U.S. Policy
Zachary Clark, a Brooklyn resident, recently appeared in a Manhattan federal court on charges of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and distributing bomb-making instructions.
The charges have a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued Congress a recommendation regarding climate resilience, maintaining a strategic investment approach for high priority projects could aid the resource targeting process.
The GAO’s position is Congress should consider establishing a federal... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) released a statement last week supporting the creation of an interagency task force tasked with addressing the high rate of missing and murdered Native American women and girls.
Native American women in certain tribal communities are 10 times more likely to be murdered... Read More »
A group of New Mexico federal and state elected officials recently met in Santa Fe to address potential action to decrease violent crime and domestic terrorism risks in the state.
Officials said U.S. Reps. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Deb Haaland (D-NM) and Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM) joined New... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said the agency’s Buffalo Field Office has experienced a 30 percent increase in narcotic seizures in 2019 over fiscal year 2018.
“The employees in the Buffalo Field Office work vigilantly throughout the year to protect our borders,” Richard... Read More »
Members of the Michigan congressional delegation are urging the new Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett to select Selfridge Air National Guard Base to host the Air National Guard’s next F-35A operational base.
In a letter to Barrett, 14 members of Congress from Michigan highlighted the... Read More »
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has earmarked $4.5 million in grants to aid efforts to address the opioid crisis on the local level.
“Since day one, the Trump Administration’s whole-of-government approach has aimed to accomplish one overarching goal: prevent... Read More »
A group of 39 Democratic senators recently sent a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees urging the panels to better fund election security.
The senators requested funding for election security grants and for the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) in the... Read More »
The U.S. Senate approved legislation that would formally charter a National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium (NCPC).
The consortium would include the University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, the University of Arkansas, the University of Memphis, and... Read More »
With the advancement of U.S. Sens. Gary Peters’ (D-MI) and Rob Portman’s (R-OH) State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act, the Senate has signaled encouragement to federal authorities to coordinate better with state and local governments.
“State and local governments with limited... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently introduced biometric facial comparison technology at the El Paso Port of Entry as a means of enhancing security and streamlining travel.
“CBP uses biometric facial comparison technology to create a secure and seamless traveler experience at U.S.... Read More »
Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) were among a group of U.S. Senators that expressed their concerns that the U.S. Department of Commerce has started issuing export licenses to U.S. firms to do business with Huawei Technologies.
Huawei, the Chinese telecom company, was added to the... Read More »
Efforts to enhance Preclearance efficiency and effectiveness served as the prime focus during the recent Preclearance Port Directors Summit in Abu Dhabi.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials met with counterparts from the Department of State and the United Arab Emirates personnel during... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced a bill to fund research into ways of detecting “deepfakes.”
Deepfakes are online videos that are manipulated to realistically mimic a person’s identity. This legislation would seek to raise awareness of deepfakes... Read More »
The Senate Banking Committee advanced legislation to extend the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program for seven years.
The Terrorism Risk Insurance Program was established following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The program – created after Congress passed the Terrorism Risk... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) a recommendation to enhance the agency’s security training program coordination efforts.
After conducting a review of the TSA’s approach, the GAO has recommended the TSA Administrator... Read More »
China is rapidly gaining on the United States when it comes to creating technology that mitigates disease threats and developing pharmaceuticals faster, and it’s a phenomenon driven by a philosophy that the state, military, and the private sector are one in the same.
That was the testimony of... Read More »
The U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations held a hearing on a report on a Chinese program that captures U.S. Intellectual property.
Through its “talent recruitment plans” launched in the 1990s, China began recruiting U.S.-based scientists and researchers and providing... Read More »
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced legislation to protect 5G and next-generation wireless communications systems in the United States.
The bill -- the Secure 5G and Beyond Act – was introduced by Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA).
The bill would require the Trump... Read More »
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), send a letter Tuesday to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to address a shortfall in funding efforts meant to support state and local data sharing and cybersecurity.
The... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a recommendation regarding creating a federal transportation security national strategy governing document.
GAO officials said after researching the issue, it has recommended DHS should, in... Read More »
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has released findings regarding Iran’s military capability, providing details on that nation’s defense and military goals, strategy, plans, and intentions.
“As Tehran expands its capabilities and role as both an unconventional and conventional threat... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) were honored by the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) for their leadership in supporting global health research and development (R&D).
The two were honored at GHTC’s 2019 Innovating for Impact Awards, which recognizes U.S.... Read More »
A group of Democratic and Independent U.S. senators recently urged the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to increase funding for election security grants and the Election Assistance Commission (EAC).
The EAC is an independent, bipartisan commission charged with ensuring accessible,... Read More »
Austin, Texas-based Factom, Inc. has secured $197,292 in funding from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) to enhance blockchain security system development.
DHS officials said they envision agencies using the technology to create and verify... Read More »
Reps. Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) recently introduced legislation they said would facilitate information sharing from the federal government to the private sector regarding supply chain vulnerabilities.
The Network Security Information Sharing Act addresses the need for greater... Read More »
Republican leaders on the U.S. House Homeland Security and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees blasted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) proposal to allow counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) equipment to operate near airports.
This includes equipment that could be... Read More »
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week issued final guidance for developing smallpox treatment studies, providing clarity to drug manufacturers.
“Despite recent advances in developing an effective treatment for smallpox, drug developers still face challenges in bringing... Read More »
Federal regulatory updates to the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program that go into effect on Nov. 21 could receive some additional muscle to knock out bad actors if recently introduced federal legislation is enacted.
“I still have concerns about fraud and abuse in the program that can only be... Read More »
Bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Senate was introduced to improve the hiring and retention of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents and officers.
U.S. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and John Hoeven (R-ND) said the CBP Hiring and Retention Innovation Act, S. 2813, creates a Customs and... Read More »
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has earmarked $780,038, for the New Hampshire Department of Justice (NHDOJ) to combat human trafficking in that state.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined Reps. Annie Kuster (D-NH) and Chris Pappas (D-NH) to announce that NHDOJ would... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Max Rose (D-NY) issued a statement related to the U.S. State Department's response to his request to designate violent white nationalist extremist groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO).
Rose was among 40 members of Congress who called upon the State Department to designate... Read More »
A group of legislators have introduced a bill designed to bolster election security via new resources enabling research promoting voting systems modernization.
U.S. Reps. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Frank Lucas (R-OK) said the Election... Read More »
The U.S. Senate passed the Federal Advance Contracts Enhancement (FACE) Act, which requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to more effectively manage its advance contracts for goods and services.
Specifically, the legislation requires federal preparedness actions to be... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently awarded Transmute Industries, an Austin, Texas-based company, a $198,642 Phase 1 award to develop a proof-of-concept application for Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The application must support... Read More »
