Announcing the 2026 Federal 100
Announcing the 2026 Federal 100
These 100 people made exceptional contributions to the government IT ecosystem last year.
People
Dem lawmakers propose 4.1% raise for feds in 2027
The annual reintroduction of the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates Act aims to set a baseline for negotiations around federal employee compensation for the coming year.
Policy
White House will hold meeting to discuss renewal of controversial spying power
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is set to expire this spring unless renewed by lawmakers.
Digital Government
Trump’s nutrition website directs users to Elon Musk’s Grok
The inclusion of Elon Musk’s chatbot in the government website follows backlash over the chatbot creating millions of sexualized images of women and children.
Sponsor Content
USDA Forest Service observability platform
Through a recent collaboration with AWS, ECCO Select and Datadog, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service was able to achieve significant measurable observability improvements, bringing greater efficiency to wildfire monitoring and response efforts.
Ideas
Navigating FedRAMP 20x and the continuous compliance imperative
COMMENTARY | FedRAMP 20x is a great step forward, but there is still work to be done.
People
Gabbard’s expanded role in election security draws scrutiny
Since the start of the year, the White House chief of staff and DHS secretary have met multiple times to discuss election security, and DNI Tulsi Gabbard has been present in at least one of those meetings, according to a U.S. official.
Acquisition
CIA announces new acquisition framework to speed tech adoption
DARPA alum Efstathia Fragogiannis joined the agency as its new procurement chief in November and will be spearheading the effort, according to a CIA official.
People
Gabbard’s office denies wrongdoing amid scrutiny over whistleblower complaint
ODNI said she acted within her authority in response to reports describing an NSA-intercepted phone call tied to the case.
Policy
Tech bills of the week: Restricting biometric use; expanding the quantum workforce; and more
Congress avoided a second mini-shutdown and saw a return-to-normal influx of new tech bills.
Artificial Intelligence
VA’s latest AI inventory includes new suicide, EHR-focused use cases
Seventy-two of the AI use cases previously included in the department’s 2024 inventory were listed as retired, meaning that their “development and/or use has since been discontinued.”
Sponsor Content
From legacy to cloud-ready
Learn how Atlassian and Clovity deliver a unified, scalable path from legacy tools to enterprise-wide modernization that helps all government teams.
People
Now accepting applications — for classified intel
Foreign adversaries are using fake jobs and consulting gigs to coax secrets from former U.S. officials. It’s had results, and the efforts don’t appear to be slowing.
People
Social Security is directing employees who normally process benefits to answer phones instead
After shedding thousands of employees, SSA is reassigning workers amid fears the moves will cause backlogs to grow.
Digital Government
Super Bowl gears up for massive security operation
While immigration officials will reportedly not be present at the San Francisco game this weekend, a raft of federal, state and local agencies will be on site to keep the event safe from various threats.
Cybersecurity
CISA orders agencies to patch and replace end-of-life devices, citing active exploitation
The directive gives agencies three months to identify unsupported edge devices, a year to begin removing them and 18 months to eliminate them entirely.
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Artificial Intelligence
AI moratorium was never a ‘long-term solution,’ lawmaker says
Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., explained that Congress is angling to design a nationwide AI framework that works with state law while offering common guardrails.
Policy
VA’s National Cemetery Administration earns top customer satisfaction scores
For the eighth year in a row, the small agency earned the highest rankings in the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
People
Agencies lost around 20,000 tech workers last year — and now the Trump admin is hiring
All six departments and agencies that lost the most IT talent currently have open job listings for such roles.
Cybersecurity
Domestic surveillance fears loom over Congress debate to renew spying power
Lawmakers’ concerns about immigration enforcement and Fourth Amendment compliance are weighing on the reauthorization fight for Section 702 of FISA, even as the FBI privately warns against letting the foreign spying law lapse.
Modernization
Digital GI bill delays are a reflection of VA’s IT management problem, lawmakers say
Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich., said the delays and cost overruns affecting VA’s new digital GI Bill system were “not unique.”
People
'Setting this agency up for failure': Amid staffing crunch, IRS taps employees with no relevant experience to assist during filing season
The tax agency is taking unusual steps to prepare for its busy season after watchdog finds it is severely underprepared.
