U.S. Policy
A bipartisan delegation of legislators recently supported legislation seeking to prohibit foreign ownership or control of the nation’s elections systems.
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (D-NJ) recently joined Reps. Kendra Horn (D-OK), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM), Dan Crenshaw... Read More »
Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Ted W. Lieu (D-CA) recently introduced a measure they said would create a voluntary cybersecurity certification program for Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
The Cyber Shield Act would establish an advisory committee of cybersecurity experts from academia,... Read More »
A recently launched joint federal/state task force will address workforce challenges and budgetary faced by volunteer fire companies in Pennsylvania.
The task force was created by U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Congressional Fire Services Caucus member, and state Reps. Frank Farry (R-... Read More »
A bill that would give U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents the equipment to detect synthetic opioids has been introduced in the U.S. House.
The DHS Opioid Detection Resilience Act of 2019 requires the Commissioner of CBP to procure chemical screening devices that allow border patrol... Read More »
Rep. Ro Khanna introduced Monday a measure designed to consider federal employee cybersecurity training and information on the risks of Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
“The Internet of Things Cybersecurity Training for Federal Employees Act will ensure that our federal workforce is aware of... Read More »
Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) recently introduced H.R.4720, legislation that would establish an assistant secretary of defense for space.
The position would be responsible for the growth and expansion of the United States Space Force and would report to the secretary of defense.
“As China and... Read More »
Democratic members of Congress from Massachusetts are urging the Department of Homeland Security to broaden its efforts to help state and local governments to fight the growing number of ransomware attacks.
The lawmakers expressed their concern with the rise in these attacks on police... Read More »
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) is calling upon the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of State to deliver a plan to Congress outlining efforts to eliminate ISIS permanently.
Ernst recently issued a resolution in which the agencies would submit the plan of action within 30 days as a means of... Read More »
Terrorist threats against the United States continue to grow and evolve, including the use of non-conventional weapons, begging the question of whether this country is well-equipped for such attacks.
The conclusion of experts who testified Thursday before the U.S. House Homeland Security... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced this week that it has partnered with the City of Houston and the Houston Airport System (HAS) as a means of combating human trafficking.
The effort stems from the Blue Lightning Initiative (BLI) program, officials said, which is an extension of the... Read More »
Barbara Barrett has garnered Senate confirmation to become the nation’s 25th Secretary of the Air Force, with lawmakers voting 85-7 to approve the action.
“I can think of no position that offers more excitement, challenge and meaning than the secretary of the Air Force,” Barrett, replacing... Read More »
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, praised Tuesday the awarding of $41 million for a new Munitions Disassembly Complex at Picatinny Arsenal in Wharton, N.J.
The... Read More »
Reps. Mike Levin (D-CA) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) recently introduced a bill targeting $10 billion investment in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) supporting antibiotic resistance and rare diseases research.
“The National Institutes of Health support critically important research... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) is calling upon President Donald Trump to remove nuclear weapons stored in Turkey.
Markey, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the U.S. stores roughly 50 B61 nuclear weapons at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. The airbase is located about 250 miles... Read More »
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) maintains the Coast Guard’s recent decision to modify the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) contract with Panama City-based Eastern Shipbuilding provides certainty for Northwest Florida’s communities.
“Hurricane Michael had a devastating impact on our local economy,... Read More »
Four U.S. senators recently sent a letter to the Federal Acquisition Security Council (FASC), urging for stronger coordination of supply-chain risk management across the federal government.
FASC was established to reduce federal supply-chain risks by creating a “combined information-sharing... Read More »
KickView Corporation, based in Greenwood Village, Colo., has secured $147,413, from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate to aid customs processing speed and efficacy efforts.
The scope of work would involve the firm adapting kvSonata, its existing software... Read More »
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) is urging colleagues to take action regarding border security in the wake of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announcing nearly 1 million southwest border enforcement actions.
The ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rogers extended gratitude to CBP... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Trade and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance have partnered to bolster antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) efficacy.
“Our partnership with Commerce is critically important given our shared... Read More »
Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) introduced last week legislation designed to prevent foreign intervention in domestic elections.
The bill would amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit foreign nationals from paying for online advertisements created to attack or support federal... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel staffing the Office of Field Operations at the Hidalgo and Anzalduas International Bridges foiled a drug smuggling attempt yielding a $1.4 million seizure.
“These were two great interceptions of hard narcotics that our officers were able to detect... Read More »
Lawmakers are urging the Department of Defense (DoD) to prevent delaying the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) as a replacement for the Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).
Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) recently joined a group of legislators in forwarding correspondence to... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) three recommendations regarding security measure implementation and stakeholder involvement in such endeavors.
The GAO report showed that the TSA’s process does not clearly define when or... Read More »
The United States and the United Kingdom entered into a recent agreement that will allow law enforcement agencies to demand electronic data from tech companies in either country for serious crimes.
The US-UK Bilateral Data Access Agreement would apply to serious crimes, including terrorism,... Read More »
California’s Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue Authority (SVFRA) recently received $3,382,458 grant funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s SAFER program.
Authorities said the allotment would fund 12 Firefighter/Paramedic positions, enabling an increase in staffing levels on... Read More »
A U.S. Senate resolution recently recognized October as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2019.
This year’s theme is “Own IT. Secure IT. Protect IT.” The goal is to emphasize personal accountability and to take proactive steps to enhance cybersecurity.
Key areas of focus this year... Read More »
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials have appointed Dr. Alfonso Clavijo as director of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF).
The NBAF, which is currently under construction by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is a research and diagnostic facility designed to... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reminding U.S. citizens that, beginning Oct. 1, 2020, all air travelers must be REAL ID-compliant to fly within the United States.
Travelers must present a REAL ID driver's license, state-issued enhanced driver’s license or other acceptable forms of... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced intentions to enhance collective autonomous systems in a way that will support urban troop offensives, and to that end, are seeking proposals for operational swarm tactics and new technologies to integrate into these swarms.
It is... Read More »
(Corrects paragraph 4 to reflect the location of U.S. Space Command headquarters has not yet been decided.)
Air Force Gen. John Raymond, who was selected in August by President Donald Trump to lead the U.S. Space Command, recently emphasized the need for U.S. superiority in an increasingly... Read More »
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has earmarked funds to aid the development of new technology that could bolster emergency preparedness by producing platelets outside the human body.
If the two-year, $4.9 million agreement between HHS Biomedical Advanced Research and Development... Read More »
Two House subcommittee chairmen recently sent a letter to Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire, requesting information about how the intelligence community (IC) is combatting the growing threat of transnational, white supremacist terrorism.
At a joint subcommittee hearing last... Read More »
Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), a mosquito-borne virus, recently led to the deaths of three Michigan residents, and U.S. Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) is pressing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for details of their efforts to halt it.
In addition to the three fatalities, EEE... Read More »
The House of Representatives advanced last week four bills designed to support the traveler security screening process and enhance the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intelligence apparatus.
Officials touted the potential benefits the Trusted Traveler Reconsideration and Restoration Act of... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said the agency recently initiated an effort designed to increase collaboration between America and Honduras regarding combating irregular migration through Central America.
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin K. McAleenan has signed two... Read More »
