Congress
TSA’s biometrics deployment will take 25 years, unless lawmakers end fee diversion, agency head tells Congress
The Transportation Security Administration chief told lawmakers that it will take until 2049 to deploy facial recognition technology at U.S. airports if significant revenue from the 9/11 security fee continues to be diverted away from the agency.
Cyber, intel chiefs confident in election security but AI-manipulated content poses challenges
The threat environment is “more complex than ever,” said CISA director Jen Easterly.
Senate AI roadmap calls for $32 billion for AI programs
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer unveiled the Senate AI Working Group’s policy recommendations, which include plans for emergency appropriations to be passed this year. Senate committees will start developing bills and Working Group leaders will kick of "serious discussions" about working with House leaders on a path to pass AI legislation.
Lawmakers propose more scrutiny of VA's new EHR, reauthorize VET-TEC program
The bipartisan legislative package includes new oversight metrics for VA’s Oracle Cerner electronic health record system but would end the modernization effort if facilities using the software don’t show improvement.
DOD ordered to evaluate mobile device cybersecurity in 2025 defense bill
The evaluations would include basic tools like virtual private networks that encrypt connections when browsing the web.
Senators call for VA to tighten performance standards in new health records contract
Three lawmakers on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee are calling for the department to “add accountability and oversight provisions” in a renegotiated one-year contract with Oracle Cerner.
Senate passes FAA reauthorization without TSA biometrics amendment
A group of bipartisan senators hoped to use the must-pass measure to pause rollouts of the Transportation Security Administration’s facial recognition technology at new airports.
Connolly presses EPA on air quality IT with new bill
Legislation the Virginia Democrat introduced Tuesday would codify watchdog recommendations to assess decades-old systems at the EPA.
Large-language models demand huge amounts of data. Lawmakers want to know what that means for user privacy
A bipartisan effort is underway in the House and Senate to pass national data privacy standards, but Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and others are concerned that companies are pushing back on data minimization in the race to field AI applications.
House bill targets AI-generated comments in rulemaking
The legislation looks to provide assurance that public comments on pending regulations come from real people.
Exclusive
Mace sponsors bill to push CBP to use blockchain at the border
Customs and Border Protection has already been doing research into how the tech could be used for its mission.
House passes GSA transparency bill to track tech projects
Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said he introduced the bill to respond to the agency's misrepresentations about the capabilities of the government-run digital identity service Login.gov.
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