People
Andrew Vanjani becomes CIO for USCIS
Vanjani has held several positions across federal and state agencies and will take over a position left vacant for nearly a year after former USCIS CIO Bill McElhaney departed in May.
People
Trump nominates third VA CIO since the start of his administration
Gary Shatswell, a senior advisor to VA Secretary Doug Collins, was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve in the role of CIO and assistant secretary for information and technology.
People
Plankey withdraws nomination to lead CISA
It’s not clear who Trump will tap to lead the cyberdefense agency following Plankey's withdrawal.
Modernization
‘Faster and more disruptive’ tech underscores need to revamp the Fed's operations, its governor says
“The pace of technological change today means that the Fed does not have the time to sit back and ruminate about changes for months and years on end,” Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said.
Artificial Intelligence
Microsoft to test third-party AI models for incorporation in its security offerings
The announcement follows Anthropic’s debut of its leading-edge Mythos model, which the company says has already found thousands of high-severity vulnerabilities.
Cybersecurity
Cyber Command carried out over 8,000 missions in 2025, director says
The command expects to exceed that number in 2026, Gen. Josh Rudd told lawmakers Tuesday. A new Pentagon cyber strategy is also on the way, according to senior cyber official Katie Sutton.
Emerging Tech
US needs to flesh out strategy to counter China’s robotics advances, lawmakers say
“We can and still must lead in the field of robotics, but to achieve that goal, we need a concerted national effort to support innovation across the full robotics system,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said.
Modernization
Transportation celebrates air traffic control modernization, asks lawmakers for more funding
The government has been trying to modernize the U.S. national airspace system for decades, with little success. Trump’s Transportation Department secretary says this time is different.
Acquisition
OMB seeks details from agencies on their commercial buying, or lack thereof
A new White House budget office memo also outlines what agencies have to do if they want to go down the non-commercial contracting route and who has the approval power over it.
Modernization
House FY27 VA funding bill allocates $3.4B for EHR rollout
The measure, which was voted out of the House Appropriations Committee, withholds 25% of the funds for the EHR modernization project until July 1, 2027, contingent upon VA providing lawmakers with additional information and meeting performance requirements.
Policy
GSA and OPM will soon share the same headquarters
The General Services Administration will temporarily move into the Office of Personnel Management’s building before both agencies ultimately transfer to a renovated GSA headquarters.
Cybersecurity
Former FBI official proposes terror designations for ransomware hackers targeting hospitals
Cynthia Kaiser’s proposal also explores homicide charges under the federal felony murder rule in cases where attacks lead to patient deaths.
Emerging Tech
AI capabilities are needed to counter drone threats, senator says
Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., said the use of drones has changed modern conflicts and the U.S. needs to respond to this shifting environment by better leveraging artificial intelligence.
Ideas
The government is buying AI faster than it is assigning authority
COMMENTARY | Federal AI governance will become credible when agencies can answer a simple question before deployment, not after failure.
People
Senators demand OPM withdraw plan to access feds’ medical records
More than a dozen Democratic lawmakers warned that a little-scrutinized proposal to collect claims-level data related to the Federal Employees Health Benefits and Postal Service Health Benefits programs could violate federal law and doctor-client confidentiality.
People
FAA sets records in effort to hire gamers as air traffic controllers
The agency received over 12,000 applications in less than two days, making the effort “wildly successful,” according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Artificial Intelligence
GSA No. 2 talks ‘million hours challenge,’ scaling agency AI efforts
GSA Deputy Administrator Michael Lynch last week offered a comprehensive look at the agency’s plans for key acquisition and shared services programs and new internal efforts aimed at automating work.
Policy
Tech bills of the week: Improving maternal health; Expanding access for disabled Americans; and more
Lawmakers rolled out legislative proposals to enhance the IRS’ use of technology, require regulatory agencies overseeing financial systems to conduct technology assessments and codify a biometric-based program to identify dangerous individuals before they reach U.S. ports of entry.
Artificial Intelligence
OMB’s examination of Mythos is ‘not giving access to anything to agencies,’ official says
Following the debut of Anthropic’s ultra-powerful AI, Mythos, the federal CIO told stakeholders the administration is meeting with industry and intelligence partners to discuss guardrails and safeguards associated with “potentially releasing a modified version of the model.”
Digital Government