Digital Government
Washington promises UFO disclosure. History suggests otherwise.
Disclosure may not reveal alien visitors, but it will reveal something equally important: how science, measurement and skepticism slowly turn mystery into understanding.
House Democrats say TrumpRx portal exaggerates prescription discounts
Despite the White House’s claim that the platform offers the world’s lowest prices on prescriptions, Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee released a report saying “for nearly half of the drugs listed on TrumpRx, that is either misleading or completely false.”
New White House design team aims for ‘delightful’ websites — changing design ethos in the process
Trump’s chief design officer says that his work shouldn’t be controversial, but his team’s track record has raised questions about who their websites are for, who they leave out and whether the White House can garner trust based on sleek design alone.
VA doesn't know how many calls it's answering or how long veterans are waiting to get through
The department's failure to track call data is putting "veterans who may need timely and critical care at risk," the inspector general finds.
Labor launches new open data portal
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said the new portal features “better integration with other federal data sources and enhanced artificial intelligence compatibility for finding, visualizing and using data.”
Lawmaker pitches blueprint for post-DOGE privacy overhaul
Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., wants to redo the government's main privacy law to ensure people’s information is “handled responsibly” when in government hands.
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‘Suicide is only one option': Social Security staff newly assigned to phone duties raise concerns over training
Experts and SSA employees question wisdom of telling callers in crisis that suicide is an option.
Senators demand to know the IRS’ path forward following the end of Direct File
The IRS ended the online, direct-to-government filing program last fall and is doubling down on the free tax filing options it offers through tax prep companies in a partnership called Free File.
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.
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.
US withdraws from the Open Government Partnership — which it helped create
“Anyone who has followed developments over the last year will not be surprised by this decision of the U.S. government,” the CEO of the multilateral global initiative said in a statement.
Federal CIO says he’s zeroed in on government service delivery
That effort has new accountability levers and top-down support that can be helpful in driving change, CX leaders from the Office of Management and Budget said Friday.
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Senators demand details on DOGE’s data access following revelations of improperly shared SSA data
While Sens. Michael Crapo, R-Idaho, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., are asking for more information from SSA, Democrats in the lower chamber want to compel the agency to hand it over using a “resolution of inquiry.”
Agriculture’s failure to force SNAP card upgrades is causing $555M in lost benefits, watchdog says
The Trump administration’s imperative to combat fraud has largely focused on recipients scamming the system, rather than becoming victims of fraudsters themselves.
Biometrics are now a ‘bedrock’ of traveler identification, CBP official says
Federal agencies are increasingly relying on facial recognition to verify the identities of U.S. and non-U.S. citizens, with Customs and Border Protection poised to expand use of its Mobile Passport Control app so travelers can help streamline the verification process.
DOGE officials face Hatch Act referrals for work with org aiming to ‘overturn election results’
DOGE employees also shared Social Security data using the third-party server Cloudflare, and according to new court documents, SSA still doesn’t know what data was shared and if its still on Cloudflare.
GSA’s star mark logo gets a makeover for nation’s 250th
It’s the first time the General Services Administration’s logo has been modified in more than 25 years.
Bill to improve government’s anti-fraud checks heads to Trump’s desk
House lawmakers passed a bipartisan proposal on Monday to give the Treasury Department’s Do Not Pay system permanent access to death records at the Social Security Administration.
Predictions 2026: Three ways government tech will surprise us this year
2026 looks like a year when government technology settles into its next phase of maturity.
SSA phone wait times longer than publicly reported metrics, per OIG report
The agency’s “average speed of answer” metric masks longer call wait times, according to data in a recent OIG report.
