U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus announced specific actions being taken to address the termination of Title 42 public health order. Click here to read this statement in full.
Tuesday, April 4, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Resilient Assistance for Mitigation for Environmentally Resilient Infrastructure and Construction by Americans Act. The act more than doubles the allowable funding calculation under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program for additional projects, like resilient building codes.
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $1.5 billion to the Department of the Interior’s Wildland Fire Management Program to address wildfire risk and prepare communities and ecosystems against the threat of wildfire. The department released a roadmap for achieving the objectives in coordination with federal, non-federal and Tribal partners.
Data continues to show the importance of vaccination and booster doses to protect individuals both from infection and severe outcomes of COVID-19. The CDC is updating its recommendations to allow certain immunocompromised individuals and people over the age of 50 who received an initial booster dose at least 4 months ago to be eligible for another mRNA booster to increase their protection against severe disease from COVID-19.
The United States will continue to impose severe costs on the Russian Federation in response to President Putin’s illegal war. The United States is designating 21 entities and 13 individuals. Of those being designated, 10 of those individuals and 17 entities are involved in sanctions evasion networks to procure of western technology.
The Biden Administration’s proposed FY 2023 budget, unveiled by The White House this week, includes $88.2 billion in funding to enable America to rapidly produce and deliver medical countermeasures against pandemics and other biological threats. The request significantly addresses ten priorities identified by the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense in its 2021 Apollo Program for Biodefense.
The Department of Homeland Security works to secure and manage our borders while building a fair and orderly immigration system. DHS is implementing a comprehensive strategy to address a potential increase in the number of border encounters. The strategy includes: 1) Acquiring and deploying resources to address increased volumes; 2) Delivering a more efficient and fair immigration process; 3) Processing and removing those who do not have valid claims; and 4) Working with other countries in the Western Hemisphere to manage migration and address root causes.
Achieving classical herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may not be attainable, according to a new perspective published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. However, widespread use of currently available public health interventions to prevent and control COVID-19 will enable resumption of most activities of daily life with minimal disruption, the authors note.
The DHS Science and Technology Directorate leads the Small Business Innovation Research program, which encourages startups with fewer than 500 employees to provide quality research, new processes, products and technologies in support of government missions. During the inaugural showcase, nine small businesses will present their technologies and answer questions.
The Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice are issuing a rule to improve and expedite processing of asylum claims made by noncitizens subject to expedited removal, ensuring that those who are eligible for asylum are granted relief quickly, and those who are not are promptly removed.
