U.S. Policy
Seeking to progress key homeland security agreements and objectives, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced expanded security cooperation with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Robert Silvers, Under Secretary for Policy at the DOE, penned security arrangements with... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY) have introduced a bill prohibiting countries such as China and Russia from purchasing U.S. agriculture companies.
The Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security (PASS) Act also ensures the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is fully... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced that Aerojet Rocketdyne Inc., based in El Segundo, Calif., has agreed to pay $9 million to resolve False Claims Act violation allegations.
According to the Justice Department, the settlement resolves a lawsuit filed and litigated by former... Read More »
New recommendations meant to overhaul U.S. research oversight for enhanced potential pandemic pathogens (ePPPs) and life sciences dual-use efforts were submitted last week by a 34-member group of scientists, public health experts, and policy researchers.
These recommendations were submitted by... Read More »
In response to Afghanistan’s return to Taliban rule, U.S. Reps. Mike Turner (R-OH) and Marc Veasey (D-TX) introduced legislation last week – the Preventing Terrorist Transfers to Afghanistan Act – that would disallow the release of terrorism-aligned individuals to Afghanistan.
A similar... Read More »
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently detailed the seizure of 1,342 pounds (609 Kilos) of cocaine left inside a smuggling vessel in El Paraiso Beach.
The estimated value of the narcotics discovered in northern Puerto Rico is $12.7 million - crediting the seizure to Border Patrol... Read More »
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced this week that $122.5 million had been awarded through the State Aid for Police Protection (SAPP) program to expand resources for police departments statewide.
“Prioritized by our budget, this record 60% increase in funding will help police officers and the... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) recently urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to formally investigate TikTok and the platform's parent company, ByteDance.
Warner and Rubio, respective chairman and vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,... Read More »
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) recently released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) providing information on Maui ransomware.
The Maui ransomware has been used by North... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Young Kim (R-CA) have introduced a bill that seeks to ensure efficient delivery of domestic defense equipment sold to Taiwan and Indo Pacific allies.
The Arms Exports Delivery Solutions Act (H.R. 8259) would track transfers while reaffirming congressional... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), and Anthony G. Brown (D-MD) recently filed a fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) amendment providing the District of Columbia mayor D.C. National Guard control.
The legislators introduced the filing at the... Read More »
As the war between Ukraine and Russia continues unabated, despite hundreds of deaths and months of economic sanctions, some lawmakers in the United States have begun looking to the future, with a resolution committing the United States to rebuild the ravaged Ukraine.
Essentially, the bill would... Read More »
As part of a competitive search for climate-friendly cooling solutions in the face of extreme heat conditions, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded $195,000 to winners of the Cooling Solutions Challenge this week.
Participants worked on innovative solutions to heat, inventing... Read More »
Responding to the more than 450 cases of monkeypox reported in the United States as of July 1, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ordered another 2.5 million doses of Bavarian Nordic’s JYNNEOS vaccine for smallpox and monkeypox.
The case count held at 459 at the end of... Read More »
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently unveiled an updated version of its mobile app, which now provides users with increased personalization options while aiding disaster safety efforts.
“FEMA is committed to providing families with the tools and information they need to keep... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Ken Calvert (R-CA), co-chairs of the California Aerospace Caucus, sent a letter to U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall III last week, urging for the permanent relocation of the U.S. Space Force (USSF) upcoming Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM)... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), advocating support for a CMS proposal encouraging hospitals to buy domestically-produced masks.
U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined six colleagues in sending... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) recently formed the Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Cyber program-managed joint initiative, which would enhance critical infrastructure cyber... Read More »
Struggling to contain a national opioid epidemic, the United States Justice Department (DOJ) Criminal Division this week gathered various law enforcement operations together under the New England Prescription Opioid (NEPO) Strike Force.
The strike force represents a renewed focus on unlawful... Read More »
Public health policy organization Trust for America’s Health and the nonprofit collective known as the Coalition for Health Funding assembled expert panelists and public health officials last week to discuss public health funding in the post-COVID landscape.
While COVID-19’s effects are... Read More »
A new study conducted by consulting firm Trail of Bits and funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) concluded that despite claims to the contrary, blockchains are not impenetrable but can be subverted to dishonest means.
Despite the growing prevalence of blockchains... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) is requesting the Biden administration reopen the northern border and recently encouraged the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to end the trucker and traveler vaccination mandate.
Tester recently implored Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro... Read More »
With the acceptance of a biologics license application (BLA) from Emergent BioSolutions Inc. last week, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is set to review the potential of AV7909, an anthrax vaccine candidate.
“Over the last 20 years, Emergent has partnered with the U.S.... Read More »
As encouragement for proof-of-concept research into homeland security technology, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) divided up $4.479 million in competitive research contracts to 30 small businesses.
This first phase of the DHS Small... Read More »
Following the advancement of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, Rep. David N. Cicilline said the momentum must be used to pass other gun violence combating measures.
“This is the first time in nearly 28 years that Congress has sent a comprehensive gun violence prevention bill to the... Read More »
After a final vote last week, the House’s $850 billion version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023 advanced toward reconciliation with its Senate counterpart.
Notably, the NDAA as written surpassed President Joe Biden’s own proposal for $813 billion and... Read More »
At a conference jointly hosted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Grace Farms Foundation last week, hundreds of law enforcement officials gathered to discuss transnational threats, as well as the information sharing and best practices needed to tackle them.
“U.S. Customs and... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) recently introduced the Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Surveillance Act, which seeks to create protections against selling or transferring domestic sensitive... Read More »
Working through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) began shipping monkeypox tests to five commercial lab companies this week.
It aims to boost the nation’s monkeypox testing capacity at large, with assistance from Aegis... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), John Hoeven (R-ND), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) recently applauded the enactment of their legislation to recruit, develop and retain skilled cybersecurity professionals in the federal workforce.
The Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act became law in the wake... Read More »
In an official visit to Washington, D.C., the Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Fernando Arias, met with various U.S. officials to address current international security and prevent the re-emergence of chemical weapons.
Under... Read More »
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued two recommendations to the Treasury Department and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding cyber risks and cyber insurance assessments.
Per the GAO, the agency conducted the study amid cyber threats to critical... Read More »
This week, a bipartisan call from four senators urged the U.S. Department of Defense to dispatch more advanced artillery rocket systems and ammunition to Ukraine in support of its efforts to repel a Russian invasion.
In a letter, U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Dick... Read More »
A bipartisan collection of 34 senators expressed concern this week amid reports that the Pentagon may downgrade the U.S. Security Coordinator (USSC) position based in Israel to a colonel rather than a three-star general.
The senators argue that the change could disrupt operations at a key U.S.... Read More »
Over the course of a week, the latest iteration of the Raven’s Challenge, an improvised explosive devices (IED) training exercise for state, federal, and international partners in public safety and military, gathered more than 100 personnel in New York’s Oneida County this month.
The State... Read More »
