U.S. Policy
According to preliminary figures touted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), new measures deployed by the Biden administration have led to drastic reductions in illegal border crossings in the first month of 2023, setting January up for the lowest levels of monthly border encounters since... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Bob Latta (R-OH), and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) recently introduced the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act, which seeks to permanently schedule fentanyl analogues while granting researchers the ability to conduct fentanyl substance... Read More »
United States Reps. Earl Carter (R-GA) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) took a second go at introducing the Essential Medicines Strategic Stockpile Act (H.R.405) this week, seeking to create a pre-plotted list of generic medications essential for public health emergencies and cut dependence on China... Read More »
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) officials said a recently released report and toolkit seeks to aid K-12 schools in protecting against cybersecurity threats.
CISA noted Partnering to Safeguard K-12 Organizations from Cybersecurity Threats provides insight into the current... Read More »
This week, U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CN), and Chris Murphy (D-CN) introduced two bills to increase protections against guns nationwide following another series of mass shootings in California.
Respectively, the bills proposed were the Assault Weapons Ban and the Age... Read More »
In its latest operational update, covering the final month of 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) figures showed a mix of figures, with overall encounters along the border increasing even as unlawful crossings fell and migration patterns shifted overall.
Large numbers of people... Read More »
Justice Department officials said Col. Hugh T. Clements Jr. has been appointed as the new Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office).
“The Department’s COPS Office is central to our efforts to strengthen the public trust between communities and law... Read More »
Last week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) turned to the public for information on those responsible for a series of threats against and attacks on reproductive health service facilities nationwide – and it put up $25,000 in rewards for that information.
In all, 10 incidents were... Read More »
Following up on a group letter from July 2022, United States Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) last week called for Congressional action to block any proposed transfer of U.S. F-16 fighter jets and their components to Turkey.
Pallone and more than 30 House colleagues had urged the Biden administration... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Dan Kildee (D-MI) recently introduced the Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act, which seeks to ban bump stocks permanently.
The bill stems from legal efforts to overturn the present bump stock regulatory ban. When attached to semiautomatic... Read More »
The United States Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) split $1.1 million between seven federal laboratories this week for federal research that could benefit Department of Homeland Security (DHS) missions and homeland security stakeholders – and, potentially, find a market.
The latter... Read More »
As lawmakers process the passage of the government funding bill at the tail end of December 2022, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) announced that major portions of the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act (PREVENT Pandemics Act) were included in its... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a new process of deferred action requests for noncitizen workers victimized by or witnesses to the violation of labor rights, allowing them greater potential protections against exploitation.
The change in process will shift more scrutiny... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) recently expressed concerns regarding increased paramilitary vigilante groups patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border.
The senators forwarded correspondence to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of Homeland... Read More »
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) is commending House of Representatives colleagues for advancing a measure prohibiting sending Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) products to China.
According to bill provisions, the Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act (H.R. 22)... Read More »
Department of Defense (DoD) and Japanese Ministry of Defense (MOD) officials are commending recently signed Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Projects (RDT&E) and Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) agreements.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Japan Minister of Defense... Read More »
As part of new methods to enhance border enforcement and expand tools for local immigration, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last week debuted a new scheduling function on the CBP One mobile application to allow appointment requests at land ports of entry.
Only specific land ports... Read More »
Despite being required to develop the ability to make at least 80 plutonium pits per year by 2030, the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) current plans fail to follow best practices, increasing the odds of costly increases and delays, according to an investigation from the... Read More »
Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) officials are espousing the benefits of the FedRAMP Authorization Act being enacted as part of the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
The Act organizes the FedRAMP program as the authoritative standardized approach to... Read More »
A new directive from the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) service determined that changes were needed and clarity provided for weighing the risks of vehicular pursuit but refrained from banning the practice.
The decision followed an extensive review of the agency’s past... Read More »
Justice Department officials have detailed a Southern District of Georgia federal indictment naming 76 defendants stemming from a drug trafficking investigation tied to the Ghost Face Gangsters criminal street gang.
Authorities indicated the indictment includes allegations of multiple deaths from... Read More »
New York state officials are espousing the benefits of $35.2 million in new funding in support of statewide cybersecurity enhancements.
“The frequency, magnitude, and impact of cyber-attacks have increased, but we will continue to take bold measures to secure and protect New York’s critical... Read More »
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials said 44 guns detected in carry-on luggage in 2022 at Philadelphia International Airport represent a record for the most guns caught at the security checkpoint.
“Our TSA officers are good at their jobs in helping to ensure that passengers get... Read More »
A delegation from the Senate headed to the United States-Mexican border this week in Texas and Arizona to explore issues related to security and humanitarian and economic challenges in the region and related to larger immigration concerns.
The group, which included U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CN),... Read More »
Northrop Grumman Corporation officials have detailed the company's production of rocket motors for the Army’s Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) - noting the action fulfills the full contract production quantity.
“We are proactively investing in production facilities and... Read More »
In an attempt to hasten the deportation of convicted illegal immigrants, United States Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) reintroduced the Help Ensure Legal Detainers (HELD) Act this week, a bill that would incentivize state and local law enforcement to transfer those immigrants to federal... Read More »
The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) has been awarded over $68.5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding in the wake of Hurricane Fiona.
"When disaster strikes, it is our foremost priority to ensure the Government of Puerto Rico has the tools necessary to... Read More »
Through the largest presidential drawdown authority committed to date, the Biden administration greenlit $2.85 billion in military equipment to benefit the Ukrainian military’s defense against the ongoing Russian invasion, along with $225 million in additional foreign military financing.
"The... Read More »
Currently, immigration to the United States is still bound by the requirements of the Title 42 public health order enacted in March 2020, but while the legality of this remains bound up in court, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated this week that it is preparing for a return to Title 8... Read More »
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is touting the new Home Test to Treat program, a virtual community health intervention that provides free COVID-19 health services and treatments in selected communities.
“At-home testing for COVID-19 is now widely available in the United States, as are... Read More »
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said that, last year, the Louisville Division yielded the seizure of 184,382 fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills and 316 pounds of Fentanyl powder.
“Fentanyl is a national problem, and it’s landed right on our doorstep,” DEA Louisville... Read More »
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is considering a proposed fee rule adjusting certain immigration and naturalization benefit request fees.
“In addition to improving customer service operations and managing the incoming workload, USCIS must continue to fulfill our growing... Read More »
Last year brought serious increases in encounters along south Texas ports of entry, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, who reported 10,243 pounds of cocaine seized and 57,732 non-U.S. citizens encountered in violation of immigration laws.
The figures spanned the... Read More »
In a civil complaint filed last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) opened a nationwide lawsuit against AmerisourceBergen Corp. and two of its subsidiaries, which together form one of the largest pharmaceutical distributors, for violating federal law on the distribution of controlled... Read More »
President Joe Biden signed the Counter Human Trafficking Act of 2022 as one of the final legislative acts of the year, officially codifying and expanding the United States Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT).
With this update came $14 million... Read More »
