U.S. Policy
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has requested four government agencies combine efforts to allocate personal protective equipment (PPE) and rapid COVID-19 tests for federal wildland fire crews.
Murkowski recently forwarded correspondence to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) pressed the Trump administration this week to secure the medical supplies necessary to help immunize Americans against COVID-19 once such a vaccine is created.
These include things like needles, syringes, or other delivery devices. Such supplies have been compromised... Read More »
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Ports of Entry working within the Baltimore Field Office seized several shipments of counterfeit and unapproved coronavirus personal protective equipment (PPE) and pharmaceuticals.
Since March 23, CBP officers at the ports in Philadelphia,... Read More »
Several Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are asking Attorney General William Barr for a briefing on legal action the Department of Justice has taken – or has threatened to take -- against state governments that have imposed strict public health and safety restrictions to combat... Read More »
The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) is asking Congress and the Trump Administration to help offset firefighter job losses amid COVID-19, requesting $10 billion for the nation’s fire departments.
A recently released IAFC survey maintains COVID-19 related budget cuts have... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently assessed Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) efforts to recruit and retain personnel after the agency indicated challenges attracting science and technology professionals.
The 21st Century Cures Act provides additional hiring and... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week moved to further development of prevention and treatment options for COVID-19 by providing new guidance with recommendations for innovators and researchers.
The FDA previously launched the Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program to help... Read More »
Top U.S. health officials testified before the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Tuesday, discussing the potential for future response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for and capabilities of testing, and the dangers of reopening workplaces and schools too... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) is seeking to hold a hearing in the House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Health to examine concerns on the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS).
In a letter to Subcommittee Chair Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Burgess made the request, saying the committee... Read More »
U.S. Senate Democrats introduced legislation to provide an additional $9 billion to support international efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 International Response and Recovery Act (CIRRA) seeks to compel the Trump Administration to engage with other countries and... Read More »
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) recently announced the implementation of a series of organizational changes to save government resources and enhance other initiatives.
The actions would bolster ODNI's Department of Defense partner and customer support, strengthen the... Read More »
The United States’ preparedness and response capabilities have buckled under the stress of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and proactive work is needed to meet the next infectious disease before it strikes, said experts during the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense May 8 virtual... Read More »
Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduce legislation designed to improve accountability and bolster investigative priorities of the U.S. Secret Service.
The U.S. Secret Service Mission Improvement and Realignment Act of 2020 would move the Secret Service to its original... Read More »
A bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate that would expand national service programs like AmeriCorps to help the United States recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Pandemic Response and Opportunity Through National Service Act would provide funding for 750,000 national service positions over... Read More »
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials said employees must wear facial protection while at screening checkpoints to minimize COVID-19 spread and raise the airport environment's overall health and safety level.
“TSA is making this change to protect our employees and travelers as... Read More »
As more of the country reopened for business, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) used a recent Senate Health Committee hearing to press top health officials on the need for rapidly developing and scaling up production of COVID-19 tests and supplies.
The hearing, titled Shark Tank: New Tests for... Read More »
Nearly $583 million has been dispatched to 1,385 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded health centers throughout the United States and its territories to bolster COVID-19 testing, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced last week.
“Widespread... Read More »
Representatives from private industry and the federal government have joined forces to combat fraud and other illegal activity surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. Homeland Security Investigations National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) is working with... Read More »
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials said the agency has updated guidance regarding distributing personal protective equipment (PPE) to VA health care workers assisting veterans amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Ensuring our VA health care workers’ safety during this global pandemic must... Read More »
A report from the independent, nonpartisan policy institute Center for American Progress (CAP) maintains the proposed fiscal year 2021 defense budget should more than adequately offer national security protections.
CAP officials said the analysis offers eight reasons why the $740 billion defense... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY) will introduce a bill that would create a new agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Medical Command (NMC).
This new independent agency would be charged with preparing for, monitoring, and responding to pandemics. Further, it would... Read More »
One of the areas the United States has struggled with during the COVID-19 pandemic is testing capacity, but now, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is moving to expand testing, testing sites and supplies, and federal reimbursement efforts.
All of this is meant to be in line with the... Read More »
Security agencies from the United States and the United Kingdom are warning healthcare policymakers and researchers to be on the lookout for cybersecurity threat campaigns amid the COVID-19 response.
Officials representing the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said the recent inspection of express-consignment shipments at the Rochester New York Airport yielded seizure of counterfeit COVID-19 test kits.
“I’m proud of the continued efforts of our CBP officers here in Rochester,” Rochester Port Director... Read More »
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced legislation to fund the increased production of health care equipment in the fight against COVID-19.
The Emergency Medical Supplies Procurement Act would provide $75 billion for the Trump administration to purchase or manufacture... Read More »
An overwhelming bipartisan majority in the U.S. House of Representatives is calling on the Trump Administration to extend the United Nations arms embargo on Iran.
The embargo is set to expire in October of this year.
A group of 387 members of Congress -- including Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office has issued a series of recommendations to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regarding efforts to strengthen national preparedness.
The GAO indicated while FEMA uses several scenarios, including pandemic influenza similar to COVID-19, to allow... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Susan Brooks (R-IN) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) introduced legislation that would establish a committee of experts to analyze the impact of U.S. dependence on the foreign manufacturing of lifesaving drugs.
The Prescription for American Drug Independence Act would require the National... Read More »
Reps. Ami Bera (D-CA) and Ted S. Yoho (R-FL) recently forwarded correspondence to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, stating that America should participate in and lead global initiatives to coordinate COVID-19 vaccine production and distribution.
“The U.S. should consider participating in the... Read More »
Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) introduced Friday legislation initiating a $100 million grant program administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to mobilize coronavirus testing and contact tracing.
COVID-19 Testing, Reaching and Contacting Everyone (TRACE) Act grantees would... Read More »
Following the results of two clinical trials for the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) last week, opening it to use as a treatment for those with severe cases of COVID-19.
“Based on evaluation of the... Read More »
A group of 14 Democratic U.S. senators is calling on Congress to include $8 billion in new funding for contact tracing to fight the COVID-19 virus.
Contact tracing is the process of tracking infected people to find out who they have been in contact with to stop the spread of the virus.... Read More »
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) recently introduced a measure designed to increase the nation’s supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies.
The COVID-19 Emergency Manufacturing Act authorizes the federal government to manufacture... Read More »
Global security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin has secured a $6.07 billion Army contract to produce Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptors and associated equipment.
"This contract demonstrates our customer's continued confidence in our ability... Read More »
Among Senate Democrats, concerns are growing that political influence and interference at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) played a role in the removal of Dr. Rick Bright from the helm of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) earlier this month.
In a... Read More »
