Threats
House committee advances eight cybersecurity bills
The U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee has advanced eight bills, which would promote more secure networks and supply chains while securing a wireless future. The Secure Equipment Act of 2021 would direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to adopt rules... Read More »
Rep. Meng secures $30M to expand provisions of COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act
Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) announced Tuesday that she has secured $30 million for the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill as a means of expanding COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act provisions. The key spending bill is slated for the House of Representatives in anticipation of passage later this... Read More »
Senate cyber bill would require immediate reporting of cyber intrusions
U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced Wednesday the Cyber Incident Notification Act of 2021, which seeks to make it mandatory for federal agencies, government contractors, and critical infrastructure to report cyber intrusions to the Cybersecurity... Read More »
CEPI collaborates with Shanghai Zerun Biotech to advance tests, scale-up of new COVID-19 vaccine
Continuing to flesh out medical countermeasure options for the ongoing threat of COVID-19, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced this week that it will provide $13.1 million to Shanghai Zerun Biotechnology Co., Ltd. for clinical trials and scale-up support of vaccine... Read More »
Bill to combat human trafficking advances House
U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI) announced Tuesday his bill to combat human trafficking passed the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support. The DHS Blue Campaign Enhancement Act would bolster the existing efforts of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to combat human... Read More »
Bill seeks to protect law enforcement, first responders from lethal substances
U.S. Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH) and David Trone (D-MD) recently introduced a bill that seeks to protect law enforcement personnel and other first responders from lethal substances such as fentanyl. The Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposure Act would improve state and local government... Read More »
Bipartisan measure offers support for Office of the National Cyber Director
A newly introduced bill seeks to authorize utilizing individuals with expertise from other agencies to assist the Office of the National Cyber Director (NCD). U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD), Rob Portman (R-OH), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Angus King (I-ME), and Gary Peters (D-MI) recently presented... Read More »
DHS, TSA directive requires specific cybersecurity efforts for critical pipelines
Pushing back against the string of cybersecurity threats instigated this year, the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issued a new Security Directive this week that requires owners and operators of critical pipelines to roll out urgent cyber protections. “Secure... Read More »
House advances SAFE Act, supporting participation in CEPI
The House of Representatives voted this week to advance the Securing America from Epidemics (SAFE) Act, which would authorize U.S. participation in the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI). CEPI is a public-private partnership focused on developing vaccines for highly infectious... Read More »
IDSA applauds infectious diseases inclusion in U.S. House funding, but says more is still needed
On Monday, the Infectious Diseases Society of America commended the U.S. House for appropriations that would bolster the fight against COVID-19 and HIV, antibiotic research and development, and global health security while combating the effects of the opioid crisis. However, the organization... Read More »
DHS S&T exploring Blast Resistant Trash Receptacles options
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently issued a request for information (RFI) regarding commercial Blast Resistant Trash Receptacles (BRTRs). “Trash receptacles appear in most public spaces as essential but ordinary objects,” National... Read More »
Bill addresses small business cyberattack preparedness
U.S. Reps. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Steve Chabot (R-OH), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), and Dwight Evans (D-PA) introduced Monday the Small Business Cyber Security Training Act, which seeks to aid small businesses in cyberattack preparedness. The legislators indicated the legislation would assist the... Read More »
Phase 2 trial of Valneva, Pfizer Lyme disease vaccine candidate concludes enrollment
All 625 slots of a randomized Phase 2 trial of the joint-Valneva SE and Pfizer Inc. Lyme disease vaccine candidate VLA15-221 have been filled with participants, finishing the recruitment phase of the trial. The trial is focused on participants between 5 to 65 years old. They will receive doses... Read More »
Results pending as RedHill Biopharma concludes phase 2/3 COVID-19 study of oral opaganib
A phase 2/3 study that put oral opaganib to 475 patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 affiliated pneumonia concluded this week, and its creator, RedHill Biopharma Ltd., said that top-line results are expected to follow in a matter of weeks. "Emerging data is showing that variants are... Read More »
Report details southern border activity
A fact sheet recently released by Homeland Security Republicans showed that southern border activity demonstrates the situation has become a humanitarian crisis involving thousands of migrants. According to the report, border crossings this year included more than 1.1 million illegal crossings... Read More »
Bipartisan group of legislators advocate maximum wildfire preparedness
A group of Oregon lawmakers led by U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) is encouraging the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to make efforts to maximize wildfire preparedness initiatives. Merkley and DeFazio, chair of the House Transportation and... Read More »
CDC confirms case of human monkeypox in U.S. resident following trip to Nigeria
Last week, a U.S. resident was hospitalized in Dallas, following confirmation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Texas Department of State Health Services that they had contracted monkeypox after a trip to Nigeria. While the CDC stressed that all flights the... Read More »
Two House bills seek to guarantee U.S. treats pandemics as national security threats
Given the destructive nature of the past year and a half under the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) last week introduced two bills to strengthen pandemic response and treat them as national security threats rather than political minefields. First was the National Security... Read More »
DHS announces funding for preparedness grants
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced Friday the final allocations for seven competitive preparedness grants for Fiscal Year 2021. The $475 million in grants add to the nearly $1.5 billion in non-competitive grant funding announced earlier this year, bring to $2... Read More »
CEPI seeks improved flow of critical COVID-19 vaccine supply chain with COVAX Marketplace
Partners in COVAX, a global collaborative effort to accelerate development, manufacturing and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, launched the COVAX Marketplace last week to match buyers with suppliers through a secure new platform and overcome short-term bottlenecks. The Marketplace is a... Read More »
Sen. Ernst sounds alarm on threats to homeland after Afghanistan exit
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernest (R-IA) introduced legislation Wednesday that would require military and intelligence agencies to monitor the threat from terrorist organizations that could result from the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Ernst, a combat veteran and member of the Senate Armed... Read More »
Justice, Homeland Security Departments launch website designed to combat ransomware
Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said the agencies have united with federal partners to launch a new website designed to combat ransomware attacks. StopRansomware.gov serves as a hub for ransomware resources accessible to individuals,... Read More »
U.S. Surgeon General stresses continued threat of health misinformation amid COVID-19 vaccination efforts
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy recently issued the first Surgeon General's Advisory of this administration warning of the urgent dangers posed by health misinformation and disinformation, threatening COVID-19 vaccination efforts in the United States. The American public needs to be aware... Read More »
DHS S&T collaborates with Beacon NGO to broaden reach of incident command system
A new, joint effort between the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the nonprofit Beacon NGO will seek to build upon S&T’s Next-Generation Incident Command System (NICS) and pitch it to a larger emergency response community. To achieve... Read More »
Bills to strengthen cybersecurity advance in Senate
The U.S. Senate advanced this week legislation authored by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) designed to protect public and private networks from cyber threats. Peters' two pieces of legislation - The K-12 Cybersecurity Act and the Supply Chain Security Training Act - passed unanimously in the... Read More »
Appropriations Committee approves Defense Funding Bill for FY 2022
On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee approved the Defense Funding bill for FY 2022 on a 33-23 vote. The bill provides $705.9 billion in defense spending, an increase of 1.4 percent over 2021’s budget. The increase reflects President Joe Biden’s budget... Read More »
Cyber, infrastructure investments included in approved Homeland Security funding bill
The U.S. House Appropriations Committee announced this week the approval of the fiscal year 2022 Homeland Security funding bill, which invests in cyber and infrastructure security while combating domestic extremist violence. The action also expands the Coast Guard's Arctic reach and the maritime... Read More »
HHS awards $398M from the American Rescue Plan to aid small rural hospitals with COVID-19 efforts
Approximately $398 million was issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) this week through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as a means of helping 1,540 small rural hospitals address COVID-19 testing and mitigation. “Our state-based SHIP grantees... Read More »
Bechtel teams begins elimination of new batch of VX nerve gas-bearing rockets
Teams from the Bechtel Corporation at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) near Richmond, Ky., have begun purging another batch of chemical weapons, continuing a campaign that intends to destroy nearly 18,000 rockets bearing the VX nerve agent. The latest round begins... Read More »
Congress launches probe into Covid-19 origins
A congressional panel began the formal process of investigating the origins of Covid-19 Wednesday amid recriminations over allegations of researchers being intentionally misled by the Chinese government and American media and politicians. U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) labeled it “a bit... Read More »
IAEA breaks ground on International Nuclear Security Training Center
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced it had broken ground on a new facility to strengthen countries’ abilities to tackle nuclear terrorism Monday. According to Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of IAEA, the new IAEA Nuclear Security Training and Demonstration Centre... Read More »
Gavi to purchase COVID-19 vaccine candidates from Sinopharm, Sinovac
With a pair of new advance purchase agreements arranged this week, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, intends to add two inactivated virus vaccines for COVID-19 to its stores for COVAX -- one from Sinopharm and one from Sinovac. Sinopharm’s offering is BBIBP-CorV, which will become available this... Read More »
Former NSA official Jen Easterly confirmed as director of CISA
After an eight-month void in official leadership, the U.S. Senate this week confirmed former Obama-era senior National Security Agency official Jen Easterly to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) amid increasingly frequent digital attacks. Easterly, who formerly... Read More »
Measure seeks domestic genomics protections
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is encouraging Senate passage of his legislation, The Genomics Data Security Act (S.1744), which establishes protections addressing Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) national security risks. S.1744 was presented in the wake of a recent Office of... Read More »