U.S. Policy
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said the agency has introduced biometric facial comparison technology at John F. Kennedy International Airport Terminal 4 to secure and streamline international travel.
“CBP and its partners are implementing facial comparison technology to provide... Read More »
As testing backlogs grow across the U.S., Hackensack Meridian Health of New Jersey announced last week that its Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) has created a rapid diagnostic for COVID-19 capable of reducing test times to mere hours.
The test allows the health network to quarantine... Read More »
President Donald Trump on Friday declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency, a move that will allow the federal government to tap into billions of dollars in aid to help combat the spread of the virus.
The national emergency declaration will allow up to $50 billion in government... Read More »
House Democrats introduced legislation to bolster the federal government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak for families.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act provides paid leave, establishes free coronavirus testing, supports strong unemployment benefits, expands food assistance... Read More »
Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Mike Doyle (D-PA) are espousing the benefits of the House advancing the Secure 5G and Beyond Act of 2020.
“It is long past time that the Trump Administration prepare our networks for the 5G future – this bill will force the Administration to do exactly... Read More »
Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus officials said the body has crafted a landmark policy framework designed to enhance the nation’s defenses against cyberthreats while mitigating vulnerabilities.
The Cyberspace Solarium Commission Report outlines recommendations for reforms to organize... Read More »
As the federal government ratchets up its response to the novel coronavirus outbreak, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have announced plans to release more than $560 million in response support funding to state and local authorities.
"Our state, local, tribal, and... Read More »
Strategies including social distancing, telework and avoiding large crowds should be practiced by all Americans, including members of Congress, to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, said top federal health officials during a reconvened hearing on Capitol Hill on Thursday.
Really sick... Read More »
A group of U.S. Senators recently asked the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and the three largest private prison operators about the procedures they have in place to manage a potential spread of the coronavirus in federal prisons.
Over 175,000 individuals are incarcerated in federal prisons and... Read More »
A report by the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund finds that law enforcement officers face a higher risk of death and injury traveling to the scene of an incident than at the actual scene itself.
The report revealed that vehicle-related collisions are one of the leading causes of... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced this week that it will continue to forego most foreign inspections through April, due to ongoing coronavirus concerns -- the same concerns that have prompted Congressional leaders to inquire about potential impacts to the medical product supply... Read More »
Building off of the momentum embodied in an $8.3 billion emergency funding package approved earlier this month, House Democrats have introduced legislation meant to guarantee health care facilities have exposure control plans in place to protect workers from COVID-19.
The COVID-19 Worker... Read More »
Dr. Robert Kadlec, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), on Wednesday confirmed his duties as the top emergency preparedness official coordinating the COVID-19 coronavirus response from both the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the federal... Read More »
A bill that seeks to develop treatment and a cure for the COVID-19 coronavirus was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week.
The Cure the Coronavirus Act (HR 6019) encourages the rapid innovation and approval of a treatment to prevent or cure the 2019 coronavirus. The World... Read More »
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials have forwarded warning correspondence to seven companies for allegedly selling unapproved products that include deceptive coronavirus claims.
“There already is a high level of anxiety over the potential spread of... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) are urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to unlock emergency funds allocated for state and local governments to deal with the coronavirus.
The emergency funding was allocated in an $8.5 billion supplemental spending... Read More »
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI) welcomed this week a £20 million ($26.2 million) investment from the U.K. government while highlighting the need for upwards of $2 billion to develop a vaccine against the virus that causes COVID-19.
CEPI, a global partnership dedicated to the... Read More »
The House of Representatives has advanced a bill designed to extend Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) equal rights and protections provided other workers under Title 5 of the U.S. Code.
Reps. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) and Nita Lowey (D-NY) sponsored the Rights for Transportation Security... Read More »
A bipartisan bill that would establish a framework for overseeing diagnostic testing at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Public health officials have long called for greater oversight of diagnostic testing. Health care providers and... Read More »
Members of Congress from Maryland met with defense department officials last week to discuss funding for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) and the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD).
The meeting was precipitated... Read More »
Officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last week to address steps being taken to contain COVID-19 and prevent future epidemics.
The novel coronavirus has... Read More »
The former director of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) told Homeland Preparedness News on Friday that Congress should go above and beyond requested supplemental funding to ensure the United States is more prepared to fight the coronavirus outbreak and other future threats.
“There is... Read More »
President Donald Trump signed into law an $8.3 billion emergency funding package on Friday aimed at combatting the spread of the coronavirus that has led to more than 3,000 deaths globally.
The legislation, H.R. 6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act,... Read More »
A bipartisan coalition of Congress members recently launched an effort to combat transnational trafficking.
The Counter-Trafficking Initiative is designed to explore and expose the breadth and reach of transnational trafficking networks and their illicit finances.
“Whether it’s human... Read More »
During the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee’s hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget for National Guard and Reserve Components, Sen. Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) inquired about a funds transfer.
Durbin, vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee,... Read More »
Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced Wednesday a bill ensuring National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-certified respirators have the same liability protections as other medical products,... Read More »
Specific states and local jurisdictions stand to benefit from federal funding under a targeted effort to counter COVID-19, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced this week.
Through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an initial $25 million cooperative... Read More »
The bipartisan Cure the Coronavirus Act ( H.R. 6019) was introduced this week in the House in response to a growing presence of COVID-19 in the United States.
Through the legislation, U.S. Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-CA-), Rep. Peter King (R-NY), and Rep. Jaime Herrera... Read More »
U.S. Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett is visiting the Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota Thursday at the invitation of Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND).
Hoeven invited Barrett to visit the facilities during her confirmation process last year. The senator, a member of the Senate Defense... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) urged officials from U.S. health agencies to take action to stem the spread of the coronavirus at a Senate Health Committee hearing on the coronavirus this week.
Specifically, Collins said they should work to prevent drug shortages and protect Americans,... Read More »
Lockheed Martin recently highlighted a pair of F-35 aircraft milestones, one related to delivery and the other to logged flight hours.
Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Joint Program Office have delivered the 500th F-35, and last month, the F-35 enterprise surpassed 250,000 flight hours.
“These... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) a portfolio management recommendation regarding the agency’s nuclear weapon stockpile modernization efforts.
The GAO said the recommendation stemmed from the NNSA modernizing the nation's... Read More »
U.S. House and Senate leaders reached an agreement on an $8.3 billion emergency supplemental appropriations package on Wednesday to fund the nation’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, including critical funding for vaccine research and development.
“Today Democrats and Republicans in... Read More »
Right-wing extremists were responsible for a majority of extremist-related murders in the United States last year, according to a report by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Of the 42 extremist-related murders in the nation last year, 38 were committed by individuals subscribing to various... Read More »
Two government agencies said Southwest Valley Constructors Co. has secured a contract to build 15 miles of new Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Sector border wall.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) officials announced the contract, valued at $179,580,000,... Read More »
