Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and a previous Wash100 awardee, said Congress should reauthorize programs and authorities that are seen as critical to supporting the department’s mission in ensuring the safety of the country.

During his testimony on Tuesday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Mayorkas called on Congress to reauthorize DHS’ counter-unmanned aircraft systems authority, which is set to expire on Nov. 18, and the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, which is expected to sunset on Dec. 21.

The DHS secretary told lawmakers that the authority to implement the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program expired on July 28, resulting in the ability of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to perform risk assessments of high-risk chemical facilities.

“As of today, we have no longer been authorized to conduct over 450 inspections, when historically more than a third of inspections identify at least one gap in a facility’s security,” Mayorkas said at the Senate committee hearing.

Mayorkas also urged Congress to protect DHS’ intelligence collection authorities by reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and resisting a provision in a proposed bill that would limit the authority of the department’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis.

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The Aerospace Industries Association — or the AIA — called on Congress to authorize full-year appropriations to support the industry as it struggles to operate amid economic inflation.

A letter signed by 31 AIA members urged lawmakers to prioritize the approval of the 2024 budget that includes additional proposed funding in the Senate Defense Appropriations Bill.

The organization emphasized the significance of the aerospace sector and the defense supply chain in general in the frontlines of national security.

The letter discussed how inflationary pressures are causing delivery delays and rising supply chain costs. It also highlighted the impact of such challenges on small aerospace and defense businesses.

“Completing full-year appropriations must be Congress’ top priority now. Continuing resolutions extend outdated funding levels that do not address inflationary growth, and a shutdown is even more harmful to businesses in the aerospace and defense supply chain,” the association wrote.

The Office of Management and Budget is seeking industry comments on its draft report to Congress that outlines the benefits and costs of previous federal regulations and summarizes agency compliance with the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.

In a notice published Monday in the Federal Register, OMB said the first part of the report is divided into three chapters, with the first one reporting the effects of regulations issued in fiscal years 2020 through 2022.

Chapter II discusses regulatory impacts on state, local and tribal governments; small businesses; wages and employment; and economic growth. Chapter III provides recommendations for regulatory reform, including a summary of the administration’s efforts to implement a presidential memorandum to improve and modernize regulatory review.

The second part of the report summarizes agency compliance with UMRA from October 2019 through September 2022.

The comment period will close on Dec. 15.