Acquisition
GSA says it’s uncovered ‘record-setting’ $13B in suspected procurement fraud
The White House added General Services Administration fraud estimates to its website that serves as a ledger for suspected fraud across the federal government.
Policy
Lawmakers press Commerce to restrict Americans from aiding foreign spy agencies
A bipartisan group says unfinished export control rules leave civilian intelligence services able to obtain U.S. cyber, surveillance and AI assistance.
Cybersecurity
Treasury sanctions Iranian hackers tied to critical infrastructure breaches
Four of the five people named in the cyber action were also charged last week in the Justice Department’s expanded Mabna Institute case.
Emerging Tech
White House space transportation policy calls for integration with air traffic control modernization
The guidance directs the Transportation Department and other agencies to “implement a plan to integrate space launch and reentry management into airspace and traffic control modernization efforts.”
Artificial Intelligence
Dem lawmaker hopes to add AI containment language to FRONTIER Act
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., is pushing for a September markup of the landmark AI legislation along with new language on model containment following the OpenAI-Hugging Face incident.
Cybersecurity
Treasury launches task force to prepare financial sector for quantum cyber threats
The public-private task force will focus on moving financial institutions to quantum-resistant technology and addressing risks created by vendors and digital assets.
Exclusive
Policy
Trump administration softens demand for hospitals to share emergency room medical records
A consumer safety agency is assuring hospitals that participation in an injury surveillance system overhaul is voluntary despite earlier correspondence obtained by Nextgov/FCW claiming they are required to join.
Modernization
VA deploys new EHR at 3 Indiana-based medical facilities
The latest round of go-lives brings the total number of site rollouts this year to 11.
Emerging Tech
GSA begins quantum security efforts for digital and physical systems
The General Services Administration is updating an existing identity and access management framework and expanding a physical security testing program to support a government-wide migration to post-quantum cryptography.
Ideas
Compliance theater is over: What FedRAMP 20x means for every vendor selling to government
COMMENTARY | Attacks now move faster than human-paced patch cycles can keep up with and a compliance program built around periodic reviews will not catch them.
Policy
Tech bills of the week: Overseeing algorithm-set rental prices; and halting federal overreach in data center construction
Legislation introduced this week seeks to police the use of algorithmic price-setting for home rentals and rein in how the federal government influences new data center construction.
Defense
Counties and cities sue over counterterrorism grant rule changes
The four local governments said the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to tie the grants to election security measures were unconstitutional, as states run elections, not the feds.
Exclusive
People
House Democrats ask GAO to review CISA workforce cuts
Lawmakers want Congress’ watchdog to assess what capabilities were lost after the cyber agency shed roughly one-third of its staff.
Modernization
VA boosts EHR modernization contract with Oracle by $17B
The modified agreement raises the contract’s total value to just under $27 billion.
Ideas
Closing federal security gaps in an era of AI-enabled attacks
COMMENTARY | Agencies that align IT, security, data and AI leadership can be prepared for the speed and scale of tomorrow’s AI threats.
Artificial Intelligence
FDA considers doctor-like ‘competency-based’ tests for medical generative AI
The Trump administration released ideas for regulating large language models used in health care as companies roll out chatbots to help patients manage mental health, diabetes and other medical conditions.
Defense
What Trump’s tech strategy means for the military, deterring China, and the future of AI
The strategy includes key provisions to encourage innovation—but also has a glaring omission.
Artificial Intelligence
AI is already on the job, and Census is keeping count
New U.S. Census Bureau data shows that AI is quickly becoming a routine workplace tool, while government leaders are finding that training, guardrails and employee-led experimentation can help turn everyday use into meaningful adoption.
Policy
The watchdog gets watched: GAO’s hiring process length faces scrutiny
In a new report by the inspector general for the Government Accountability Office, investigators also found that in fiscal 2024 the agency excluded certain data from time-to-hire calculations and was inconsistent about when the hiring process started.
Artificial Intelligence