The Northern Border Coordination Act, authored by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Susan Collins (R-ME), advanced through the Senate this week, carrying with it the possible creation of a federal coordination center to be collocated along the border with Canada.
“The Northern Border... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) recently introduced the PREPARED for AI Act, which calls for safeguards on any use of artificial intelligence (AI) by the federal government by the creation of certain standards focused on safe adoption and critical assessment.
“Artificial... Read More »
U.S. Reps. John Moolenaar (R-MI), Zach Nunn (R-IA), and Bill Huizenga (R-MI) introduced legislation this week to increase congressional involvement in the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).
That legislation was dubbed the Foreign Investment Transparency and... Read More »
Through the newly introduced Space Technology and Regional Security (STARS) Act, United States Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) seek new strategies and data-sharing agreements to curtail Iranian space activities.
“The next step to ending Iranian aggression is by deepening the... Read More »
Legislation that seeks to increase Congressional oversight of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week.
Specifically, the Foreign Investment Transparency and Accountability Act, sponsored by U.S. Reps. John... Read More »
This week, U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) introduced legislation that would prohibit the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from procuring batteries from companies owned and operated by the People’s Republic of China.
The Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependence Act would... Read More »
Legislation by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) – Northern Border Coordination Act (S. 2291) – advanced through the chamber this week, putting their ideas for expanding coordination on northern border security into the hands of the House.
If passed, the bill would... Read More »
Raids in California this week culminated in charges against 47 alleged members of a Sinaloa Cartel-linked drug trafficking network and the seizure of more than 4 kilograms of fentanyl, 324 kilograms of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroine and dozens of firearms.
More than 400 federal, state and... Read More »
In a joint effort, a bipartisan collection of leaders from the House committees on homeland security, transportation and infrastructure, and judiciary, recently introduced the Counter-UAS Authority Security, Safety, and Reauthorization Act to maintain and expand federal anti-drone... Read More »
The AFWERX arm of the Air Force Research Laboratory recently awarded a $1.25 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract to Othram for advancements to forensic DNA sequencing technology.
Othram is a forensic sequencing lab for law enforcement. As of this May, it began... Read More »
More than 1,000 law enforcement officers from local, state, federal and international organizations attended the National Cyber Crime Conference this April, making use of the opportunity to expand their knowledge and tools for dealing with cyber incidents.
While the event has been ongoing since... Read More »
In a letter written to both the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director and director of National Intelligence (DNI), the leaders of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party pushed for a briefing on the biotechnology firm... Read More »
Members from across the political aisle, and from both chambers of Congress, last week wrote to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to request a review of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) actions for its service members exposed to blast overpressure.
In all, 24 lawmakers sought... Read More »
Following eight separate suspected drug smuggling interdictions off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America in February and March, the Coast Guard Cutter Munro docked in San Diego this week with a haul of 33,768 pounds of cocaine.
The estimated value of those drugs came to $468... Read More »
In a push to crackdown on entities of national security concern, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed new rules to bar those deemed untrustworthy from participating in the testing and certification of electronic devices in the United States.
The move kicked off with... Read More »
As the legal actions over decades of contaminated water at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune continue, last week U.S. Reps. Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC) and Deborah Ross (D-NC) introduced a bill to remove barriers to veteran benefits under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act.
“Our brave veterans put their... Read More »
In preparation for the 2024 hurricane season’s kickoff next month, FEMA Deputy Administrator Erik A. Hooks joined National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Dr. Rick Spinrad, and National Weather Service (NWS) Director Ken Graham issued the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season... Read More »
On Wednesday, U.S. Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and John Moolenaar (R-MI) urged the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the Drone Advocacy Alliance (DAA) for potential violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
The DAA is an advocacy group that is funded by Chinese... Read More »
With the introduction of the Secure Smartports Act, U.S. Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) seek to convince their fellow lawmakers of the danger to U.S. ports posed by Chinese cyberattacks and intrusion.
“Every day we don’t understand the risks of relying on Chinese technology is... Read More »
Although they have been working together on the Constellation pilot program since 2022, the U.S. Cyber Command and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently deepened their ties with an agreement on future planning necessities.
Constellation is a pilot program meant to get cyber... Read More »
Amid ramped up assaults by Russian forces on Ukraine, a group of U.S. Congress members recently urged the Biden administration to hasten deliveries of resources to its Eastern European ally.
“The Ukrainian people continue to demonstrate a strong willingness to resist Russian efforts to take... Read More »
The House of Representatives last week voted through the Israel Security Assistance Support Act (H.R. 8369), which would restrict the president’s ability to withhold weapons transfers to Israel.
“The Biden Administration’s decision to withhold weapons is catastrophic and goes directly... Read More »
A bill from U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Katie Britt (R-AL) to get next generation body armor – better suited to its wearers – to the Department of Homeland Security’s(DHS) law enforcement personnel advanced swiftly out of committee last week.
The senators introduced the DHS Better... Read More »
A group of seven U.S. representatives recently wrote to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a search for details on foreign adversaries’ attempts to spy on U.S. military bases.
Led by U.S. Reps. Keith Self (R-TX) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), the members asked Austin to detail the number of... Read More »
As more governments and businesses seek what artificial intelligence (AI) can offer, U.S. Reps. Troy Carter, Sr. (D-LA) and Bennie Thompson (D-MS) want to make certain guardrails are in place through new legislation and a new federal task force.
In the recently introduced Cybersecurity and... Read More »
The U.S. Commerce Department recently added 37 Chinese entities to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) trade restriction list, blacklisting them for a wide range of national security concerns.
The reasons ranged from support for the spy balloon that flew over the United States last year,... Read More »
With China in mind, U.S. Reps. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) recently introduced the BIOSECURE Act (H.R.8333) – a bill to make it illegal for the federal government to contract with the biotechnology companies of foreign adversaries.
Pitched as a way to safeguard... Read More »
As part of an annual action known as the Money Mule Initiative, federal law enforcement agencies took action against more than 3,000 alleged mules looking to undertake a variety of transnational fraud schemes.
Participating agencies included the U.S. Justice Department, FBI, U.S. Postal... Read More »
In a recent letter to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Republicans from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee recently pressed for details on the federal response to and mitigation of safety threats to transit passengers nationwide.
Their query based itself largely on... Read More »
The Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB), which is only two years old, announced a shakeup in membership this week, as four current members departed and were replaced by others.
The Board was created in February 2022, following President Joe Biden's direction to improve U.S. cybersecurity. It is... Read More »
In order to properly prepare working canines for explosives detection, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) released a new report to help emergency responders find non-detonable training aids.
“The Detection Canine Program at S&T plays a critical... Read More »
Through new legislation, U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Mike Turner (R-OH) recently placed themselves at odds with the Biden administration by seeking to enable federal grant funding for states to create physical barriers at the southern border.
A hallmark of the previous Trump... Read More »
Fearing the potential behind a recent outbreak of avian flu (H5N1), 17 U.S. senators wrote to Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack this week urging a more coordinated approach between federal, public and state agencies.
Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention... Read More »
According to the latest Elder Fraud Report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), 2023 brought losses of more than $3.4 billion to those over 60 years old in the United States, thanks to an increasing variety of targeted scams.
“This report underscores the fact that seniors are a... Read More »
Following the deaths of four police officers while executing an arrest warrant in North Carolina last week, a group of U.S. senators introduced the Protect and Serve Act (S. 4258) to turn attempts to harm or successfully harming a law enforcement officer into a federal crime.
Traditionally, such... Read More »