Threats
Funding for 9/11 health care included in FY24 National Defense Authorization Act
Among the items that were included in the final version of the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) last week was $676 million in funding for the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), providing millions in coverage support for responders to the 9/11 aftermath. The... Read More »
Republican senators introduce Iran China Accountability Act
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), together with seven Republican colleagues, reintroduced the Iran China Accountability Act this week in a push to weaken Iran’s relationship with communist China and ensure that the United States not move forward with any nuclear agreement without congressional... Read More »
CISA sets physical security performance goals for faith-based organizations
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), this week released a new set of physical security performance goals for faith-based organizations. Partially in response to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinians,... Read More »
Congress advances TRANQ Research Act in bid to understand, counter synthetic opioids
Opioids have remained a major focus for Congress in recent years, given the scope of their spread across the United States, and this came to a head once more this week with the House’s passage of the TRANQ Research Act (H.R.1734), which now heads to President Joe Biden. If approved, the bill... Read More »
FEMA’s 12th annual National Preparedness Report reveals challenges of rising costs, climate change-related disasters
Climate change is causing increased frequency and severity of disasters across the country, leading to rising costs that represent a collective challenge for all levels of government, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) latest National Preparedness Report. “As the... Read More »
GAO warns some federal agencies fail to meet requirements for cybersecurity incident response
Over the years, federal agencies worked to improve their abilities to detect, analyze and handle cybersecurity incidents, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), but some have failed to meet requirements surrounding the tracking of incidents. Responses to ransomware... Read More »
U.S. Senate Republicans press Biden administration for details on Iran sanctions waiver
Led by U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), a group of 25 Republican senators wrote to secretaries within the Biden administration and pressed them for answers to the lack of a unified strategy on Iran, the country’s long-time adversary in the Middle East. Particularly grating to the lawmakers was the... Read More »
Law enforcement organizations call for FEND Off Fentanyl Act’s inclusion in National Defense Authorization Act
In letters to Congressional leadership last week, groups including the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), National Association of Police Officers (NAPO), and Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) called for U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)’s FEND Off Fentanyl Act (S. 1271) to be... Read More »
Bicameral Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Expansion Act seeks to strengthen U.S. cyber system through training programs
Last week, a new bill introduced in both chambers of Congress – the Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Expansion Act – proposed improving U.S. cyber defenses and its cybersecurity workforce through two new federal training programs. “There is a crippling shortage of cybersecurity workers that... Read More »
Traveler Privacy Protection Act would ban collection of biometric data by TSA
Under legislation recently proposed by a collection of six senators – the Traveler Privacy Protection Act – the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would be banned from using facial recognition technology and collecting facial biometric data at airports in the United States.... Read More »
Senators push for National Defense Authorization Act to get tough on outbound investment screening
In a letter to the chairman and ranking members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, a group of federal lawmakers this week urged strong language be added to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to keep sensitive technologies from American adversaries. “There is... Read More »
DHS S&T awarded patent for HExCAT hazardous modeling system
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) earned a U.S. patent this week for its Homeland Explosive Consequence Assessment Tool (HExCAT), which offers a unique modeling system for emergency managers. “With the HExCAT, response planners are now... Read More »
Sen. Brown urges passage of legislation sanctioning wide-reaching illicit fentanyl supply chain
While the Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act has made it into the National Defense bill, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) this week publicly pressed for its enactment and called on the Biden administration for more resources to counter illicit drugs. FEND Off... Read More »
U.S., U.K. security agencies release joint guidelines for secure AI development
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the U.K. National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recently released joint guidelines for secure AI system development. These guidelines were targeted at developers of any systems that use... Read More »
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Legare returns from nearly 10-week deployment securing maritime borders
After 73 days on patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Legare returned to Virginia last week, concluding a mission that took it from oil discharge response to interdictions of unlawful migrant vessels. In ranging from the Windward Passage to the South Florida Straits, the vessel covered more than... Read More »
Infectious Diseases Society of America awards excellence designation to 14 institutions
A total of 14 organizations earned the Infectious Diseases Society of America’s (IDSA) Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of Excellence designation last week, for programs advancing science to better fight antimicrobial resistance. The program emphasized these institutions’ abilities to... Read More »
Sen. Cotton introduces No ICBMS or Drones for Iran Act to hit Iran with new sanctions
Seeking to halt aerial development, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK), echoed by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) in the House, introduced the No ICBMS or Drones for Iran Act last week, brandishing the legislative threat of additional sanctions for the long-time American adversary. The bill was... Read More »
House intelligence committee report calls for reauthorization, reform of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Section 702
Without action from Congress, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) will soon expire, and in a report released last week by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, lawmakers called for its swift reformation and reauthorization. Section 702 authorizes... Read More »
IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act advanced by Senate to boost human trafficking victim support
The U.S. Senate advanced with unanimous consent legislation this week that seeks to combat human trafficking and expand support for its victims. The IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act (S.670) is now under consideration in the U.S. House. “The federal government must increase support for... Read More »
CISA releases first Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence to guide federal AI approach
Following up on President Joe Biden’s executive order on artificial intelligence last month, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released its first roadmap detailing a federal approach to developing and implementing AI... Read More »
Federal NCARS Act introduced to push national resilience strategy against natural disasters
A group of federal lawmakers recently introduced the National Coordination on Adaptation and Resilience for Security (NCARS) Act to create a national resilience strategy in the face of increasingly prevalent natural disasters spurred on by climate change. Backed by U.S. Reps. Maria Elvira... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Lankford and Rosen lead letter to UN urging designation of Hamas as terrorist organization
In a letter to the United Nations, several United States senators this week pressed for the international body to designate the Hamas organization of Palestine as a terrorist organization following terrorist attacks on Israel in October that left hundreds dead, others kidnapped, and kicked off a... Read More »
FDA approves world’s first Chikungunya vaccine
Valneva SE won approval for the world’s first Chikungunya vaccine – IXCHIQ – last week from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is a major milestone for a viral disease that has plagued humanity for decades, thanks to the bites of mosquito carriers. Although originally found... Read More »
House Homeland Security Committee advances measure targeting alleged Chinese infiltration of universities
Through advancement of the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act (H.R. 1516), this week the House Homeland Security Committee took aim at American funds going to universities connected to Chinese entities of concern. Authored by Homeland Security... Read More »
DARPA’s SIGMA+ program working to detect threats to New York, New Jersey
Building on past collaboration between DARPA and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey focused on threat detection, DARPA’s SIGMA+ program is actively pursuing an automated, networked, and mobile system for continuous city-scale monitoring. This monitoring will focus on chemical,... Read More »
DOJ announces indictment in PG&E bombings
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the indictment of a San Jose engineer for his attack on energy facilities in California. According to court documents, Peter Karasev, 36, was indicted Oct. 19 for attacking two PG&E transformers in San Jose on Dec. 8, 2022 and Jan. 5,... Read More »
Senate Republicans introduce proposal to secure Southern border
On Monday, U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and James Lankford (R-OK) unveiled a proposal to secure the country’s southern border. The group said their proposal would address policies that have led to a crisis at the southern border. Drawn from H.R. 2, the proposal would... Read More »
DHS to add nearly 65,000 H-2B visas in 2024
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Friday it would make nearly 65,000 H-2B visas available in Fiscal Year 2024. The temporary nonagricultural worker visas will add to the 66,000 H-2B visas mandated by Congress each year. According to DHS, the additional visas represent the... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Daines seeks to designate Yemen’s Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization over Israel attacks
Following missile attacks on Israel by the Houthis of Yemen – also known as Ansarallah – and more intercepted by U.S. military units in the region in recent days, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) introduced a bill last week to redesignate the group as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). The... Read More »
Justice Department Civil Rights Division hosts virtual forum on combating hate
On the 25th anniversary of the murders of James Byrd Jr. and Matthew Shepard, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division held a virtual forum on the launch of the United Against Hate (UAH) initiative and efforts to fight hate crimes. “As I see in my daily threat briefings, there has... Read More »
U.S. Reps. McCaul, Gallego ask House for greater funding for first responders dealing with migrants
In a letter to the House Appropriation Committee this week, U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) urged leadership to include funding for first responder aid programs in any FY 2024 supplemental appropriations to support those affected by immigration. “Increased operations... Read More »
Bipartisan resolution underlines support for International Atomic Energy Agency
Working together, U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) introduced a resolution this week to support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) role in promoting nuclear security. “The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) plays a crucial role in bolstering... Read More »
Biden administration issues executive order for A.I. developmental guardrails
In a wide-ranging Executive Order issued this week, President Joe Biden sought to preempt threats posed by the development of artificial intelligence with new safeguards and oversight, while calling on Congress to pass data privacy legislation and enshrine such guardrails permanently. While AI... Read More »
Internal memo leak from DHS prompts document demand from House Homeland Security Republicans
After an internal memo from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warning that foreign fighters from the Israel-Hamas conflict could be encountered at the southwest border leaked to the press, House Republicans demanded documents and information from Department Secretary Alejandro... Read More »