After a favorable vote from the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, a bill that would reauthorize the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) office will face consideration of the full Senate.
The Offices of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction and Health Security Act... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) awarded a $127 million contract to defense, technologies, and shipbuilder company Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) to improve systems integration through research, development, testing, and evaluation efforts.
Over five years, HII will work to improve the... Read More »
The House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee has advanced the Spectrum Innovation Act (H.R. 7624), which would enhance domestic communications networks.
U.S. Reps. Bob Latta (R-OH) and Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA), chairman of the House Commerce Communications and Technology... Read More »
As more states and localities declare emergencies over the growing monkeypox outbreak, President Joe Biden this week formed an official White House national monkeypox team from other agencies to guide federal response.
Helming the team will be FEMA’s Regional Administrator for the American... Read More »
A Republican group of senators recently introduced a bill requiring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary to complete a comprehensive southern border strategy within 12 months of enactment.
U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), and James... Read More »
In letters dispatched to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), House Homeland Security Committee leaders have pressed for details of the federal government’s preparations for and response to the ongoing monkeypox outbreak.
Committee... Read More »
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) Weapon System (GWS) program.
The agreement reflects a maximum amount of $3,286,745,005, noting the GWS program domestically... Read More »
New legislation up for consideration in the U.S. House would revamp the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts on weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) by modernizing its Countering WMD office and formalizing and expanding its Office of Health Security.
The Health Security and Countering... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently announced the selections for $1.16 billion in climate resilience funding through two competitive grant programs to help communities across the nation enhance climate and disaster... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) recently introduced legislation that seeks to bolster the nation’s ability to counter community threats posed by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones.
The Safeguarding the Homeland from the... Read More »
For use later this year, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD) announced last week that they had bought 66 million doses of a Moderna bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster candidate.
“We must stay vigilant in our fight against COVID-19 and continue to expand... Read More »
In a close vote of 217-213, the House advanced the Assault Weapons Bill (H.R. 1808) last week, marking the first vote on an assault weapons ban by the full House since 1994.
Originally introduced by U.S. Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), the ban advanced with support from major gun safety... Read More »
Following inspection and approval of a Bavarian Nordic manufacturing facility overseas, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced last week that it now has access to – and plans to allocate – another 786,000 doses of the company’s JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine nationwide.... Read More »
A group of Republican lawmakers recently introduced legislation that seeks to clarify and strengthen violent crime laws focusing on offenses such as homicide, bank robbery, carjacking, and kidnapping.
Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-IA) led 24 Republican colleagues in... Read More »
San Francisco declared monkeypox a local public health emergency last week as New York state designated the disease an imminent threat.
In both cases, such designations will help focus preparedness and response efforts to rising cases of monkeypox. That same disease was declared a public health... Read More »
A group of Republican legislators recently forwarded correspondence to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) leadership regarding the ICE budget shortfall and its impact.
U.S. Reps. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) led U.S.... Read More »
The newly introduced Enhancing DHS Drug Seizures Act seeks to bolster efforts by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detect and seize illicit drugs, including through the development of a plan for stronger public-private partnerships.
Introduced by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and... Read More »
Monkeypox vaccine production is about to experience a significant surge following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval this week of a supplement to the Bavarian Nordic JYNNEOS vaccine and its fill-and-finish capabilities.
Through an expedited inspection and approval process,... Read More »
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Ukrainian State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine (SSSCIP) recently announced an expanded cybersecurity Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC).
“I am incredibly pleased to sign this MOC to deepen... Read More »
The U.S. Senate recently advanced the Homicide Victims’ Families Rights Act, which will now move to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
The bill, introduced by U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA), seeks to help address the nation’s growing number of... Read More »
Drawing on funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that $1 billion is now being offered through the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program to assist at-risk communities.
“Insight and guidance from the communities most at risk for... Read More »
To improve first responder operations and get them the best technology, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) hosted the Urban Operational Experimentation (OpEx) 2022 from July 18-22, 2022.
At this gathering, S&T and its National Urban Security... Read More »
A new report from U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has found that China’s efforts to undermine the U.S. Federal Reserve System have been going on since at least 2013.
According to the report, China’s Threat to... Read More »
The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) recently outlined the results of a recent school safety summit tailored for federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, and campus law enforcement personnel.
The School Safety Summit: Strategies for Prevention was conducted July 19-21, 2022,... Read More »
More than 100 members of Congress, backed by more than 100 organizations, sent a letter to the Biden administration this week, urging additional funding for sexual health clinics dealing with the expanding monkeypox outbreak.
Signatories of the letter, led by U.S. Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Val Demings (D-FL), chair of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, recently convened a roundtable in Orlando, Fla., addressing federal security and disaster response and recovery operations.
The initiative allowed central Florida... Read More »
National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) authorities recently detailed collaboration with 94 Interpol member countries resulting in 7,800 illicit medication seizures totaling $11 million.
Operation Pangea XV was conducted from June 23-30. The scope of work included... Read More »
The biopharmaceutical company Soligenix, Inc. signed a worldwide exclusive license this week guaranteeing supply of its ricin antigen to SERB Pharmaceuticals, which the latter intends to use in developing a therapeutic treatment for ricin toxin poisoning.
"We are pleased to be partnering with... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) recently introduced legislation to increase penalties against southern border drug cartel spotters illegally transmitting information regarding Border Patrol positions or destroying communication devices.
Ernst noted the Transnational Criminal Organization Illicit... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced last week that the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) has been renamed and elevated to the status of a standalone agency.
In name, the office officially became the Administration for Strategic... Read More »
As an international monkeypox outbreak continues to grow in scope, U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and 20 colleagues last week dispatched a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calling for... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and James Lankford (R-OK) recently introduced legislation that seeks to simplify the federal disaster recovery assistance application resource.
The Disaster Assistance Simplification Act requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Small Business... Read More »
Last week, U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced a security modernization bill known as the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act to address wide-reaching cybersecurity issues.
The bill would require federal agencies to engage the most up-to-date... Read More »
A workshop co-hosted by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) and sponsored by the National Service Foundation (NSF) gathered partners and panelists this month to discuss critical systems and the potential for compromising supply chains.
For the... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel officially opened the new Port of Entry at Alexandria Bay on July 19, noting the project would increase efficiency and improve traffic flow.
“It’s a state-of-the-art facility that greatly enhances our officers' ability to screen incoming... Read More »