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U.K. technology, industry groups call on government to act
A coalition of U.K. technology and industry groups call on the U.K. government to use the forthcoming budget as an opportunity to reshape the economy by investing in key growth technology sectors
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DHS announces ARRA funding of Coast Guard improvement projects
DHS directs $240 of the stimulus package funds to make improvements to Coast Guard cutters and shoring up of bridges
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Obama administration slashes ballistic missile defense funds
In early January, the outgoing Bush administration awarded Boeing a $400 million contract for Ground-based Midcourse Defense interceptors; we wrote at the time that it was “probably the last large ballistic missile defense contract, as both Obama and the Democratic majority in Congress have shown little interest in the program”; we were right: the Obama administrations proposes deep cuts in funding for the more esoteric BMD technologies
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Obama names Aneesh Chopra first U.S. chief technology officer
President Barack Obama fulfills a campaign pledge to appoint chief technology officer for the United States; Chopra will work closely with Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra, who is responsible for setting technology policy and federal technology spending, which amounts to more than $70 billion a year
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DHS highlights successes in fight against trafficking and illegal immigration
On a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, DHS secretary Napolitano highlights the department’s success in efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and contraband trafficking
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Lieberman wants U.S.-Mexico border security funding in supplemental
President Obama has submitted a $83.4 billion supplemental request to Congress which contains $66 million in additional aid to Mexico’s anti-drug efforts (Congress has already allocated about $700 million to Mexico — including $300 million in the recently enacted fiscal 2009 omnibus spending bill); leading senators say more should be done to shore-up border protection, and they propose an amendment to the supplemental which would add $550 million in border security funding
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DHS adds $100 million to emergency food bank
DHS secretary Napolitano announces $100 million in stimulus package funds for Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP); EFSP, created twenty-six years ago, has so far distributed more than $3.4 billion in federal funds for food and shelter
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Protection from terrorism affects far reaches of Montana
When you think of terrorism and preparations for terrorist attacks, you think of big cities; the remote precincts of Montana, however, are not exempt; the local inhabitants, who foot the bill for local homeland security, want to know whether rural dams are really terrorist targets
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CBP unveils plan to modernize U.S. land ports of entry
Funds from the stimulus package — $720 million to be exact — will be directed toward address infrastructure needs at ports of entry
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Aussie government in $43 billion fast Internet scheme
The economic slowdown found private Australian telecommunication companies unwilling to fund a high-speed national broadband network, a network which Kevin Rudd’s government believes is essential for the country’s economic competitiveness; the government is stepping in, saying it would invest at least $21.9 billion of taxpayers’ money to get the project going
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SBAC to U.K. government: don't starve successful sectors
The Society of British Aerospace Companies tells government investment in defense and aerospace should be increased; more investment should go to science, technology, engineering, and maths education
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Napolitano unveils DHS efficiency review initiative
DHS secretary Janet Napolitano unveils an efficiency review initiative that will examine ways to make the department more efficient in six areas: acquisition management, asset management, real property management, employee vetting/credentialing, hiring/on-boarding, and information technology
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Napolitano unveils new border security initiatives
With the increasing lawlessness and violence in Mexico spilling into the United States, DHS launches new security initiative along the U.S.-Mexico border — and inside Mexico
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U.S., Germany to collaborate in homeland security research
U.S., Germany sign a research and development collaboration agreement which will see secret U.S. laboratories open to German scientists
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North Dakota EMS employees use disaster money for booze
Nearly $200,000 of the roughly $810,000 the Bismarck, North Dakota-based EMS group received between 2004 and last year to help produce a plan to fight bioterrorism and other mass disasters was used on “unallowable or questionable” items
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The long view
Funding Cuts, Policy Shifts, and the Erosion of U.S. Scientific and Public Health Capacity
The U.S. continues to face mounting threats to its health, scientific enterprise, and national security. A recent report warns that proposed FY 2026 budget cuts to the National Science Foundation (NSF) could reduce its funding by more than half – from $9 billion in FY 2025 to under $4 billion. If passed by Congress, these cuts would result in an estimated ~$11 billion in economic losses.