U.S. Policy
House Committee on Homeland Security officials are espousing the advancement of legislation they maintain focuses on defending the homeland and standing by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) law enforcement.
The panel advanced legislation to reauthorize the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH) this week reintroduced the Team Telecom Act, which would help the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) avert potential telecom manipulation threats.
Team Telecom is the informal name for a makeshift interagency working group composed of representatives from the... Read More »
While some have started to put the COVID-19 pandemic firmly behind them, other emphasize the lessons learned, and two of those figures this week introduced the Senate Disease X Act of 2023, proposing creation of a federal Disease X Medical Countermeasures program.
Meant to ready the nation for... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Jared Golden (D-ME) recently introduced the Keeping Foreign Money out of Ballot Measures Act, which prohibits foreign nationals from making political contributions related to State ballot measures and initiatives.
“The outcomes of our elections must be... Read More »
Through a letter written to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, 10 senators pressed for details of reports alleging that Chinese Intelligence outposts are operating inside the United States.
Citing details from conservative news outlets, the lawmakers spoke of grave concerns about Overseas... Read More »
Last week the United States destroyed its last declared chemical weapons stockpile, allowing the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to confirm that all such stockpiles worldwide are now verified gone.
It was work spanning decades, following on from the ratification of... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials have outlined the implementation of new family reunification parole (FRP) processes for Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
“These new processes promote family unity and provide lawful pathways consistent with our laws and our... Read More »
Through its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last week awarded research contracts amounting to $3.15 million to 20 small businesses, to advance proof of concept research in seven areas.
This will advance in phases, with... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Derek Kilmer (D-WA), and Sharice Davids (D-KS) are espousing the benefits of legislation that improves hiring and increase retention of tribal law enforcement officers.
The Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act, which would also better protect native communities... Read More »
Three lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, seeking insight regarding a recent U.S. airstrike in Syria.
U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and U.S. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) expressed concerns that the May 23 action may... Read More »
Last month, officers from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stationed at Washington Dulles International Airport intercepted two boxes destined for Washington, D.C. that turned out to possess about 71 pounds of a cathinone analogue.
Cathinone is a substance similar to amphetamines,... Read More »
Members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee released a discussion draft of a reauthorization for the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA), in search of feedback.
PAHPA, first created in 2006, established the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials have detailed the interception of nearly 900,000 fentanyl pills concealed inside porcelain sinks at the Otay Mesa port of entry’s facility in California.
“Narcotics traffickers will try new and innovative ways to smuggle dangerous drugs across... Read More »
The phrase “Made in the U.S.A” would take on greater importance under a new bill in the Senate, which would require federally-purchased flags to be 100 percent produced and manufactured in the United States.
All-American Flag Act is the brainchild of U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), Sherrod... Read More »
The U.S Navy has trouble with accurately estimating project costs according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and with much of its shipyards in poor and outdated condition, evaluators determined changes are needed to properly address the larger design process.
In a prominently cited... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a new draft guidance the agency noted focuses on considerations to researchers investigating psychedelic drugs for potential treatment of medical conditions.
“Psychedelic drugs show initial promise as potential treatments for mood,... Read More »
After years of warnings about the growing number of missing or murdered Indigenous people, and a traveling federal commission investigating the issue, the Justice Department this week announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program.
The new... Read More »
In a joint statement, Colorado field offices of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), together with state law enforcement, this week warned people to use only prescription medications as the fentanyl poisonings surge.
According to the DEA, fentanyl... Read More »
Two bills authored by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) won the approval of their colleagues this week, putting it to the House whether efforts will be taken to close lobbying loopholes the pair fear foreign adversaries could exploit.
Respectively, the bills include the... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is espousing the benefits of newly issued customs broker education guidance, which would bolster compliant trade and protect against illicit trade entering domestic commerce.
Senior Official Performing the Duties of Commissioner Troy A. Miller said the new... Read More »
Through an amendment to the Agriculture and Rural Development Appropriations bill, adopted last week by a vote of 34-26, U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) proposed a requirement for the Secretary of Agriculture to prohibit purchase of agricultural land by specific entities.
“Increased ownership... Read More »
The Protecting and Securing Chemical Facilities from Terrorist Attacks Act was introduced in the Senate last week as a proposal to extend the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program beyond its impending July expiration.
Introduced by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), Shelley... Read More »
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has indicated Keene, New Hampshire-based Cheshire Medical Center (CMC) will pay $2 million to resolve an alleged Controlled Substances Act (CSA) violation.
“Cheshire Medical Center’s failure to fulfill its obligations under the Controlled Substance Act... Read More »
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials are espousing the benefits of implementing credential authentication technology (CAT) and computed tomography (CT) scanners at two airports.
TSA indicated it has installed a new credential authentication technology (CAT) unit and a 3-D... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Young Kim (R-CA) and Jason Crow (D-CO) have introduced a bill eyeing expanded wildfire technologies access.
The Wildfire Tech Demonstration, Evaluation, Modernization, and Optimization (DEMO) Act (HR 4235) would enable private entities to partner with federal land management agencies... Read More »
Concerned about the U.S. need for critical minerals and the domination of those minerals by adversarial nations, three U.S. senators have introduced a bipartisan bill that would direct the Department of Defense (DoD) to find ways to reduce its foreign mineral dependence.
Currently, China... Read More »
As the next phase of its campaign to target and block illicit fentanyl from entering the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last week announced two new operations, Artemis and Rolling Wave.
These operations will dispatch multi-disciplined, interagency jump teams to... Read More »
With reintroduction of the federal Stop Pills that Kill Act this week, U.S. Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH), Lou Correa (D-CA), Ken Buck (R-CO) and Greg Stanton (D-AZ) seek to institute new penalties for counterfeit pill production.
According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), a single kilogram of... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Bill Johnson (R-OH) and Joe Courtney (D-CT) have reintroduced legislation they maintain seeks to govern private land use restrictions on amateur radio.
The Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act (H.R. 4006) addresses present federal law providing for the installation of TV... Read More »
New requirements could be coming to railroads’ provision of hazardous materials information to responders during hazmat incidents, based on a new rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
If adopted, the proposal... Read More »
The Department of Defense (DOD) has outlined a $13.8 million agreement with a Keene, N.H., firm, noting the pact would strengthen the supply chain.
The partnership with the Timken Company (Timken) would increase production of high-precision ball bearings in accordance with the DOD's Office of... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) has joined three colleagues to introduce legislation that would provide affordable housing incentives for volunteer firefighters and first responders.
The Volunteer First Responder Housing Act was introduced by Capito with U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI),... Read More »
Concerned about a spike of crime on reservations in their region, United States Sens. John Thune, Mike Rounds and Dusty Johnson (all R-SD) wrote to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland this week requesting additional Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) support for tribal law enforcement agencies.
They... Read More »
A bipartisan, bicameral collection of federal lawmakers introduced the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Party Act this week, proposing that homeowners be exempt from federal taxes on rebates received for hardening their homes against natural disasters.
Such rebates are not a national given, but some... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and John Cornyn (R-TX) are commending Senate colleagues for advancing their bill bolstering efforts to screen vehicles and cargo entering the United States.
The Non-Intrusive Inspection Expansion Act would require Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to use... Read More »
