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Disaster Resilience: Opportunities to Improve National Preparedness, Statement of Chris P. Currie, Director, Homeland Security and Justice, Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, Committee on Homeland Security House of Representatives
From the Highlights: "Each year, disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires affect hundreds of American communities. The federal government provides billions of dollars to individuals and communities that have suffered damages. According to the U.S. Global Change Research Program, extreme weather events are projected to become more frequent and intense in parts of the U.S. as a result of changes in the climate. Investments in disaster resilience can reduce the overall impact of future disasters and costs. This testimony discusses GAO [Government Accountability Office] reports issued from 2015 through 2021 on disaster preparedness and resilience. This includes FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency]'s National Preparedness System and associated grants; hazard mitigation grant programs; and GAO's Disaster Resilience Framework for identifying opportunities to enhance resilience. The statement also describes actions taken to address GAO's prior recommendations through March 2022."
United States. Government Accountability Office
Currie, Chris P.
2022-05-17
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EMR-ISAC: InfoGram, Volume 22 Issue 19, May 12, 2022
The Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center's (EMR-ISAC) InfoGram is a weekly publication of information concerning the protection of critical infrastructures relevant to members of the Emergency Services Sector. This issue includes the following articles: "Civil unrest: preparedness and planning resources for fire and EMS [emergency medical services] agencies"; "New mobile app brings timely counterterrorism intelligence to first responders and homeland security professionals"; "Webinar: FirstNet on communications in healthcare settings and special events"; "CISA [Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency]: Alert (AA22-131A) - Protecting Against Cyber Threats to Managed Service Providers and their Customers"; "U.S. Government attributes cyberattacks on SATCOM [satellite communication] networks to Russian state-sponsored malicious cyber actors"; "NIST [National Institute of Standards and Technology] updates cybersecurity guidance for supply chain risk management"; "Critical vulnerability exploited to 'destroy' BIG-IP appliances"; "Ransomware tracker: the latest figures [May 2022]"; and "Tenet says 'cybersecurity incident' disrupted hospital operations."
Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (U.S.)
2022-05-12
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Veterans Health Administration Needs to Do More to Promote Emotional Well-Being Supports Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
From the Executive Summary: "The VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a review to assess how the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) addressed the emotional well-being of employees during the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The OIG also conducted an overview of VHA programs, including what specialized programs, if any, were developed and deployed in response to the unique psychological challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic for VHA's staff. Mental health needs generally surge during and after disasters, including pandemics. In March 2020, after declaring COVID-19 a pandemic, the World Health Organization highlighted the importance of maintaining the mental health and emotional well-being of healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients. On March 23, 2020, the VHA Office of Emergency Management issued the initial COVID-19 Response Plan with its four-phase approach and a second, updated version on August 7, 2020. The August 2020 response plan update included language allowing VHA to delegate responsibility to program offices to develop resources for response plan strategies. With that delegated authority, the National Center for Organization Development created and maintained resources for leaders and the VHA Organizational Health Council created and maintained across multiple program offices. The OIG initiated the review on November 30, 2020, and conducted virtual interviews with VA and VHA leaders in multiple offices. The OIG developed a series of survey questions about VHA guidance regarding employees' emotional well-being during the pandemic, available resources, monitoring of available support programs, and employee engagement with available support programs."
United States. Department of Veterans Affairs. Office of Inspector General
2022-05-10
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Lessons Learned from DHS' Employee COVID-19 Vaccination Initiative
From the Document: "In advance of Federal approval for emergency use of the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine, DHS prepared to coordinate employee vaccinations by tasking its components to identify eligible personnel in health care and frontline occupations in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. DHS acted swiftly to identify employees in vaccination priority groups, but provided minimal guidance to components, resulting in inconsistent responses across the Department as to which types of employees were deemed eligible. DHS only partially committed staff resources and delayed establishing a comprehensive, full-time task force to manage the effort. Also, at times, DHS' communications to its employees were inconsistent or unclear, causing confusion among some employees. DHS successfully vaccinated some employees, but missing and erroneous personnel data in DHS systems used to facilitate vaccinations contributed to DHS falling short of reaching its vaccination goals. This report identifies areas of consideration for DHS to better prepare for future emergencies and pandemics. We make one recommendation to improve DHS' ability to identify essential employees, when necessary, in future emergency situations. Also, DHS should consider improving its preparedness by developing incident response protocols that include a plan for establishing and staffing an incident response team. To foster trust among its workforce, DHS should strive to communicate directly and consistently with personnel during future initiatives. Finally, DHS should consider devising and implementing a methodology for conducting oversight of employee data."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2022-05-10
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H. Rept. 117-307: School Shooting Safety and Preparedness Act, Report Together with Minority Views, to Accompany H.R. 5428, May 6, 2022
From the Purpose and Summary: "The purpose of H.R. 5428, the 'School Shooting Safety and Preparedness Act', is to direct the U.S. Department of Education (ED), in consultation with the U.S. Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Health and Human Services (HHS), to annually collect and report on indicators of school safety for all school shootings in prekindergarten through 12th grade (PreK-12) schools and institutions of higher education. The bill creates definitions of 'school shooting' and 'mass shooting' for the purpose of data collection. This would also be the first time these terms would be defined in federal law. In addition to the number of shootings, H.R. 5428 requires data collection on a number of factors related to school shootings, including the number of people killed and injured, the demographics of the shooter and victims, and the type of gun and ammunition used, among other factors. The bill also requires a historical collection and reporting of data on prior school shootings."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2022-05-06
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Operation Inherent Resolve: Lead Inspector General Report to the United States Congress [January 1, 2022-March 31, 2022]
From the Foreword: "We are pleased to submit this Lead Inspector General (Lead IG) quarterly report on OIR [Office of Institutional Research] to the U.S. Congress. This report discharges our individual and collective agency oversight responsibilities pursuant to the Inspector General Act of 1978. The United States launched OIR in 2014 to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), while setting the conditions for follow-on activities to increase regional stability. The U.S. Government strategy to defeat ISIS includes military operations, as well as support for local security forces, diplomacy, governance, humanitarian assistance, and stabilization programs. This quarterly report describes the activities of the U.S. Government in support of OIR, as well as the work of the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development to promote the U.S. Government's policy goals in Iraq and Syria, during the period January 1 through March 31, 2022. This report also discusses the planned, ongoing, and completed oversight work conducted by the Lead IG agencies and our partner oversight agencies during the quarter. During the quarter, the Lead IG agencies and our oversight partners issued eight audit, evaluation, and inspection reports related to OIR. Working in close collaboration, we remain committed to providing comprehensive oversight and timely reporting on Operation Inherent Resolve."
United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Inspector General
2022-05-03
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Earthquakes: Opportunities Exist to Further Assess Risk, Build Resilience, and Communicate Research, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "Established in 1977, NEHRP [National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program] aims to help reduce the risks to life and property from earthquakes. NEHRP's initiatives include strengthening community resilience through improved design and construction methods, conducting research to better understand the impacts from earthquakes, and providing outreach and education. NEHRP is comprised of four federal agencies (FEMA, NIST [National Institute of Science and Technology], NSF [National Science Foundation], and the U.S. Geological Survey) that promote and support NEHRP's initiatives for strengthening earthquake resilience. The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2018 includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to assess the program's efforts. This report examines, among other things, NEHRP's progress in identifying gaps and strengthening resilience to earthquakes, and its activities to identify and communicate about research priorities."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-05
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Nation's Fiscal Health: Federal Action Critical to Pivot Toward Fiscal Sustainability, Annual Report to Congress
From the Highlights: "The federal government faces an unsustainable fiscal future. At the end of fiscal year 2021, debt held by the public was about 100 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), a 33 percent increase from fiscal year 2019. Projections from the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of the Treasury, the Congressional Budget Office, and GAO [Government Accountability Office] all show that current fiscal policy is unsustainable over the long term. Debt held by the public is projected to reach its historical high of 106 percent of GDP within 10 years and continue to grow at an increasing pace. This ratio could reach 217 percent of GDP by 2050, absent any change in fiscal policy. The underlying conditions driving this unsustainable fiscal outlook existed well before the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic and continue to pose serious challenges if not addressed."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-05
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Capitol Attack: Federal Agencies' Use of Open Source Data and Related Threat Products Prior to January 6, 2021, Report to Congressional Requesters
From the Highlights: "Open source data indicated that the potential for violence at the U.S. Capitol appeared online months prior to the attack on January 6, 2021. Law enforcement agencies may use posts on social media platforms and other open source information to identify potential criminal activity, to develop 'threat products,' and to conduct criminal investigations. Agencies must consider the protection of privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties when collecting and sharing this information. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review information related to the January 6 Capitol attack. This is the fifth in a series of reports on aspects of the attack. This report addresses what open source data selected federal agencies obtained and shared, as well as threat products they developed that leveraged such data related to the events of January 6. To conduct this work, GAO reviewed open source data that agencies obtained and shared, as well as threat products that leveraged the data. Agencies in GAO's review included those within DHS; the Departments of Justice and the Interior; Architect of the Capitol; U.S. Capitol Police; House and Senate Sergeants at Arms; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, as they had specific roles in preparing for the planned events of January 6. GAO interviewed officials from Facebook, Parler, and Twitter about the extent to which they shared information with agencies. GAO selected social media platforms based on, for example, if they had appeared in threat products. This report is a public version of a sensitive report issued in February 2022. Information that agencies deemed sensitive has been omitted."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-05
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Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management Practices for Systems and Organizations
From the Abstract: "Organizations are concerned about the risks associated with products and services that may potentially contain malicious functionality, are counterfeit, or are vulnerable due to poor manufacturing and development practices within the supply chain. These risks are associated with an enterprise's decreased visibility into and understanding of how the technology they acquire is developed, integrated, and deployed or the processes, procedures, standards, and practices used to ensure the security, resilience, reliability, safety, integrity, and quality of the products and services. This publication provides guidance to organizations on identifying, assessing, and mitigating cybersecurity risks throughout the supply chain at all levels of their organizations. The publication integrates cybersecurity supply chain risk management (C-SCRM) into risk management activities by applying a multilevel, C-SCRM-specific approach, including guidance on the development of C-SCRM strategy implementation plans, C-SCRM policies, C-SCRM plans, and risk assessments for products and services."
National Institute of Standards and Technology (U.S.)
Boyens, Jon; Smith, Angela; Bartol, Nadya . . .
2022-05
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2022 Annual Report: Additional Opportunities to Reduce Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication and Achieve Billions of Dollars in Financial Benefits, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "GAO [Government Accountability Office] issues annual reports on federal programs, agencies, offices, and initiatives--either within departments or government-wide--that have duplicative goals or activities. As part of this work, GAO also identifies additional opportunities for greater efficiency and effectiveness that result in cost savings or enhanced revenue collection. This report discusses new opportunities for achieving billions of dollars in financial savings and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of a wide range of federal programs. It also evaluates progress in addressing actions identified in GAO's previous 11 annual reports. In addition, the report provides examples of open actions where further steps by Congress and executive branch agencies could yield significant financial and non-financial benefits."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-05
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Review of Department of State Evacuations from Wuhan, China in Response to COVID-19
From the Summary of Review: "OIG [Office of Inspector General] undertook this review in response to a request made in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. [Public Law] 116-260). The request, detailed in the House Committee on Appropriations report (House Report 116-444), directed OIG to assess the Department of State's (Department) handling of repatriation flights from Wuhan, China, in response to the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic in early 2020. Congress asked that the review include the Department's interagency coordination, its coordination with state and local officials, its communication with the general public, and its implementation of screening and quarantine protocols for those on the Wuhan evacuation flights. OIG also reviewed the Department's communication with Congress and the extent to which the Department conducted lessons learned reviews or other internal assessments following the Wuhan evacuation flights to improve future pandemic emergency preparedness. Overall, OIG concluded that the Department carried out evacuations of over 800 Americans and others from Wuhan effectively and in accordance with applicable policies and guidelines. OIG found Department personnel coordinated with interagency partners at numerous levels in Washington and in China in planning and carrying out the Wuhan evacuation flights. However, the Department struggled to deliver accurate flight manifests to partner agencies. [...] In carrying out its review, OIG made three observations that, if addressed, could help improve the Department's handling of evacuations in the future: (1) the role of the Department's crisis manager needs further definition, (2) preparation of flight manifests needs more attention, and (3) use of social media during crises needs improvement. These observations are discussed in more detail in the report."
United States. Department of State. Office of the Inspector General
2022-05
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'Now to Get Rid of Those Pesky Health Departments!' How the Trump Administration Helped the Meatpacking Industry Block Pandemic Worker Protections
From the Executive Summary: "This staff report presents findings from an investigation conducted by the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis into the meatpacking industry's response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Select Subcommittee launched this investigation following reports that meatpacking companies refused to take adequate coronavirus precautions to protect their workers during the first year of the pandemic, resulting in mass illness and death. Last year, the Select Subcommittee found that during the first year of the pandemic, infections and deaths among workers for five of the largest meatpacking companies--Tyson Foods, Inc. (Tyson), JBS USA Holdings, Inc. (JBS), Smithfield Foods (Smithfield), Cargill, Inc. (Cargill), and National Beef Packing Company LLC (National Beef)--were significantly higher than previously estimated, with over 59,000 workers for these companies being infected with the coronavirus and at least 269 dying. Internal meatpacking industry documents reviewed by the Select Subcommittee now illustrate that despite awareness of the high risks of coronavirus spread in their plants, meatpacking companies engaged in a concerted effort with Trump Administration political officials to insulate themselves from coronavirus-related oversight, to force workers to continue working in dangerous conditions, and to shield themselves from legal liability for any resulting worker illness or death."
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Oversight and Reform. Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis
2022-05
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COVID-19: FDA Took Steps to Help Make Tests Available, Policy for Future Public Health Emergencies Needed, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "Diagnostic testing for COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] is critical to tracking the virus, informing treatment, and suppressing transmission. However, because COVID-19 is caused by a novel virus, no test existed at the beginning of the pandemic. Typically, medical devices, such as diagnostic tests, must be approved or cleared by FDA [Food and Drug Administration] before they can be offered. However, FDA's EUA [emergency use authorization] authority requires a lower level of evidence than the effectiveness standard normally required for FDA product approval; therefore, it can help tests become available in a shorter amount of time. Test developers submit EUA requests to FDA that include data on a test's performance, and FDA reviews the data to determine whether to grant an EUA. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review FDA's oversight of tests for COVID-19. This report examines, among other things, 1) the actions FDA took to help make COVID-19 tests available for use, 2) the number of tests FDA authorized and those for which it exercised enforcement discretion, and 3) FDA's monitoring of these tests after they were available for use. GAO reviewed agency documentation, and interviewed FDA and associations that represent test developers. [...] GAO recommends that FDA develop a policy for the use of enforcement discretion regarding unauthorized tests in future public health emergencies. This policy should include the conditions under which FDA would begin and end the use of such discretion. The Department of Health and Human Services concurred with our recommendation."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-05
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COVID-19: IRS Implemented Tax Relief for Employers Quickly, but Could Strengthen Its Compliance Efforts, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic resulted in significant challenges to the U.S. economy, leading to business closures. The employment tax relief measures Congress passed to help businesses affected by the pandemic were estimated to result in about $237.8 billion in foregone revenue for fiscal years 2021-2031. The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to report on the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report describes IRS [Internal Revenue Service]'s efforts in implementing the employment tax provisions. The report also evaluates IRS's plans and actions to identify compliance risks for the provisions."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-05
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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, April 29, 2022
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Series is prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [It] is the agency's primary vehicle for scientific publication of timely, reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective, and useful public health information and recommendations. This issue of MMWR contains the following: "Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy and Mortality at Delivery Hospitalization -- United States, 2017-2019"; "Public Health Actions to Control Measles Among Afghan Evacuees During Operation Allies Welcome -- United States, September-November 2021"; "Provisional Mortality Data -- United States, 2021"; "Provisional COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Age-Adjusted Death Rates, by Race and Ethnicity -- United States, 2020-2021"; "Seroprevalence of Infection-Induced SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] Antibodies -- United States, September 2021-February 2022"; "Notes from the Field: Response to Measles Among Persons Evacuated from Afghanistan -- Joint Base McGuire-DixLakehurst, New Jersey, August-October 2021"; and "QuickStats: Percentage of Currently Employed Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Had Paid Sick Leave Benefits at Last Week's Job or Business, by Region -- National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2019 and 2020." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from this issue can be accessed at the following link [https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2022.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2022-04-29
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Scientific Integrity: HHS Agencies Need to Develop Procedures and Train Staff on Reporting and Addressing Political Interference, Statement of Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States, Testimony Before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, Committee on Oversight and Reform, House of Representatives
From the Document: "I am pleased to be here today to discuss our April 2022 report on scientific integrity procedures and training at selected Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) agencies. To maintain public trust and credibility, safeguarding our nation's public health agencies' scientific decision-making from political interference is critically important. [...] My comments today will summarize the key findings from this report.5 Specifically, I will discuss: 1. the procedures in place at the selected agencies to address allegations of political interference in scientific decision-making and the extent to which agencies received such allegations and 2. training provided by the selected agencies on scientific integrity policies and procedures, including those related to potential political interference."
United States. Government Accountability Office
Dodaro, Gene L.
2022-04-29
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Evaluation of the DoD's Actions to Develop Interoperable Systems and Tools for Forecasting Logistics Demand Across the Joint Logistics Enterprise [redacted]
From the Document: "The objective of this evaluation was to determine the extent to which the DoD took actions to develop interoperable systems and tools to forecast logistics demand for campaign planning across the Joint Logistics Enterprise (JLEnt). [...] According to Joint Publication 4-0, 'Joint Logistics,' logistics involves the 'planning and executing the movement and support of forces,' and joint logistics involves the use of two or more combatant commands or Military Departments' logistics resources to support the joint force. The DoD's JLEnt consists of logistics directorates across DoD Components and is structured to achieve a unity of effort without jeopardizing individual mission and goals. JLEnt logisticians use a variety of automated systems and tools, including information systems, decision support tools, and communications capabilities to perform functions such as forecasting logistic demands required to execute specific missions. For the purposes of our report, we defined 'forecasting demand for campaign planning' as a process to identify overall sustainment support that the joint force needs to accomplish its mission in the future"
United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Inspector General
2022-04-28
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Tracking Federal Awards: USAspending.gov and Other Data Sources [Updated April 26, 2022]
From the Summary: "USAspending.gov, available at http://www.USAspending.gov, is a government source for data on federal awards by state, congressional district (CD), county, city, and zip code. The awards data in USAspending.gov are provided by federal agencies and represent contracts, grants, loans, and other forms of financial assistance. USAspending.gov also provides tools for examining the broader picture of federal spending obligations within the categories of budget function, agency, and object class. Using USAspending.gov to locate and compile accurate data on federal awards can be challenging due, in part, to continuing data quality issues that have been identified by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Users of USAspending.gov need to be aware that while search results may be useful for informing consideration of certain questions, these results may be incomplete or contain inaccuracies."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Teefy, Jennifer
2022-04-26
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DHS Plan for Southwest Border Security and Preparedness
From the Executive Summary: "Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been executing a comprehensive and deliberate strategy to secure our borders and build a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system. After inheriting a broken and dismantled immigration system, since January 2021 DHS has effectively managed an unprecedented number of noncitizens seeking to enter the United States and interdicted more drugs and disrupted more smuggling operations than ever before. The legal authority for enforcing our border security and immigration laws comes from Title 8 of the U.S Code. Among other things, Title 8 provides that individuals who cross the border without legal authorization are processed for removal and, ifunable to establish a legal basis to remain in the United States, promptly removed from the country."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
Mayorkas, Alejandro Nicholas, 1959-
2022-04-26
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Violations of ICE Detention Standards at South Texas ICE Processing Center
From the Document: "During our unannounced inspection of South Texas in Pearsall, Texas, we identified violations of ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement ] detention standards that compromised the health, safety, and rights of detainees. South Texas complied with standards for legal services, the voluntary work program, and detainee classification and provided sufficient medical care to detainees. However, we found that South Texas did not meet standards for grievances, segregation, COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] response, or communications with detainees. Specifically, the facility was late responding to grievances and did not document grievance resolutions. Grievances included complaints about mistreatment by staff, some of which the facility substantiated. Also, South Texas did not consistently provide required services for detainees in segregation, including access to legal materials and razors; nor were we able to confirm the facility consistently provided access to legal calls, mail, commissary, and linen exchange due to missing documentation of these activities in facility records. In addressing COVID-19, South Texas did not consistently enforce precautions including use of masks and social distancing but did begin providing COVID-19 vaccinations to detainees through partnerships with local governments. Further, ICE and the facility did not consistently respond to detainee requests in a timely manner and ICE did not log requests sent by detainees using paper forms. Finally, we determined the diminished detainee population at South Texas resulted in ICE paying roughly $18 million for unused bed space for a 1-year period under a guaranteed minimum contract."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2022-04-22
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EMR-ISAC: InfoGram, Volume 22 Issue 16, April 21, 2022
The Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center's (EMR-ISAC) InfoGram is a weekly publication of information concerning the protection of critical infrastructures relevant to members of the Emergency Services Sector. This issue includes the following articles: "NIOSH [National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health] announces new study on cancers linked to 9/11"; "FEMA updates 25 NIMS [National Incident Management System] resource types for fire management and suppression"; "NIST [National Institute of Standards and Technology] releases first-of-its-kind holistic home and community wildfire protection methodology"; "Webinar: How is 5G [fifth generation] impacting emergency communications?"; "CISA [Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency], FBI, NSA [National Security Agency], and international partners issue advisory on demonstrated threats and capabilities of Russian state-sponsored and cybercriminal actors"; "North Korean state-sponsored APT [advanced persistent threat] targets blockchain companies"; "Ransomware attacks on agricultural cooperatives potentially timed to critical seasons"; "BlackCat/ALPHV Ransomware Indicators of Compromise"; "Wind turbine firm Nordex hit by Conti ransomware attack"; and "CISA expands the joint cyber defense collaborative to include industrial control systems industry expertise."
Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (U.S.)
2022-04-21
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COVID-19: Potential Implications for International Security Environment-- Overview of Issues and Further Reading for Congress [Updated April 19, 2022]
From the Document: "Some observers argue the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic could be a world-changing event with potentially profound and long-lasting implications for the international security environment. Other observers are more skeptical that the pandemic will have such effects. In reports issued in March and April 2021, the U.S. intelligence community provided assessments of the potential impact of the pandemic on the international security environment. Observers who discuss whether the pandemic will be world-changing for the international security environment have focused on several areas of potential change[.]"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
O'Rourke, Ronald
2022-04-19
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Global Tuberculosis: Background and Issues for Congress [April 19, 2022]
From the Document: "Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most widespread infectious diseases in the world, infecting 10 million people in 2020. Congress has recognized TB as an important global health issue and a potential threat to global health security. Although TB is curable, approximately 1.5 million TB-related deaths occur each year. Globally, new TB infection rates declined between 2015 and 2020. Global health observers anticipate new data to assess the extent to which interruptions in TB services during the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic affected TB control; for example between 2019 and 2020, global TB deaths increased by 5.6%. Members may debate appropriate funding levels and optimum strategies for addressing the continued challenge of global TB control during the remainder of the 117th Congress. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) work closely with a range of multilateral partners to respond to the threat of TB, including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria (the Global Fund), the largest multilateral actor in the TB space, and the World Health Organization (WHO), among others. National governments also play a key role in controlling TB within their own borders. Domestic government expenditures in middle-income countries with high TB burdens, such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRICS), fund 97% of their domestic spending on TB control and account for a large portion of TB spending worldwide."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Tharakan, Sara M.
2022-04-19
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Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs: FY2023 Budget and Appropriations [April 18, 2022]
From the Document: "Each year, Congress considers 12 distinct appropriations measures to fund federal programs and activities. One of these is the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) appropriations bill, which includes funding for U.S. diplomatic activities, cultural exchanges, development, security, humanitarian assistance, and participation in multilateral organizations, among other international activities. On March 28, 2022, the Biden Administration released its proposed FY2023 budget request, which called for $66.00 billion in new budget authority for SFOPS accounts ($65.94 billion after rescissions of prior year funding). The FY2023 request, including rescissions, represents a 17.3% increase from FY2022 enacted base appropriations (excluding emergency funding to address crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine) and a 0.9% decrease from total FY2022 enacted appropriations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Morgenstern, Emily M.; Gill, Cory R.
2022-04-18
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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, April 15, 2022
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Series is prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [It] is the agency's primary vehicle for scientific publication of timely, reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective, and useful public health information and recommendations. This issue of MMWR contains the following: "Translocation of an Anteater ('Tamandua tetradactyla') Infected with Rabies from Virginia to Tennessee Resulting in Multiple Human Exposures, 2021"; "Surveillance to Track Progress Toward Polio Eradication -- Worldwide, 2020-2021"; "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Mortality and Vaccine Coverage -- Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China, January 6, 2022-March 21, 2022"; "Effectiveness of COVID-19 mRNA [messenger ribonucleic acid] Vaccination in Preventing COVID-19-Associated Hospitalization Among Adults with Previous SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] Infection -- United States, June 2021-February 2022"; "Notes from the Field: Wound Botulism Outbreak Among a Group of Persons Who Inject Drugs -- Dallas, Texas, 2020"; and "QuickStats: Age-Adjusted Death Rates of Heart Disease and Cancer, by Sex -- United States, 2010-2020." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from this issue can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2022.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2022-04-15
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Homeland Security FY 2021-2023 Annual Performance Report
From the Document: "The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Annual Performance Report (APR) for FY 2021-2023 presents the Department's mission programs, progress summaries, performance measure results and FY 2022 and FY 2023 targets. The report summarizes information on other key initiatives in the DHS Performance Management Framework related to the Strategic Review and our Agency Priority Goals (APG). Also included are other key management initiatives, and a summary of our performance challenges and high-risk areas identified by the DHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The report is consolidated to incorporate our annual performance plan and annual performance report."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
2022-04-15?
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EMR-ISAC: Infogram, Volume 22 Issue 15, April 14, 2022
The Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center's (EMR-ISAC) InfoGram is a weekly publication of information concerning the protection of critical infrastructures relevant to members of the Emergency Services Sector. This issue includes the following articles: "NAEMSP [National Association of Emergency Medical Services Physicians] joint statement recommends reducing use of EMS [emergency medical services] lights and sirens"; "Virginia Beach public safety drone program serves as a model for interagency coordination"; "April is National Supply Chain Integrity Month"; "Webinar: Preparedness Lessons Learned from the 2021 Texas Power Failure"; "APT [advanced persistent threat] Actors target ICS [industrial control system]/SCADA [supervisory control and data acquisition] Devices"; "Lapsus$, Okta and the Health Sector"; "Microsoft blocks Russian cyberattacks linked to Ukraine war"; "Russian hackers thwarted in attempt to take out electrical grid, Ukrainians say"; and "MS-ISAC [Multi-State Information and Analysis Center]: Cyber clean for Spring."
Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (U.S.)
2022-04-14
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COVID-19 Vaccination: Selected U.S. Data Sources [Updated April 11, 2022]
From the Document: "The sources below can help congressional staff track the progress of the U.S. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination campaign at the national, state, and local levels. Sources were selected for having commonly cited and frequently requested data. This list is not intended to be comprehensive. Because different resources use different methodologies, readers should check websites' notes and caveats, and use caution when comparing data. For help interpreting or analyzing these data, congressional staff should contact CRS (202-707-5700, or place an online request). For an overview of considerations for Congress, see CRS Report R47024, 'Immunization Information Systems: Overview and Current Issues' and CRS Insight IN11584, 'Tracking COVID-19 Vaccines: U.S. Data Systems and Related Issues.' For international sources, see CRS Insight IN11732, 'International COVID-19 Data and Vaccine Distribution: Selected Resources.'"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Cornell, Ada S.; Napili, Angela
2022-04-11
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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, April 8, 2022
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Series is prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [It] is the agency's primary vehicle for scientific publication of timely, reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective, and useful public health information and recommendations. This issue of MMWR contains the following: "Monkeypox in a Traveler Returning from Nigeria -- Dallas, Texas, July 2021"; "Cardiac Complications After SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] Infection and mRNA [messenger ribonucleic acid] COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Vaccination -- PCORnet, United States, January 2021 - January 2022"; "Notes from the Field: SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Infection in 10 Persons Within 90 Days of Previous SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant Infection -- Four States, October 2021 - January 2022"; "Notes from the Field: Enteropathogenic 'Escherichia coli' Outbreak at a Child Care Center -- Oregon, August 2021"; "Erratum: Vol. 71, No. 6," and "QuickStats: Rate of Deaths Attributed to Unintentional Injury from Fire or Flames, by Sex and Urban-Rural Status -- National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2020." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from this issue can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2022.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2022-04-08
