News
Seattle to house new polar icebreakers
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) is lauding the Coast Guard’s recent decision noting Seattle will serve as the homeport for three new Coast Guard polar security cutters, or polar icebreakers. “This is great news,” Cantwell, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, which has... Read More »
GAO issues recommendations for security contractors
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued recommendations for National Nuclear Security Administration contractors. The contractors design and manufacture explosive materials for nuclear weapons, and there are approximately 100 different nuclear- weapon components that... Read More »
Sen. Hoeven encourages federal use of North Dakota drone knowledge for wildfire fighting
Highlighting the success of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in disaster response, U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) recently encouraged federal departments to partner with his state’s Northern Plains UAS Test Site in the fight against wildfires. Specifically, he wanted to see the site’s knowledge... Read More »
Cianbro wins $12.2M contract at Portsmouth Navy Shipyard
Cianbro was awarded a $12.2 million contract to expand the warehouse facility at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) in Portsmouth, N.H. “I have long advocated for the Navy to address the modernization needs at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and I am so pleased to announce that the contract has... Read More »
HASC action addresses Guantanamo transfers
The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) recently adopted a pair of National Defense Authorization Act amendments blocking the Guantanamo detainee transfers to certain countries presenting national security threats. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), ranking member of the House Homeland Security... Read More »
Measures support high-altitude aviation training
Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO) recently proposed legislation supporting the military’s high-altitude aviation training in Colorado, backing Department of Defense (DoD) guidelines for aircraft flying over the state’s wilderness areas. Tipton said the bill, H.R. 2347, and resolution, H.R. 440,... Read More »
University researchers find potential Bourbon virus cure in experimental flu drug
Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis recently discovered that an experimental flu drug known as favipiravir cures mice infected with the potentially lethal Bourbon virus. At least, that’s the case with mice. The drug has been previously approved in Japan... Read More »
Legislation would outlaw the distribution of blueprints for 3D printed firearms
Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) introduced legislation last week that would make it illegal to distribute online blueprints and instructions that detail how to automatically program a 3D printer to produce or manufacture a firearm. The 3D... Read More »
US, Colombia, and Mexico officials work to fight criminal organizations
Prosecutors from Colombia, Mexico, and the United States met in June to develop joint strategies and best practices to dismantle the transnational criminal organizations that threaten the three nations. The meeting of the Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCO) Working Group in Cartagena,... Read More »
Bioterrorism combating measure advances House Judiciary Committee
As a means of addressing the rising threat of bioterrorism, the House Judiciary Committee has approved a bill criminalizing possession of certain deadly substances. Reps. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) and Kathleen Rice (D-NY) introduced the Effective Prosecution of Possession of Biological Toxins and... Read More »
TAL Subcommittee advances National Defense Authorization Act
The Tactical Air and Land Forces (TAL) Subcommittee has voted to advance the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The effort to advance the measure out of Committee by a 33-24 vote stems from the overarching goal of building a strong national defense, supporting service members and... Read More »
Half of Ebola outbreaks go unnoticed, Cambridge study finds
A recent study from the University of Cambridge alleges that half of all Ebola outbreaks have gone unseen and unrecorded since the virus was first discovered in 1976. While this supports advocates’ push for improved detection and rapid response to the disease, it also means the situation... Read More »
World unprepared for biological catastrophe, report says
International leaders and organizations are unprepared for a global catastrophic biological event, according to a report from Georgetown University’s Center for Global Health Science and Security, the Center for Global Development, and the Nuclear Threat Initiative. Leaders and organizations... Read More »
Reps. Graves, Gottheimer introduce bill to help individuals thwart cyberattacks
U.S. Reps. Tom Graves (R-GA) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) introduced legislation that seeks to provide American more tools to defend themselves online from cyberthreats. The Active Cyber Defense Certainty Act (ACDC) makes changes to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) to allow use of limited... Read More »
IoT measure advances through House committee
The House Committee has advanced legislation designed to enhance Internet of Things (IoT) devices security and aid in preventing attacks on information technology infrastructure on Oversight and Reform. The Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act, which was introduced by Reps. Will Hurd... Read More »
DHS, DHHS jointly press Congress for additional border security funding
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued an urgent funding request to Congress this week, stating that the immigration surge at the southern border threatens to deplete existing budgets. Though the Trump Administration requested $4.5... Read More »
DHS, pilot union partner to combat human trafficking
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Blue Campaign recently partnered with the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l, the world’s largest airline pilot union, to fight human trafficking. The partnership also includes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Department of... Read More »
Sen. Rubio sponsors bill to make it harder for terrorists to get guns
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced a bill to make it harder for suspected terrorists to purchase firearms. The Terror Intelligence Improvement Act would also provide more authority for law enforcement agencies to go after suspected terrorists while safeguarding Second Amendment... Read More »
New research examines preparedness for smallpox attack
A new study suggests that comprehensive health system planning can stymie the effects of a deliberate release of smallpox in a city, a nightmare scenario for public health officials. The research, which was published today in the online journal PLOS One, said that if a health system response is... Read More »
DHS garners fiscal year 2020 funding allotment
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has received its allotment of fiscal year 2020 funding via the House Appropriations Committee’s approval of the Homeland Security bill. “I am proud to have drafted this smart, effective and humane Homeland Security funding bill,” Rep. Lucille... Read More »
Ebola outbreak spreads to Uganda
A new case of Ebola has popped up in Uganda, in the first incident of international cross-over since an outbreak began in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) back in August 2018. While governmental and international agencies have worked hard to keep the disease from spreading... Read More »
House advances cybersecurity response team bill
The U.S. House of Representatives passed companion legislation Tuesday to the Senate’s bipartisan Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cyber Hunt and Incident Response Teams Act. The act, reintroduced in February, authorizes the DHS’s National Protection and Programs Directorate to create... Read More »
House advances three bills to modernize DHS
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced three different bills that are designed to modernize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “DHS was created in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks,” Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said. “It’s... Read More »
Bill offers non-profits terrorism protections
House lawmakers recently advanced a measure designed to ensure federal support to protect the safety of non-profits at risk of terrorism, including synagogues, mosques, churches and other places of worship. The Securing American Nonprofit Organizations Against Terrorism Act of 2019 authorizes a... Read More »
New research shows dengue will imperil more than 6 billion people by 2080
The latest dengue research reveals that within approximately 60 years, the risk of the virus dengue will grow to such an extent that it will put at risk more than 6 billion people, due to population growth, climate change, and increased urbanization. The virus is one spread by mosquitoes, and... Read More »
Cuccinelli named acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan recently announced that Kenneth Cuccinelli has been named acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). USCIS administers the immigration system, adjudicating more than 8.7 million requests for immigration... Read More »
Senate bill would require shell companies to disclose their owners
A bill introduced in the Senate would require shell companies to disclose their true owners to the U.S. Department of Treasury. The Improving Laundering Laws and Increasing Comprehensive Information Tracking of Criminal Activity in Shell Holdings (ILLICIT CASH) Act would help law enforcement... Read More »
Acting DHS chief visits Florida personnel
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Kevin K. McAleenan met with Coast Guard, National Hurricane Center (NHC) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel during his recent trip to Florida. McAleenan traveled to Fort Lauderdale and Miami and while there visited... Read More »
International collection of chemical emergency advisers gather in Czech Republic for training
A collection of the world’s chemical emergency response trainers recently spent a week in the Czech Republic teaching responders how to address crises with chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals. The training was co-organized by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical... Read More »
Camp Pendleton hosts Wildland Fire School
California’s Camp Pendleton hosted the annual Wildland Fire School last week, during which firefighters safely cleared out overgrown grasslands using prescribed fire. The technique eliminates fuels from training areas and prevents future large-scale wildland fires. It also allowed firefighters... Read More »
Senate creates National First Responders Day
A resolution was passed in the U.S. Senate that will designate October 28, 2019, as "Honoring the Nation's First Responders Day." An estimated 4.6 million career and volunteer firefighters, police, emergency medical technicians, and paramedic workers serve communities all across the nation,... Read More »
CBP apprehended more than 144,000 migrants in May
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) took into custody more than 144,278 migrants along the southwest border in May, the highest total in 13 years. It marked a 32 percent increase over April when 109,474 were taken into custody. This year over 530,000 have already been apprehended, and the... Read More »
Committee assesses DIA roles, missions
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) recently assessed the Defense Intelligence Agency’s (DIA) roles and missions completed last year, determining the agency faces challenges in several key areas. In 2017, the Committee initiated a study of the DIA as part of oversight... Read More »
DISARM Act seeks to amend Social Security Act to spur antibiotic research and drug protections
The recently introduced Developing an Innovative Strategy for Antimicrobial Resistant Microorganisms (DISARM) Act -- S. 1712 -- proposes to alter Medicare reimbursement for antibiotics, promote their use and encourage new developments. Introduced by U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Bob Casey... Read More »