Digital Government
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.
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.
Agriculture focuses on SNAP fraud, while experts worry EBT theft will go unabated
“The most damaging form of fraud in SNAP is fraud where the low-income recipients are the victims, not the perpetrators,” a senior analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities argues.
NASA and Microsoft finalize tool to track Earth’s water changes
The space agency will host the Microsoft and OpenAI-powered Earth Copilot to make analyzing hydraulic data easier.
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Warren, Sanders push Labor on plans to create a centralized unemployment ‘starting point’
The senators worry that the planned intake of applicant data at the Labor Department will create "grievous economic and privacy risks for millions of Americans.”
Trump signs law requiring the IRS to clean up adjustment notices
Lawmakers hope that clearer notices when the IRS makes simple math or clerical fixes on tax returns should cut down on headaches for taxpayers.
Social Security wants about 15 million fewer visits in its field offices
The new goal to cut the number of field office visits comes as the agency’s frontline locations have lost thousands of employees.
Interior announces digital park passes alongside new, ‘America-first’ fee structure
Congress instructed the government to roll out digital park passes by January 2026 in a law signed by former President Joe Biden just before he left office.
DOGE no longer has ‘centralized leadership’ under White House tech team, personnel head says
The team that was altered to house DOGE — formerly the U.S. Digital Service — is also still doing its own technology work across agencies.
Login.gov director departs for the private sector
Whoever officially leads the government’s identity proofing service next could impact how millions of Americans interact with the government online.
Satisfaction with government services rises, despite recent layoffs and turmoil
The Trump administration has touted some service delivery projects and launched a design initiative, but it has also fired and pushed out thousands of civil servants.
DHS expanding citizenship system for voter verification, despite concerns about potential disenfranchisement
Twenty-six states are in line to use a revamped DHS system to check their voter rolls for non-citizens, although the network has raised concerns about privacy and accuracy — including if it could kick eligible voters off the rolls.
