U.S. Policy
U.S. Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) are urging President Joe Biden to add the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to the Defense Production Act Committee (DPAC).
The DPAC advises the President on the most effective use of the Defense Production Act (DPA) to... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) are seeking answers from the Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) on intelligence sharing related to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The congressional inquiry comes after the Wall Street Journal... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Marco Rubio (R-FL) recently introduced a bill designed to codify into law the Federal Clearinghouse on School Safety as a means of bolstering school security efforts.
The Luke and Alex School Safety Act of 2021 would help inform parents and... Read More »
A bipartisan group of legislators is introducing a bill to investigate the Jan. 6 domestic terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol and the federal government’s failure to respond to the threat of domestic terrorism over the past two decades.
The Commission on Domestic Terrorism Act of 2021 would... Read More »
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) introduced legislation that seeks to prevent white supremacists and other domestic extremists from enlisting in the U.S. Military.
His bill – the Shielding Our Military from Extremists Act – comes after a Department of Defense (DoD) report that said white supremacist... Read More »
Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) has introduced five bills to address the Chinese Communist Party's malign influence.
Officials said the legislation, previously introduced by Green in the 116th Congress, includes the Bring American Companies Home Act, the Our Money in China Transparency Act, the Secure... Read More »
A public health emergency was declared in Texas this week by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Acting Secretary Norris Cochran due to recent winter storms that left millions without power.
President Joe Biden had already declared an emergency in the state last week.... Read More »
With money appropriated by Congress last year, President Joe Biden pledged a total of $4 billion to the global COVAX initiative to get poorer nations access to COVID-19 vaccines.
The announcement, made during a virtual G7 Summit, also encouraged partners within that group of wealthy nations to... Read More »
Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) have seized approximately 11 million counterfeit 3M N95 respirator masks in recent weeks.
The effort resulted from a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and manufacturer 3M.
“These seizures... Read More »
Federal authorities issued a cybersecurity warning about possible malicious activity by the North Korean government related to the “AppleJeus” malware.
The advisory was issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Fred Upton (R-MI) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) introduced a bill to require silent panic alarms in all schools to immediately alert law enforcement of an active shooter.
The bill is called the Alyssa’s Legacy Youth in School Safety Alert Act (the ALYSSA Act) -- named after Alyssa... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) officials are touting initiatives designed to ensure continued nationwide safety and security of mass transit.
DHS S&T has collaborated with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York City to examine... Read More »
A new report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security addresses the status of SARS-CoV-2 surveillance, sequencing, and the three emerging variant strains, establishing four policy recommendations to identify and manage them.
“Staying Ahead of the Variants: Policy Recommendations to... Read More »
Leading health and public health organizations in the United States are seeking $4.5 billion in additional annual funding for states, localities, tribes, and territories to support public health infrastructure and workforce.
Representatives from 316 organizations sent a letter to Congressional... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is urging the Secretary of Defense to review the modular pressure mobile containment systems that can offer a Military Treatment Facility (MTF) or hospital the capability to treat patients with COVID-19 symptoms.
In a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin,... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel said on Feb. 19 that the agency would begin the initial phase of a program designed to restore safe and orderly southwest border processing.
Authorities indicated DHS would begin processing those who had been forced to remain in Mexico under... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) and David McKinley (R-WV) introduced a bill to address shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing supplies.
The Protecting Providers Everywhere (PPE) in America Act would boost domestic PPE and testing supply production. It would also promote a... Read More »
Republican members of the House Committee on Homeland Security are urging Biden administration officials not to roll back border security or immigration enforcement policies.
In a letter to President Biden, the committee members warn of a surge in encounters at the border at a time when U.S.... Read More »
U.S. Chamber of Commerce officials said a recently launched digital resource center seeks to aid business leaders and associations in wholly navigating varied COVID-19 vaccine questions.
Authorities noted the COVID-19 Vaccines Digital Resource Center contains state-specific information, guidance... Read More »
The United States Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD) will purchase another 100 million doses each of the COVID-19 vaccines offered by Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. by the end of July.
President Joe Biden announced the deals last week, in a speech delivered at the... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Greg Pence (R-IN) is working to establish a Cybersecurity Training Center in Indiana.
Pence met with Adjutant General, Brig. Gen. Dale Lyles to discuss the idea of establishing a training center at Camp Atterbury and the Muscatatuck Urban Training Complex (MUTC) operated by the... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) introduced legislation to address shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing supplies.
The Protecting Providers Everywhere (PPE) in America Act would boost domestic PPE and testing supply production. It would also... Read More »
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) reintroduced Wednesday the Set Testing and Objectives Plan (STOP) COVID-19 Act, which he said would address state COVID-19 vaccine distribution, reporting, and transparency standards.
The bill would also create a program for cities and counties to increase testing, contact... Read More »
New legislation from U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) attempts to guarantee maximized use of the Defense Production Act (DPA) during emergency response and to increase domestic production of critical medical supplies.
The Public Health Emergency (PHE) Production Act,... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) and Jackie Speier (D-CA) are urging the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Avril Haines to adopt new security clearance guidelines to prevent individuals involved in extremist groups from accessing classified information.
Specifically, Wexton and Speier are... Read More »
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has reopened the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) biometrics comment period.
“As a testament to CBP’s steadfast commitment to privacy principles and transparency, CBP reopened the comment... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) are requesting a leader be named in the U.S response to the SolarWinds cyber breach that impacted numerous federal agencies and thousands of private sector entities.
The senators forwarded correspondence to the Director of National... Read More »
A collection of four United States representatives reintroduced the Saracini Enhanced Aviation Safety Act this week in a bipartisan effort to require the installation of secondary cockpit barriers on passenger aircraft to prevent future events like those witnessed on Sept. 11, 2001.
The bill is... Read More »
Frustrated by ongoing cyber threats from the United States and abroad, members of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee said Wednesday they are developing new legislation that would expand the powers of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, currently an operational component... Read More »
Indiana Gov. Eric J. Holcomb joined the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s (FSSA) Division of Mental Health and Addiction Monday to announce the state’s new plan to expand access to the opioid reversal agent naloxone.
Working with Overdose Lifeline, Inc., the state will... Read More »
U.S. Don Bacon (R-NE) and Joe Wilson (R-SC) introduced a bill that seeks to limit Iran’s influence in the Middle East.
The Iranian Arms Transfer Prevention Act of 2021 (H.R. 857) requires the United States to impose sanctions on individuals and entities involved in the transfer of conventional... Read More »
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) has introduced a pair of bills designed to strengthen border security and protection.
“America is the most compassionate nation in the world, but our immigration system is broken," Johnson, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, said. "Reforming that system is a... Read More »
Following preliminary data that showed the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine to have minimal effect in preventing mild to moderate cases of a South African variant, the global COVAX initiative has nevertheless stressed the need to assess its efficacy against more severe illness.
Preliminary... Read More »
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has set aside approximately $1.98 billion to states, tribes, territories as well as Washington D.C., for community vaccination centers.
Currently, there are 175 federally supported vaccine centers operational across the country. The federal... Read More »
The former Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Clinton administration, Donna Shalala, has been appointed to the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense.
Shalala had been a founding member of the commission, established in 2014. She left two years ago to serve in the Congress from Florida... Read More »
