U.S. Policy
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), in collaboration with international law enforcement organizations, recently announced the seizure of internet domains used to sell malware and a pair of indictments lodged against individuals in Malta and Nigeria.
Federal authorities in Boston seized four... Read More »
For the first time in more than a decade, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) managed to reduce its backlog of immigration cases in 2023, pushing hard to complete an unprecedented 10 million cases over the course of the fiscal year.
The agency faced down two record issues at the... Read More »
An upcoming plan by the Biden administration could see the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) give up communication airwaves typically reserved for military operations, but recently, three senators from the Armed Services Committee pushed back on those plans.
The senators, who included U.S. Sens.... Read More »
With their recent introduction of the Drone Evaluation to Eliminate Cyber Threats Act of 2024 (DETECT Act), U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and John Thune (R-SD) seek to direct the development of cybersecurity guidelines for the federal government’s use of drones.
“Drones and unmanned systems... Read More »
Overcoming its first hurdle, the Improving Federal Building Security Act (S.3613) passed out of committee this week, putting its ideas of timely improvements for federal buildings into consideration by the full Senate.
Earlier, the Federal Protective Service (FPS) issued recommendations on... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intends to hire 50 artificial intelligence experts this year as part of a unique initiative meant to create a new team focused on ensuring responsible use of AI.
Dubbed a hiring sprint, the effort will yield what the DHS is calling its AI Corps.... Read More »
A legislative effort to repeal a section of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (PKEMRA) and bring the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in line with other agencies on disaster aid recently advanced unanimously through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental... Read More »
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced charges against nearly 200 people over the last several weeks as part of a nationwide crackdown on drug-trafficking organizations.
Arrests were made from seven different field offices: Los Angeles, Columbia, Anchorage, Pittsburgh, Baltimore,... Read More »
In all, seven awards were recently announced under the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Production Act Investments (DPAI) program, bringing $192.5 million to bear for the creation of domestic, critical chemical manufacturing capabilities.
Each award was given as a contract, and... Read More »
Despite legal obligations, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has delayed expanding its PreCheck program to underserved areas and reportedly opened itself to security breaches, earning the ire of two senators this week.
United States Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and John Thune (R-SD)... Read More »
In a recent vote, the Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Competition Act advanced its way out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, leaving the Senate to consider its push to prepare federal employees for cybersecurity threats.
“By ensuring our nation has a... Read More »
Updates are coming to the H-1B visa program, under a final rule recently released by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that sought to beef up integrity measures for registration, emphasize a beneficiary-centric selection process and provide new codifications.
H-1B... Read More »
In a bid to protect firefighters from fire-related hazards, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) opened applications for the 2023 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program this week, dangling $324 million for safety measures.
“As a former firefighter, I know the hazards and... Read More »
The U.S. Justice Department recently concluded a series of nearly 200 arrests across the country as part of a large-scale operation against drug-trafficking organizations.
The cases spanned four districts and 10 states, as part of a calculated approach by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices – and... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and John Kennedy (R-LA) recently introduced the Helping Eliminate Limitations for Prompt Response and Recovery Act to overhaul how emergency response is handled.
Specifically, the bill would repeal a section of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of... Read More »
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently opened an application period for its Emergency Manager Exchange (EMX) program, giving state, local, Tribal and territorial governments to send emergency managers to FEMA offices.
Participants will work for six months stints, networking,... Read More »
Seeking to keep adversaries’ hands off sensitive American genetic data, a bipartisan and bicameral group of federal lawmakers recently introduced the Prohibiting Foreign Access to American Genetic Information Act of 2024 and took aim at certain biotechnology companies’ practices.
“Every... Read More »
Eying ways to improve cybersecurity among healthcare operations nationwide, the U.S. Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) released new voluntary performance goals and a new gateway website this week.
“We have a responsibility to help... Read More »
With the recent introduction of the Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Competition Act, United States Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Mike Braun (R-IN) sought to get ahead of cybersecurity threats with improvements to the national President’s Cup Cybersecurity Competition.
“As foreign... Read More »
As a way to fill gaps in its ranks, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently upped its recruitment incentives for agents to as much as $30,000 for those who entered duty on or after Jan. 8, 2024.
Additional incentives were also potentially offered for applicants who took on... Read More »
Continuing a fight against the Chinese-owned mobile application TikTok that has stretched since the Trump administration, two House committee leaders recently wrote to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to demand updates on ongoing investigations.... Read More »
Pushing to counter Chinese dominance of critical minerals, a bipartisan group of senators recently introduced the Critical Minerals Security Act to shore up what they saw as information gaps, evaluate the global supply chain and pull domestic industry away from Chinese industry.
The Critical... Read More »
Although marijuana is becoming increasingly legal state-by-state across the country, House chairs related to homeland security called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently to discuss Chinese-operated farms.
These elicit farms, their... Read More »
Concerned about cybersecurity risks posed by Chinese-manufactured unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently released guidance about those threats and advice on safeguards.
The Cybersecurity Guidance:... Read More »
As a modification of an Indefinite Duration, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, Northrop Grumman Corporation is at work on a new mobile ground station technology under the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) Maritime Targeting Cell – Expeditionary contract (MTC-X).
“We designed this... Read More »
A new road for how the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) interacts with Tribal nations may be in store, following the first in-person meeting of the Tribal Homeland Security Advisory Council (THSAC) and Tribal leaders’ recommendations on policies and practices that affect their... Read More »
On Tuesday, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Bob Casey and Mark Kelly (both D-AZ) introduced legislation to address the fentanyl crisis by stopping it at the southern border.
The legislation, the Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act, would increase staffing capacity, as well as add technology to... Read More »
Criticizing a provision in the proposed national security supplemental funding bill, more than a dozen Senate Democrats sponsored a bill this week that would maintain Congressional oversight of military assistance funding for Israel.
Introduced by U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), the bill would... Read More »
Ten Republican senators opened a new front last week with introduction of the Creating Obstructions Necessary to Address Illegal and Nefarious Entry Rapidly (CONTAINER) Act.
In theory, that bill draws on the Constitution’s provided right for states to defend themselves. It is untested legal... Read More »
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently chose the University of Alaska to head up a consortium of academic, industry, government, lab and community partners for a new ADAC-ARCTIC Center of Excellence, awarding it $46 million for the... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported this week that it intercepted 6,737 firearms people attempted to take through airport security checkpoints and onto aircraft in 2023.
It is the highest total on record, topping 2022’s record 6,542 firearms, which was itself... Read More »
Using her 2024 State of the State address this week as a springboard, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced new initiatives on crime and public safety, including crackdowns on retail theft and gun violence, and support for both domestic violence and hate crime prosecution.
“If government... Read More »
A service member in the U.S. Navy was sentenced this week to 27 months in prison and fined $5,500 for taking bribes and transmitting sensitive military information to an intelligence officer from the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
The court named the sentenced as Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao... Read More »
Since the 2022 implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reported that, as of December 2023, it had stopped more than 500 unlawful firearm purchases by people under 21 years old.
“In the 19 months since the passage of the Bipartisan... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response (CESER) last week announced up to $70 million would be made available for projects working to improve the energy sector’s security.
The security improvements, addressing both physical and... Read More »