{"id":2113367,"date":"2023-12-01T13:04:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T18:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/two-homeland-security-programs-tied-to-government-shutdown-in-danger-of-disappearing\/"},"modified":"2023-12-01T13:09:09","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T18:09:09","slug":"two-homeland-security-programs-tied-to-government-shutdown-in-danger-of-disappearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/two-homeland-security-programs-tied-to-government-shutdown-in-danger-of-disappearing\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Homeland Security programs at risk of vanishing due to government shutdown"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftwo-homeland-security-programs-tied-to-government-shutdown-in-danger-of-disappearing%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2113367&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Homeland Security \u2062Programs at Risk of Disappearing\u200c Without Funding<\/h2>\n<p>Two crucial Homeland Security programs are facing the possibility of disappearing in February if Congress fails to pass funding. This adds to the growing list of entities \u200dand departments that could be affected by a government shutdown.<\/p>\n<p>One of these programs plays a vital role in detecting nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, while \u200cthe other helps combat the issue of illegally flying drones in United\u200b States airspace. Although these programs are\u200c not controversial, they are still tied to budget negotiations that \u2064can go down to the wire and even lead to government shutdowns.<\/p>\n<h3>What You Need to Know\u200d About China&#8217;s New Spike in Respiratory Illnesses and &#8216;Immunity Debt&#8217;<\/h3>\n<p>In \u200cNovember, Congress passed a continuing resolution that\u2062 extended funding\u2062 for \u200dvarious departments until\u200d January 19, and for the rest of\u2064 the government until February 2.<\/p>\n<p>If the House fails to \u2063pass its appropriations bill by February \u200c2 or if the authority of the \u2064DHS programs expires, officials have warned that national security in the U.S. would \u200bbe\u200c significantly diminished.<\/p>\n<p>Under a law passed in\u2064 2018, the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office within DHS is set to expire at the end of 2023. This office was established to aid in the detection of weapons and provide scanning equipment to state\u2062 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/president-trump-pledges-orderly-transition-of-power\/\" title=\"President Trump pledges orderly transition of power\">local law enforcement<\/a>. Without funding, DHS would be unable to\u2062 develop \u2064new scanning mechanisms, deploy security teams to large events, and train \u2062law\u200b enforcement, \u200cleaving a significant gap in the\u2064 federal government&#8217;s \u200ccapabilities.<\/p>\n<p>Mary Ellen Callahan, the Assistant \u2063Secretary of DHS, stated that \u200cCongress would need \u200dto pass nearly a\u2062 dozen laws to restore these \u2063powers to the agencies that held them \u2062prior to 2018, such as Customs and\u2063 Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The ability to detect chemical, biological,\u2062 radiological, and nuclear threats\u2062 would be \u200csignificantly diminished,&#8221; Callahan emphasized.<\/p>\n<p>While the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office was initially set\u2062 to expire on December 21, \u200bthe \u2063continuing\u2064 resolution passed in November extended its funding until February 2. However, the office is already experiencing significant staff \u200bdepartures, with many scientists leaving and\u2064 a workforce \u2062reduction increase from 2-3% annually to 10% in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>If the office ceases \u200bto exist, planning for major\u2062 events like the Super Bowl, \u200cwhich\u200b typically requires 18 months of preparation, will become much more challenging.<\/p>\n<p>Callahan also highlighted that without her office, \u200cexisting equipment will \u2064not \u200breceive necessary updates with new technology, rendering them inadequate as new threats emerge and the equipment\u200d becomes damaged or outdated.<\/p>\n<p>Defunding\u200c the other \u2063program that helps combat illegally flying drones in U.S. airspace could have severe consequences, according to Samantha Vinograd, the Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism and Threat \u200cPrevention.\u200c Drones have disrupted various events,\u200d from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/espn-reporter-wont-be-on-college-football-sidelines-after-choosing-to-not-get-vaccinated\/\" title=\"ESPN Reporter Won\u2019t Be On College Football Sidelines After Choosing To Not Get Vaccinated\">college football games<\/a> to flights, underscoring the importance of this office.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, this\u2062 program extends its authority \u2064to \u2063the \u200cBorder Patrol, enabling them to address drones carrying fentanyl over the U.S.-Mexico border.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If the continuing resolution budget agreement\u2063 expires, if we don&#8217;t have some other renewal, all of\u200c that sunsets,&#8221; Vinograd warned. &#8220;So when we \u2062were on\u200b the\u2063 brink of a \u2063government shutdown, we weren&#8217;t just shutting down\u2063 the government, we\u200b were at risk of losing all of our countering \u200cdrone \u200btechnology.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE\u2063 WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What \u2062are the implications for collaboration and information sharing between\u200d different <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israeli-owned-spyware-firms-blacklisted-by-us-commerce-department-over-national-security-risks\/\" title=\"US Commerce Department blacklists Israeli spyware firms due to national security risks.\">law enforcement\u200c agencies<\/a> \u2063if the Countering Weapons of Mass\u2062 Destruction Office and the Office of \u2063Air and Marine \u2064Operations are disrupted or lose funding<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Cy\u200d and that a \u200cshutdown\u200c could \u2062have dire consequences. She emphasized the importance\u2062 of the Countering Weapons of Mass \u2063Destruction Office in safeguarding the nation against potential threats and called for \u2064swift\u2062 action to prevent its disappearance.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the Office of Air and\u200d Marine Operations, responsible for addressing the issue of illegally \u200cflying\u200d drones in U.S. airspace, is also at risk\u200d of losing funding. \u2064This program \u200bplays a crucial role in protecting national \u2063security and\u200d public safety by detecting and intercepting drones that pose a threat, as well as tracking the operators behind these activities.\u200d Without\u2062 funding, the government&#8217;s ability to monitor, respond \u200dto, \u2064and\u2064 mitigate the risks\u200d associated with \u2062\u200cunauthorized drone operations would be severely compromised.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2062potential disappearance of these Homeland Security\u2062 programs\u2063 raises serious concerns about the\u200c nation&#8217;s security posture and its ability to respond effectively to \u200cemerging \u2062threats. In\u2064 an \u200cincreasingly volatile global environment, where the use of \u200bweapons of \u2064mass destruction and the proliferation of\u200c drones are real and imminent risks, the \u200cneed for robust and well-funded \u2063programs has never been \u200bgreater.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover,\u200c the \u200bcontinuation\u200b of these \u2064programs is not only essential for national security but also \u2062for fostering collaboration and information sharing between federal, state, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-votes-on-major-security-upgrade-will-fine-members-5k-for-bypassing-metal-detectors\/\" title=\"House Votes On Major Security Upgrade, Will Fine Members K For Bypassing Metal Detectors\">local law enforcement agencies<\/a>. \u200dThe Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office\u200d and the Office of Air and Marine Operations work\u200b hand in hand\u200d with various stakeholders to ensure a unified and \u2062coordinated response to\u200d potential threats. \u200cDisrupting \u2063these programs\u200b would not only\u200d compromise their individual \u200beffectiveness but also hinder the\u2062 overall ability\u2062 of the nation to \u2064address these challenges efficiently.<\/p>\n<p>It is\u200b imperative that Congress recognizes the critical \u2062importance of these Homeland Security\u200c programs and allocates the\u200d necessary funding to maintain their operations.\u200d The \u2063potential consequences of a government shutdown, especially concerning\u200c national security, \u2062are too significant to be \u2062taken \u2064lightly. As \u200blawmakers negotiate various budgetary matters, they must prioritize the safety and \u2063well-being \u2062of the American people and ensure\u2063 that key programs like these are adequately supported.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the \u200cpotential disappearance of Homeland Security programs responsible\u2064 for detecting weapons of mass destruction and combating illegal drone activities \u2063underscores the urgent need for Congress to pass funding\u2062 and prevent \u200ba government\u200d shutdown. These programs play a crucial role in safeguarding the\u200b nation&#8217;s security and public\u2062 safety. Failure to fund\u2062 them would not\u2063 only leave a significant gap in the federal government&#8217;s capabilities\u2063 but also compromise \u200bthe nation&#8217;s ability to effectively \u2062respond \u2064to emerging threats. \u2062It is essential that lawmakers act swiftly and ensure that these vital programs receive the resources they need to continue their \u2063vital work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Congress must pass funding by February to prevent the disappearance of two Homeland Security programs. Failure would add them to the long list of entities affected by a government shutdown. One program detects nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, while the other combats illegal drone activity<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2113368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2113367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2113367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113367\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2113368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2113367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2113367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2113367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}