The Department of Homeland Security has issued Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contracts totaling approximately $2 million to spur the development of handheld aviation screening devices. One of the awardees, California-based Spectral Labs, will focus on producing a compact and transportable handheld anomaly recognition tool for checking people’s clothing at checkpoints for a variety […]
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Saturday expressed disappointment over a ruling made by a Texas federal judge suspending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program on grounds that the Obama-era immigration initiative is illegal. He said that while the decision is certain to impact families across the U.S., it will not derail the Biden-Harris […]
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that it will not perform immigration enforcement activities at select areas barring exigent circumstances amid continued wildfires in the western part of the country. The list primarily includes disaster recovery locations such as sites used for sheltering or the distribution of emergency supplies, food or water, […]
The House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health recently held a legislative hearing to discuss a measure that would improve the research program and other health care-related bills in support of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Rep. Mark Takano, the chair of the full committee, testified on his draft legislation titled the VA Infrastructure Powers Exceptional […]
The Department of Energy has launched a free web-based tool designed to speed up the approval process of solar panel installation permits. DOE said it launched the SolarAPP+ platform as part of its Summer of Solar 2021 program. The app is expected to make solar panel deployments significantly easier, supporting President Joe Biden’s goal of […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs will implement governance and management changes to address issues affecting its electronic health records program. Speaking at a July 14 Senate hearing, VA Secretary Denis McDonough announced that future EHR rollouts will no longer be simply based on time and location. Instead, he said the agency will follow an evidence-based […]
The Biden-Harris administration has appointed new officials to the Department of Energy to advance the president’s Build Back Better agenda to tackle climate change, create good-paying jobs and achieve a clean energy future. Arpita Bhattacharyya has been named chief of staff of the Office of the Deputy Secretary, which is led by David Turk. Bhattacharyya […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs should more strictly define its governance structure to improve the effectiveness of its law enforcement force, according to lawmakers. Rep. Jack Bergman, a member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, acknowledged the department’s efforts to improve but claimed that progress has been slow, Military Times reported Tuesday. “I want […]
Officials of the Department of Veterans Affairs said that the agency will no longer meet its initial goal of resolving all legacy appeals by 2022 after the coronavirus pandemic affected and slowed its progress. However, the VA testified before Congress on Tuesday that it has made progress in recent years. The department was able to […]
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency plans to release mobile security products through its shared services center for other government agencies to use, an official said. CISA is testing three new capabilities designed to improve the security of smartphones, tablets and other devices used by federal government employees, Federal News Network reported Monday. The products […]
