What the midterm results mean for federal tech policy
What the midterm results mean for federal tech policy
![US Senator Jon Ossoff, Democrat from Georgia, speaks during an election night party after winning reelection in the US midterm elections in Atlanta, Georgia on November 3, 2026. Ossoff used his victory speech to call out “the titans of Silicon Valley [that] dig bunkers for themselves and warn that the artificial intelligence they’re creating risks human extinction.”](https://cdn.nextgov.com/media/img/cd/2026/11/04/110426OssoffNG/540x325.jpg?1793811869)
![US Senator Jon Ossoff, Democrat from Georgia, speaks during an election night party after winning reelection in the US midterm elections in Atlanta, Georgia on November 3, 2026. Ossoff used his victory speech to call out “the titans of Silicon Valley [that] dig bunkers for themselves and warn that the artificial intelligence they’re creating risks human extinction.”](https://cdn.nextgov.com/media/img/cd/2026/11/04/110426OssoffNG/730x335.jpg?1793811868)
Policy
Democrats’ midterm sweep puts CISA cuts, intelligence disputes under scrutiny
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said House Democrats will investigate how the Trump administration has used DHS. In the Senate, Democrats will also control confirmation hearings for the officials who lead the nation’s security agencies.
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People
OpenAI hones public sector focus with new leadership hires
In addition to hiring former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, the frontier AI firm brought on several new executives in October, including alums from Oracle and Amazon Web Services.
Acquisition
FedRAMP grants first ‘Class C’ certification to Perplexity
The new FedRAMP certification gives federal agencies access to Perplexity models, as well as leading frontier AI models.
Sponsor Content
Between the ledger and the lever
AI governance needs more than principles. Discover how federal agencies can enforce guardrails, manage AI risks and scale adoption responsibly.
People
Former banking executive named GSA acquisition lead
The Federal Acquisition Service has been headed by an acting commissioner since April.
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Policy
Trump’s federal workforce overhaul faces a new Congress after Democratic wins
At least one federal employee who separated from the federal government since last year will serve in the House.
Cybersecurity
Election office reports failed attempts to hack its online services
A state election office also saw five spikes in traffic to its ballot drop box locator on Election Day. By 9:30 p.m. EST, analysts had received no reports of a foreign influence operation.
Cybersecurity
Election security center reports limited threats as voting glitches fuel fraud claims
A bomb threat briefly forced voting outdoors at an Ohio polling place. In New York and Florida, equipment problems prompted unfounded claims that Democrats were interfering with the vote.
Policy
Commenters largely oppose 2030 Census overhaul, analysis finds
Nearly 90% of the over 126,000 published comments expressed dislike of the proposal.
Emerging Tech
My feed is full of robots. Someone should check on them.
You can barely scroll in peace these days without running into a robot.
Sponsor Content
Zero Trust in 2026: Operationalizing Software Security for Federal and Defense Missions
Move beyond access controls. Discover a four-phase roadmap for software-centered zero trust, stronger security evidence and streamlined federal authorization.
Cybersecurity
Binance says fake job interview helped North Korean hackers steal $6.3 billion in crypto
A coding assignment gave attackers access to an engineer’s work computer. They later used an internal AI tool to reach the team responsible for Binance’s digital wallets.
Cybersecurity
Industry groups urge Congress to renew cyber threat-sharing law through defense authorization
Banks, utilities and other industries want lawmakers to extend liability protections through 2035. A stopgap measure currently keeps them in place until Dec. 11.
Ideas
Data centers are the digital steel of the AI century. America can't stop building them.
COMMENTARY | In defense of the industry that will power America's next century.
Artificial Intelligence
Tech companies brace for AI-driven election misinformation
As more Americans turn to the advanced technology for information, companies are under pressure to protect election integrity.
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Artificial Intelligence
Medicare’s AI-assisted coverage review pilot hit early snags, documents show
A top Trump administration official recently acknowledged issues with the program, but the administration has shown no signs of nixing it.
Cybersecurity
US order to purge Acronis tied to years of scrutiny over Russian ties
Sources say federal oversight of the Swiss cybersecurity firm spanned multiple administrations before culminating in last week's DHS removal order.
People
Nominations are open for the 2027 Fed100 awards
The deadline for submissions is Dec. 31, 2026.
Policy
Tech bills of the week: Creating a Congressional Office of Technology; Enhancing data center transparency; and more
Lawmakers introduced measures to confront the use of AI by human traffickers and to strengthen the cybersecurity of cloud-based infrastructure.
Modernization
VA professional association asks Congress ‘to pause further deployments’ of new EHR
The National Association of Veteran Affairs Physicians and Dentists sent a letter to top lawmakers that asked them to only allow new software rollouts to resume after VA has “completed an independent patient-safety assessment at the converted sites.”
Artificial Intelligence
Democrats press OpenAI over safety researcher firings, security incidents
The lawmakers are questioning OpenAI’s safety practices following the dismissal of three researchers.
