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Fact Sheet: The Biden-Harris Administration Acts to Address the Growing Wildfire Threat
From the Webpage: "In preparation for this wildfire season, the Biden Administration has convened a series of meetings on wildfire preparedness and prevention efforts to determine what more can be done to prepare for and prevent wildfires. [...] Today, President Biden and Vice President Harris will meet with Governors from Western states, Cabinet officials and private sector partners to discuss specific actions the public and private sector are each taking to strengthen prevention, preparedness, mitigation, and response efforts - and to protect communities across our country from wildfires and their devastating impacts. During today's meeting, the President will direct a number of actions, in close coordination with State and local governments and the private sector, to ensure the Federal Government can most effectively protect public safety and deliver assistance to our people in times of urgent need. The President will also highlight the need to invest in wildfire prevention and risk mitigation efforts, including the nearly $50 billion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework."
United States. White House Office
2021-06-30
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Department of Veterans Affairs FY2021 Appropriations [Updated June 30, 2021]
From the Summary: "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administers numerous programs that provide benefits and services to eligible veterans and their families. These benefits include medical care; disability compensation and pensions; education; vocational rehabilitation and employment services; assistance to homeless veterans; home loan guarantees; administration of life insurance, as well as traumatic injury protection insurance for servicemembers; and death benefits that cover burial expenses. President Trump submitted his budget proposal for FY2021 on February 10, 2020. The President's budget requested $240.2billion for VA. This amount included$135.4 billion in mandatory benefits funding and $104.8 billion in discretionary funding. When compared with the FY2020-enacted amount for the VA of $237.5 billion--which includes regular appropriations provided by the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-94), and supplemental funding provided by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (P.L. 116-127) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (P.L. 116-136)--this was an increase of $2.752 billion. In addition, the budget request included an advance appropriation request of $239.5 billion for FY2022 to fund the seven advance appropriations accounts: compensation and pensions, readjustment benefits, insurance and indemnities, medical services, medical community care, medical support and compliance, and medical facilities."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Panangala, Sidath Viranga; Sussman, Jared S.; Salazar, Heather M.
2021-06-30
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Annual Report 2021: Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman
From the Executive Summary: "The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman) 2021 Annual Report covers calendar year 2020, as well as key developments in early 2021, and contains: [1] An overview of the CIS Ombudsman's mission and services; [2] A review of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) programmatic and policy challenges during this reporting period; and [3] A detailed discussion of pervasive problems, recommendations, and best practices in the administration of our immigration laws."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman
2021-06-30
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Washington - Northwest Regional Aviation: Protecting the Puget Sound
From the Summary: "The Seattle Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) established Northwest Regional Aviation (NWRA)--an aviation consortium that protects the Puget Sound area from terrorism and responds to large-scale disasters. The NWRA saved 12 survivors during the first three hours of the Snohomish County mudslide on March 22, 2014."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
2021-06-29
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Inadequate Oversight of Contractors' Personal Identity Verification Cards Puts Veterans' Sensitive Information and Facility Security at Risk
From the Executive Summary: "The VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this review to determine whether Veterans Health Administration (VHA) contracting officers complied with mandates to ensure contractors account for and return their personnel's personal identity verification (PIV) cards as required, such as at the end of a contract or employment. A PIV card is a federally issued credential that is used by authorized individuals to gain access to federal facilities and information systems commensurate with the cardholder's security level and allows for multifactor authentication. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) establishes that it is the contracting officer's responsibility to ensure that all identification issued to contractor employees, including PIV cards, is returned. The VHA procurement manual embraces this principle by establishing that contracting officers shall ensure the contractor provides a list of PIV cards issued and returns all PIV cards to the issuing office. Unreturned PIV cards increase risks for unauthorized access to VA facilities and information systems. This poses a threat to property and to veterans, visitors, VA staff, and contractors. It also creates opportunities for individuals to compromise veterans' personal data, which could result in identity theft for personal profit and medical identity theft to access treatment, medications, or other gains."
United States. Department of Veterans Affairs. Office of Inspector General
2021-06-29
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Resources for Grantseekers [Updated June 29, 2021]
From the Summary: "Federal grants are intended to meet goals authorized by Congress and often target community needs. Federal grants are not guaranteed benefits or entitlements to individuals. Most federal grant funds go to state and local governments, which in turn may award funds as sub-awards to local entities, such as nonprofit organizations. Because of this, contacting federal departments and agencies, state-level grants administering agencies (SAAs), or both to discuss grant opportunities is likely to be an important step for many grantseekers. However, due to limited purposes of grants and competition for available funding, grantseekers seeking government aid might need to search for funding options other than grants. For instance, individuals may be eligible for other kinds of benefits or assistance. Small businesses and students may be eligible for loans. [...] This report provides a brief introduction to the grant process, describes key sources of information on government and private funding, and outlines eligibility for federal grants. This report also includes some sources for information on writing grant proposals."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kreiser, Maria
2021-06-29
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H. Rept. 117-76: Assistance, Quality, and Affordability Act of 2021, Report Together with Dissenting Views, to Accompany H.R. 3291, June 29, 2021
From the Purpose and Summary: "H.R. 3291, the 'Assistance, Quality, and Affordability Act of 2021', includes provisions to improve our nation's drinking water infrastructure, increase the safety of our drinking water, and make water service more affordable."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2021-06-29
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: Summary of Estimated Budgetary Effects of Rules Committee Prints 117-8 and 117-9, H.R. 3684, the INVEST in America Act Including Manager's Amendment (Defazio 161, Version 1)
This is a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Cost Estimate which contains four summary tables. From the Document: "H.R. 3684 [INVEST in America Act, Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act] would provide budget authority over the 2022-2026 period for the Department of Transportation (DOT) to continue operating programs funded from the Highway Trust Fund. The bill also would authorize the appropriation of funds for rail programs and certain other transportation programs administered by DOT and other federal agencies."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2021-06-28
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Inspection Procedures for the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard
From the Purpose: "The purpose of this Direction is to provide guidelines and establish uniform inspection and enforcement procedures for the (COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] emergency temporary standard, hereafter referred to as the ETS."
United States. Occupational Safety and Health Administration
2021-06-28
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Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Transportation [June 25, 2021]
From the Document: "The purpose of this letter is to provide an update on the overall status of the Department of Transportation's (DOT) implementation of GAO's [Government Accountability Office] recommendations and to call your personal attention to areas where open recommendations should be given high priority. In November 2020, we reported that on a government-wide basis, 77 percent of our recommendations made 4 years ago were implemented. DOT's recommendation implementation rate was 77 percent. As of April 2021, DOT had 178 open recommendations. Fully implementing these open recommendations could significantly improve agency operations."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-06-25
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DHS Budget Request Analysis: Fy2022 [June 25, 2021]
From the Introduction: "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the third largest agency in the federal government in terms of personnel. The appropriations bill that funds it--providing almost $72 billion in FY2021--is the seventh largest of the 12 annual funding measures developed by the appropriations committees, and is the only appropriations bill that funds a single agency in its entirety and nothing else. This report provides an overview of the FY2022 budget request for the Department of Homeland Security. It provides a component-level overview of the appropriations sought in the FY2022 budget request, and puts the requested appropriations in context with the FY2021 requested and enacted level of appropriations, while noting some of the factors behind the larger changes from those baselines."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Painter, William L.
2021-06-25
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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, June 25, 2021
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: "HIV Testing Trends Among Persons with Commercial Insurance or Medicaid -- United States, 2014-2019"; "Need for Contraceptive Services Among Women of Reproductive Age -- 45 Jurisdictions, United States, 2017-2019"; "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Surveillance and Investigations in Workplaces -- Seattle & King County, Washington, June 15-November 15, 2020"; "COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Adults -- United States, December 14, 2020-May 22, 2021"; "COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage and Intent Among Adults Aged 18-39 Years -- United States, March-May 2021"; and "'QuickStats': Percentage of Adults Who Did Not Get Needed Dental Care Because of Cost in the Past 12 Months, by Age Group and Sex - National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2019." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from this issue can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2021.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2021-06-25
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Deficiencies in Emergency Preparedness for Veterans Health Administration Telemental Health Care at VA Clinic Locations Prior to the Pandemic
From the Executive Summary: "The VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a review of emergency preparedness, as of November 1, 2019, for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) outpatient telemental health care in a VA patient-clinic location as a response to steadily expanding telehealth care over the last decade in an increasingly virtual and technology-driven environment. Telehealth is a technology-based, virtual mode of health care used 'to provide clinical care in circumstances where distance separates those receiving services and those providing services.' Telehealth delivery of mental health care is referred to as telemental health. This review included telemental health care in VA clinics, excluding home and non-VA locations. [...] After the World Health Organization's declaration of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic in March 2020, VHA planned to leverage telehealth services in lieu of certain face to-face care to ensure safety of veterans and staff. Patient visits shifted away from in-person clinic care as often as possible to telehealth including 'in-home virtual care visits.' This report discusses emergency procedures specific to the provision of telemental health care to patients located within a VA setting."
United States. Department of Veterans Affairs. Office of Inspector General
2021-06-24
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City of San Antonio Community Emergency Preparedness Committee Report: A Response to the February 2021 Winter Storm
From the Introduction: "In early February 2021, millions of people in Texas were affected by extreme winter weather that came with the arrival of Winter Storm Uri . Several days of unusually low temperatures, ranging within single digits across the state , combined with snowfall and ice, resulted in, among other things, calls from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to shed electric power by initiating rolling power outages on Monday, February 15, 2021 . This severe weather left millions of people across the state, and hundreds of thousands of people in San Antonio, without power for several days in freezing temperatures. [...] The primary purpose of this investigation is to understand (1) what caused the problems that resulted in interruptions to utility services, leading to severe community impacts under dangerous winter weather conditions, (2) why were the communications to the community during the winter weather event so ineffective and inefficient, and (3) what City and Utility leadership can do to better prepare and respond to future significant emergency events with changing conditions and cascading impacts."
San Antonio (Tex.)
2021-06-24
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EMR-ISAC: InfoGram, Volume 21 Issue 25, June 24, 2021
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: "Resources from USFA [United States Fire Administration] and IAFF [International Association of Fire Fighters] on mitigating heat stress with firefighter rehabilitation"; "FICEMS [Federal Interagency Committee on Emergency Medical Services] releases Telemedicine Framework for EMS [emergency medical services] and 911"; "FEMA releases NIMS [National Incident Management System] Incident Complexity Guide"; "ISAC National Webinar: Incident Response Tabletop - Working with law enforcement and insurers when responding to cyber incidents"; "CISA [Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency] collaborating with White House on forthcoming zero-trust strategy"; "MITRE adds D3FEND countermeasures to ATT&CK framework"; "Average time to fix critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities is 205 days: report"; "Ransomware attacks decline as gangs focus on lucrative targets"; "Tulsa warns of data breach after Conti ransomware leaks police citations."
Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (U.S.)
2021-06-24
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COVID-19 Economic Recovery Resource Roadmap (Version 2.0)
From the Document: "This 'COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Economic Recovery Resource Roadmap' (Roadmap) was developed to assist state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) leaders and other interested parties with navigating some of the challenges, as well as the resources, associated with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Specifically, the Roadmap describes how supplemental appropriated funds and certain ongoing annually funded federal programs can be used to implement potential solutions."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
2021-06-22
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Series 1: Enhancing Public Health Security and Resilience
This is the first part of the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate's four-part Whole-of-Government Virtual Research and Development Showcase. This eBook highlights expert panels titled, "Preparing for the Next Pandemic: Lessons Learned from COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]," "Detecting Public Health Threats with Wastewater Surveillance: Standardizing Test Protocols," "Opioids Detection and Partnerships: Responding to a Public Health Crisis," and "Securing the Nation's Public Transit Against COVID-19 and Other Threats."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Science and Technology Directorate
2021-06-21?
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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, June 18, 2021
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: "Persistent Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Fatal Unintentional Drowning Rates Among Persons Aged ≤29 Years -- United States, 1999-2019"; "Hepatitis A Virus Infections Among Men Who Have Sex with Men -- Eight U.S. States, 2017-2018"; "Mental Health Among Parents of Children Aged
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2021-06-18
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: USCIS Policy Manual
"U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) makes decisions on benefit and service requests that not only affect foreign nationals and their future, but also the well-being of U.S. citizens, families, organizations, businesses, industries, localities, states, the nation, and international communities. Accordingly, USCIS strives to secure America's promise as a nation of immigrants by providing accurate and useful information to customers, promoting awareness and understanding of citizenship rights and responsibilities, and making adjudication decisions in a consistent and accurate manner that furthers the goals and integrity of our nation's immigration system. Our policies drive our benefit and services decisions and ensure that our guidance to USCIS officers who make those decisions reflects our agency's mission, and strategic vision. These policies also greatly affect our interaction with USCIS's diverse customer and stakeholder community. […] The USCIS Policy Manual provides transparency to our customers, including outlining policies that are easy to understand, while also furthering consistency, quality, and efficiency in our adjudications and customer service. The USCIS Policy Manual contains the official policies of USCIS and must be followed by all USCIS officers in the performance of their duties. The Policy Manual does not create any substantive or procedural right or benefit that is legally enforceable by any party against the United States or its agencies or officers or any other person."
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
2021-06-17
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Global Economic Effects of COVID-19 [Updated June 17, 2021]
From the Overview: "The World Health Organization (WHO) first declared COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] a world health emergency in January 2020; on March 11 it announced the viral outbreak was officially a pandemic, the highest level of health emergency. Since then, the emergency evolved into a global public health and economic crisis that affected the $90 trillion global economy beyond anything experienced in nearly a century. [...] By early March 2020, the focal point of infections shifted from China to Europe, especially Italy, but by April, the focus had shifted to the United States, where the number of infections had been accelerating. By April 2021, India and Brazil emerged as viral hot spots with the number of infections and deaths reaching daily record levels in those countries. [...] The infection has sickened over 174 million people globally with over 3.7 million fatalities. The United States reported that by mid-June 2021, over 33 million Americans had been diagnosed and nearly 600,000 had died from the virus. [...] During the G-7 (Group of Seven) summit in England on June 11, 2021, the United States and the other G-7 leaders announced they would provide a combined total of 1 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in addition to lifesaving medical supplies, oxygen, diagnostics, therapeutics, and personal protective equipment (PPE) to low and middle income developing countries."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Jackson, James K., 1949-; Weiss, Martin A.; Schwarzenberg, Andres B. . . .
2021-06-17
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EMR-ISAC: InfoGram, Volume 21 Issue 24, June 17, 2021
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: "Prepare your community for a safe summer with these free outreach materials"; "OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] issues COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard, applicable to emergency responders providing health care services"; "DHS S&T [Science and Technology Directorate] successfully evaluates wildfire sensors with California emergency responders"; "Webinars: TRANSCAER [Transportation Community Awareness Emergency Response] hazardous materials training on emergency response to ethanol incidents"; "CISA [Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency] releases advisory on ZOLL defibrillator dashboard"; "'Fancy Lazarus' cyberattackers ramp up ransom DDoS [distributed denial-of-service] efforts"; "Critical ThroughTek flaw opens millions of connected cameras to eavesdropping"; "The FBI will feed compromised passwords to Have I Been Pwned"; "Cyber insurance: Insurers and policyholders face challenges in an evolving market."
Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (U.S.)
2021-06-17
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Psychological Distress and Trauma in Doctors Providing Frontline Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom and Ireland: A Prospective Longitudinal Survey Cohort Study
From the Document: "The psychological impact of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic on doctors is a significant concern. Due to the emergence of multiple pandemic waves, longitudinal data on the impact of COVID-19 are vital to ensure an adequate psychological care response. The primary aim was to assess the prevalence and degree of psychological distress and trauma in frontline doctors during the acceleration, peak and deceleration of the COVID-19 first wave. [...] The primary aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and degree of psychological distress and trauma in doctors providing frontline care during the acceleration, peak and deceleration phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also sought to establish which personal and professional factors were significantly associated with psychological distress at these time points."
BMJ Publishing Group
Roberts, Tom; Daniels, Jo; Hulme, William . . .
2021-06-15
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Medical/Surgical Prime Vendor Contract Emergency Supply Strategies Available Before the COVID-19 Pandemic
From the Executive Summary: "When COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] struck, VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] medical facilities' demand for personal protective supplies increased dramatically. VA facilities pressed their usual suppliers for greater quantities of these supplies, as did many medical facilities everywhere, especially for personal protective equipment (PPE). In VA's case, the usual suppliers were four primary contractors participating in the Medical/Surgical Prime Vendor (MSPV) Program. Primary contractors, known as prime vendors, provide just-in-time distribution of medical, surgical, dental, and laboratory supplies. The prime vendors were also required to provide VA medical facilities, based on their designation as Federal Emergency Medical Facilities, with plans and strategies to ensure emergency and continuous supply support to prepare for major catastrophic events. In addition, VA has the All-Hazards Emergency Cache Program and its Pandemic Influenza Plan to help keep its facilities operational during a catastrophe. The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this review of the contracts and program to determine whether the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) ensured the prime vendors met requirements by offering VA medical facilities a no-cost option to develop supply lists tailored to catastrophic events (emergency plans) and providing contingency plans and strategies for continuing service to each VA medical facility they support. In addition, the OIG assessed whether facilities took advantage of the options and strategies offered in the plans and the extent to which VHA relied on the contracts to obtain PPE during the pandemic."
United States. Department of Veterans Affairs. Office of Inspector General
2021-06-14
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S. Rept. 117-24: National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act of 2021, Report to Accompany S. 658, Including Cost Estimate of the Congressional Budget Office, June 14, 2021
From the Purpose and Summary: "The purpose of S. 658, the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act of 2021, is to codify the Secretary of Homeland Security's existing authority to work with a consortium, primarily composed of nonprofit entities and academic institutions with expertise in cybersecurity, to address cybersecurity risks and incidents. The Secretary may work with such a consortium to provide assistance to the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide cybersecurity-related training and expertise to state and local first responders and critical infrastructure owners and operators."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2021-06-14
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Origins of the COVID-19 Pandemic [Updated June 11, 2021]
From the Document: "In late 2019, a new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2], was identified in Wuhan, China. The virus, which causes Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), has contributed to significant morbidity (illness) and mortality (death), as well as severe public health and economic effects, among other impacts. Several Members of Congress have made public statements and introduced legislation calling for an investigation into the origin of SARS-CoV-2. Determining the origin and pathway by which a zoonotic disease (i.e., one that originated in animals) emerges and is transmitted to humans can help scientists prevent further outbreaks, inform the public health response, and aid in the development of therapeutics and vaccines. Further, such knowledge may guide the development of policies and practices that reduce the potential for the emergence of other zoonotic diseases. Determining the origin of zoonotic diseases can take years, and in some cases, an origin may never be conclusively identified."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Salaam-Blyther, Tiaji; Sheikh, Pervaze A.; Sheikh, Hassan Z. . . .
2021-06-11
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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, June 11, 2021
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: "Progress Toward Rubella Elimination -- World Health Organization European Region, 2005-2019"; "Impact of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Pandemic on Administration of Selected Routine Childhood and Adolescent Vaccinations -- 10 U.S. Jurisdictions, March-September 2020"; "Genomic Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] Variants Circulating in the United States, December 2020-May 2021"; "Hospitalization of Adolescents Aged 12-17 Years with Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19 -- COVID-NET [Coronavirus Disease 2019-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network], 14 States, March 1, 2020-April 24, 2021"; "Decreases in COVID-19 Cases, Emergency Department Visits, Hospital Admissions, and Deaths Among Older Adults Following the Introduction of COVID-19 Vaccine -- United States, September 6, 2020-May 1, 2021"; and "'QuickStats': Percentage of Children Aged 2-17 Years Who Wear Glasses or Contact Lenses, by Sex and Age Group -- National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2019."
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2021-06-11
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Energy and Water Development Appropriations for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation: In Brief [Updated June 10, 2021]
From the Summary: "The Department of Energy's (DOE's) nonproliferation and national security programs provide technical capabilities to support U.S. efforts to 'prevent, counter, respond' to the proliferation of nuclear weapons worldwide, including by both states and non-state actors. These programs are administered by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semiautonomous agency established within DOE in 2000. NNSA is responsible for maintaining the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, providing nuclear fuel to the Navy, nuclear and radiological emergency response, and nuclear nonproliferation activities. NNSA's Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation is funded under the Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN) account. This report addresses the programs in the DNN account, appropriated by the Energy and Water appropriations bill. The FY2022 request for DNN appropriations was $2.26 billion. The proposal included unobligated prior year balances. The reduction continues an earlier trend to reduce prior-year carryover balances. According to the budget justification, the increase of $4 million, or 0.2%, from the FY2021-enacted level includes increases in Nonproliferation and Arms Control and DNN R&D [research and development] programs, offset by the completion of Material Management and Minimization and Global Material Security."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Nikitin, Mary Beth Dunham
2021-06-10
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U.S. Global Health Funding: FY2017-FY2022 Request [Updated June 10, 2021]
From the Background: "Congress has prioritized global health, increasing related funding, particularly for the creation of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) during the George W. Bush Administration. During the Obama Administration, appropriations continued to rise, though at a slower pace and with some funding dips. Global health appropriations also increased during the Trump Administration, despite requests from that Administration to cut global health spending. Following the emergence of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, appropriations for global health security rose and several bills for bolstering global health security were introduced."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Salaam-Blyther, Tiaji
2021-06-10
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VA Real Property: Preliminary Observations on Challenges Limiting VA's Ability to Effectively Manage Its Assets, Statement of Andrew Von Ah, Director, Physical Infrastructure, Testimony Before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate
From the Highlights: "VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] manages a vast portfolio of real property assets, including a healthcare system that provides care at 171 VA medical centers and 1,112 outpatient sites to over 9 million veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VA has pressing infrastructure needs, including adapting to changes in veterans' demographics and maintaining or replacing aging facilities. GAO's [Government Accountability Office] key characteristics of an asset management framework state that effectively managing assets requires, among other things, maintaining leadership support that provides the necessary resources; a collaborative organizational culture; and a system for evaluating and improving asset management performance. However, GAO's previous and ongoing work has found that VA continues to face challenges on these fronts. Although VA has implemented some GAO recommendations, several priority recommendations remain outstanding in areas related to asset management, such as staffing and capital planning. GAO was asked to testify about VA's management of its capital asset portfolio. This statement summarizes GAO's findings from prior reports and preliminary observations from ongoing work examining VA's capital asset management. In ongoing work, GAO reviewed VA documentation and interviewed officials from VA headquarters offices involved in asset management. GAO also interviewed personnel at a selection of eight VA medical centers and seven regional offices and from four Veterans Service Organizations about VA's asset management."
United States. Government Accountability Office
Von Ah, Andrew
2021-06-09
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Audit of the Reimbursement for Department of Defense Mission Assignments for Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic Response in the U.S. Northern Command Area of Responsibility
From the Objective: "The objective of this audit was to determine whether DoD Components (tasked units) requested and received reimbursement of costs incurred for support provided to coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic response mission assignments in the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) area of responsibility in accordance with DoD policies."
United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Inspector General
2021-06-09
