 -- would give the D.C. mayor the same authority that... Read More »
CBP seizes ship that carried 20 tons of cocaine to Philadelphia
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized 20 tons of cocaine last month at the Port of Philadelphia and seized the vessel July 4. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued a seizure warrant for the vessel, MSC Gayane, after an application was filed by the U.S.... Read More »
Texas man pleads guilty to terrorist activities with ISIS
A Houston man pleaded guilty to attempting to join and provide information to the terrorist organization the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Kaan Sercan Damlarkaya, 20, attempted to join and support ISIS, the U.S. Justice Department claims. He provided information to other ISIS... Read More »
Laredo CBP effort nets sizeable narcotics seizure
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said a pair of recent Laredo enforcement operations yielded narcotics seizures worth a combined estimated street value exceeding $4.1 million. “I congratulate our officers for their dedication which has prevented these dangerous narcotics from... Read More »
Workshop aims to strengthen African disease response
South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases, in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other global agencies, held a workshop last month addressing biosecurity and biosafety gaps. More than 50 experts from the Southern African region met in... Read More »
NTI effort addresses high consequence biological risks
Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) personnel recently joined a series of partners in addressing the increasing risks of a catastrophic biological event. Citing such factors as rapid technological advances, an increasingly interconnected world with health security challenges, ongoing global... Read More »
Stefanik language included in Intelligence Authorization Act
House officials said language from Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (R-NY) Counterintelligence Accountability Act bill has been incorporated in the 2019 Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA). The IAA ensures the Intelligence Community has the necessary resources, funding, and authorities to protect and... Read More »
CBP agriculture specialists identify rare, aggressive pest in Florida
A shipment of malangas -- a starchy root vegetable common in South America -- from Mexico to Florida’s Port Manatee was found to contain a rare, aggressive and highly destructive type of New World army ant known as Eciton. The discovery, made in June, was conducted by U.S. Customs and Border... Read More »
Congressmen urge advancement of Don’t Break Up the T-Band Act following GAO report
Following the release of a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), Representatives Lee Zeldin (R-NY-1), Eliot Engel (D-NY-16), Peter King (R-NY-2), and Al Green (D-TX-09) recently urged the advancement of a bill that would preserve the T-Band spectrum for use by emergency... Read More »
PA Sen. Casey includes several key provisions in National Defense Authorization Act
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) announced last week that several key provisions that he worked to advance were included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Taking Back Congressional Authority Over War Authorization amendment prohibits the United States from spending funds that could... Read More »
Engineer convicted of violating International Emergency Economic Powers Act
The Department of Justice said an electrical engineer has been found guilty of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and faces a maximum prison sentence of 219 years. After a six-week trial, Yi-Chi Shih, 64, a part-time Los Angeles resident, was found guilty of... Read More »