U.S. Policy
Homeland Security Republicans are espousing the benefits of advancing five House Committee on Homeland Security bills they said are designed to bolster homeland security.
The Securing the Checkpoint Property Screening System (H.R. 6827) authorizes appropriations for the full requirement of... Read More »
A new legislative package from U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) advanced through the Senate this week, setting up the House to consider revamps to public and private sector cybersecurity and the lingering question of governmental adoption of cloud technology.
The... Read More »
Faced with the ongoing, globally denounced Russian military invasion of Ukraine, a bipartisan collection of House lawmakers this week introduced the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022 – legislation that would make it easier to ship military equipment for Ukraine’s use.
The bill... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) is espousing the benefits of a measure he introduced, which seeks to aid law enforcement and Big Tech in combating illegal activities on social media platforms.
The Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee recently conducted a hearing in which Bilirakis'... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY) has joined colleagues in introducing a bill he said seeks to award grants to states, local governments, and educational institutions for cybersecurity curriculum and tools.
Under the Director of the Cybersecurity Grants For Schools Act of 2022 (H.R. 6868),... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Sam Graves (R-MO), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), and Bob Gibbs (R-OH) are espousing the benefits of a measure that authorizes the U.S. Coast Guard funds for reinforcement and support.
The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022 enables support enhancing Coast Guard... Read More »
Reckoning with a world still navigating a pandemic and the changing diplomatic realities a war in Ukraine has wrought, United States Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) this week called for increased COVID-19 aid abroad to counter Russian and Chinese influence.
“As Russian tanks roll into Ukraine... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently introduced a bill seeking to bolster small business cybersecurity efforts in the wake of potential Russian cyberattacks stemming from the Ukrainian invasion.
U.S. Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), and Joe Morelle (D-NY)... Read More »
Five senators, led by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), are urging Senate leadership to support additional funding for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) efforts to boost security at U.S. ports of entry and improve its ability to detect and seize drugs.
Peters, chairman of the Homeland Security... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Chris Jacobs (R-NY) has introduced the Northern Border Reopening Act, which urges the Biden administration to end COVID-19 mandates for Canadians crossing the U.S. northern border.
“Vaccine mandates being imposed upon our truckers, workers in other essential industries, families, and... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Robert Scott (D-VA) introduced the No Surprises for COVID-19 Tests Act last week to close legislative loopholes and extend free COVID-19 testing.
COVID-19 tests were meant to be free and widely available as a result of the CARES Act, but some companies... Read More »
The beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic were a fraught time for the medical supply chain, but a new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notes that significant gains were made by the United States health supply chain and industrial base over the last year.
“The... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) recently hosted a roundtable discussion with law enforcement personnel, which examined the overall crime uptick nationally and increased threats to first responders.
The session with law enforcement personnel from Florida’s 16th District advocated for the... Read More »
Coast Guard Cutter James recently offloaded over $1.06 billion in illegal narcotics.
Coast Guard Cutter James offloaded 54,500 pounds of cocaine and 15,800 pounds of marijuana, at Port Everglades, Fla., on Feb. 17, 2022. During their 90-day patrol, the crew set new marks for the largest single... Read More »
Three men pleaded guilty this week after seeking to provide material support to domestic terrorists in an attempt to destroy energy facilities throughout the United States.
These charges were handed out to Christopher Brenner Cook, 20, of Columbus, Ohio; Jonathan Allen Frost, 24, of West... Read More »
A group of lawmakers is encouraging President Joe Biden to gain authorization from Congress before involving domestic armed forces in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Warren Davidson (R-OH) joined 43 colleagues in signing off on the letter, which seeks the... Read More »
On Tuesday, U.S. Reps. Val Demings (D-FL) and Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX) introduced legislation to save the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet).
The legislation, H.R. 6768, would reauthorize FirstNet set to expire in 2027. Created to fulfill one of the recommendations of the 9/11... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Israel – U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Homeland Security (HLS) program indicated they are seeking advanced technology project proposals.
The 2022 Call for Proposals focuses on mission-critical homeland... Read More »
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the creation of a Joint Security Operations Center (JSOC) in Brooklyn that will provide data sharing and cyber coordination for local, state, and federal cybersecurity efforts.
It is the first such cyber command center in the nation, and the partners involved... Read More »
Seeking to close a gap separating state, county, and municipal firefighters from federal firefighters, the Federal Firefighter Fairness Act of 2021 (HR 2499) is a bipartisan push to grant access to federal, job-related disability and retirement benefits for injuries and diseases contracted in the... Read More »
The U.S. Secret Service said it has initiated a cryptocurrency public awareness hub to protect the national financial infrastructure.
“Blockchain technology has brought massive development to many sectors, especially within finance," Secret Service Office of Investigations Assistant Director... Read More »
Memphis, Tennessee, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel said the division has seized 2,509 pounds of drugs since the beginning of this fiscal year.
China, Mexico, and Brazil are among the countries of origin for the contraband, which includes fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, ketamine, DMT,... Read More »
A virtual event organized by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research last week pulled in government officials and technical experts to address the best means of accelerating... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said the agency does not tolerate behavior placing the safety of airport and airline personnel as well as the traveling public at risk.
“We will continue to use our authorities to hold accountable those passengers that... Read More »
Seven senators last week urged the Biden administration to outline plans to develop more durable COVID-19 vaccines following a year of emerging variants that have tested the efficacy of current treatments.
Led by U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and... Read More »
More than 160 House Republicans sent a letter to the Biden administration last week, denouncing the Obama-era nuclear agreement with Iran and demanding that any future agreement make a greater role for Congressional insight and approval.
"The Iranian regime brutally represses, persecutes,... Read More »
With worries of a Russian incursion into Ukraine ongoing, U.S. Reps. Marc Veasey (D-TX), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), and Mike Turner (R-OH) today introduce the Supplying Ukraine with Provisions to Protect against Ongoing Russian Threats (SUPPORT) Act to guarantee support to the latter.
For the... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) has introduced legislation that seeks to bolster funding resulting in law enforcement agencies hiring more school resource officers.
The School Resource Officer Act, which Newhouse co-authored with U.S. Reps. Chris Jacobs (R-NY), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Don Bacon... Read More »
U.S. Reps. John Katko (R-NY) and Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) have joined 14 colleagues to introduce legislation that bolsters the nation’s ability to combat human trafficking.
The Countering Human Trafficking Act would provide the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Center for Countering Human... Read More »
A group of 10 senators – nine Democrats and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) – wrote a letter to President Joe Biden this week, urging him to use executive action to demilitarize the nation’s police forces and reform Department of Defense programs that transfer or sell military equipment to... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently introduced legislation that sanctions Russia for present and potential future aggression against Ukraine.
U.S. Sens. John Kennedy (R-LA) and Jim Risch (R-ID) recently joined over 30 other Republican colleagues in presenting the Never Yielding Europe’s Territory... Read More »
Lessons from one disaster can provide insights into the next and maybe even help prevent them – an idea carried forward in a new paper on COVID-19 commissioned by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and written by retired Major Gen. Julie Bentz.
In the paper, Bentz – a former major general... Read More »
Engineering firm KBR has secured a Department of Defense (DoD) Information Analysis Center contract to support the Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target (PATRIOT) missile defense system.
The scope of the $207 million contract involves analyzing PATRIOT's overall performance while... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, requesting a hearing regarding the nation's southern border.
U.S. Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Rob Portman (R-OH), Ron Johnson (R-WI), James Lankford... Read More »
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted breakthrough therapy designation to a Bavarian Nordic A/S vaccine candidate known as MVA-BN RSV this week, setting the preventative for RSV up for a hastened review and development cycle.
The vaccine’s focus, known as respiratory... Read More »
