Policy
Bill prioritizing American customers for AI chips not expected to make it into final NDAA, sources say
With the defense authorization bill being finalized this week, the chips-centric GAIN AI Act lost steam, according to sources familiar with the proceedings, but an amendment prohibiting U.S. investment in Chinese technology is expected to be included.
Acquisition
Microsoft makes Copilot available to secure cloud customers
The General Services Administration previously reached an agreement with Microsoft to offer its services to agencies at discounted rates. The latest announcement makes Copilot available to government customers in GCC-High.
Ideas
Three Years to Rebuild the Internet or Lose the AI Race
COMMENTARY | The nation that builds Cloud 2.0 first will shape the innovation economy for decades.
Acquisition
PSC’s Vision Forecast sees tight budgets, high uncertainty through the next decade
The trade association's annual forecast lands at a time of unprecedented change and disruption in the market, with civilian agencies facing the most budget pressures.
Cybersecurity
CISA tells staff to not speak with reporters, internal email shows
“CISA does not comment on leaked internal emails, especially when they’re about leaking internal emails,” CISA Director of Public Affairs Marci McCarthy told Nextgov/FCW when asked for comment.
Artificial Intelligence
Democrats bring back AI civil rights bill
The reintroduction of an anti-algorithmic discrimination bill comes as the advocacy for a decade-long moratorium on state-level AI regulation recirculates in Congress.
People
NSA has met 2,000-person workforce reduction goal, people familiar say
A broader Pentagon goal to shrink the nation’s defense budget over the coming five years could potentially subject the agency to further downsizing.
Artificial Intelligence
AWS announces new AI Factories to reduce infrastructure barriers for public, private sector
AWS and NVIDIA have teamed up to offer public and private sector partners access to bespoke artificial intelligence resources.
Cybersecurity
New bill proposes government-wide processes to attribute, sanction hackers
The measure would permit “robust sanctions against designated actors, including asset blocking, financial restrictions, export controls, procurement prohibitions, visa bans and suspension of assistance.”
Acquisition
SAP offers major discount to government customers through OneGov agreement
Discounted software could generate as much as $165 million in savings for agencies over the next 18 months, GSA estimates.
Digital Government
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.
Artificial Intelligence
The CDC placed early bets on AI — and now they are paying off
The CDC has quietly been building a modern AI infrastructure designed to reshape how public health data is collected, analyzed and acted upon.
Digital Government
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.
Ideas
Inside former FCC CIO Allen Hill’s full-throttle leadership
COMMENTARY | Hill’s four-decade career has left a legacy of leadership and modernization, following his recent retirement.
Modernization
Social Security occupational data update appears stalled after agency drops regulatory overhaul
The Social Security Administration has spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to update the occupational data used in disability adjudications. When the agency will actually move to newer data is unclear.
Defense
The Army is taking counter-drone experimentation from Europe to INDOPACOM
A joint exercise with Poland and Romania, plus a counter-drone competition, took place this month.
Policy
Civilian agency spending cratered during shutdown
October spending during the shutdown dropped by as much as 80% for some agencies compared to October 2024.
Artificial Intelligence
White House launches Genesis Mission to spur AI with federal assets
The Genesis Mission initiates a new artificial intelligence experimentation platform, linking agencies with federal data to spearhead advanced AI use cases and evaluate “experimental outcomes.”
Digital Government
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.
Defense