Cybersecurity
Congress approves 2025 NDAA with important cyber provisions
Left out was language that would have helped clarify the scope and reach of a controversial surveillance power that was renewed in April.
Digital Government
ServiceNow CEO says DOGE has Washington ‘inspired and fired up’
Bill McDermott believes there is genuine momentum building behind President-elect Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency.
Cybersecurity
CISA orders federal agencies to secure their cloud environments
Federal civilian agencies are compelled by the Binding Operational Directive to adopt specific cloud standards under SCuBA, a government blueprint that helps agencies assess cloud security security guidelines.
Artificial Intelligence
House AI Task Force recommends sector-specific regs in final report
The document aims to balance keeping the U.S. competitive in AI innovation and adoption while mitigating negative outcomes.
Artificial Intelligence
DHS launches internal GenAI chatbot to leverage non-public data
Agency Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the tool, known as DHSChat, “will help men and women across DHS draft vital reports, summarize critical information, develop new software, streamline administrative tasks and much more.”
Digital Government
SNAP theft reimbursements could end for many without congressional action by Friday
Senators are also urging the Agriculture Department to speed up its rulemaking around card security that could help prevent the problem.
Defense
Dems push ‘right to repair’ mandate after proposal was stripped from NDAA
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., want servicemembers to be able to repair hardware without needing to depend on contractors to make fixes.
Defense
Several Pentagon commands failed to keep good track of classified mobile devices, audit finds
The report comes amid an ongoing Chinese intrusion into U.S. telecom systems. Congress is also working to shore up device protections for servicemembers through the annual defense authorization bill.
Digital Government
SSA opens online application for core disability program
The online version of the form is limited to certain applicants.
People
Federal employees could be more easily removed under new House bill
Rep. Barry Loudermilk’s, R-Ga., MERIT Act proposes radical civil service reforms, including repealing statutes governing unacceptable performance actions, ending union grievances based on adverse personnel actions and prohibiting furlough appeals.
People
Intelligence CIO moves to helm IT at the National Institutes of Health
Adele Merritt, who served as CIO for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence since January 2022, took over as the NIH CIO on Dec. 16.
Cybersecurity
CISA issues updated draft of national cyber incident response plan
The NCIRP was first released in 2016. The updates include pathways for non-federal groups to get involved in responding to devastating cyberattacks.
Acquisition
Groundswell's legal fight for $1B Army ERP contract moves to records access
Groundswell wants a former SAP executive to look at competition documents, but the winner Accenture Federal Services is pushing back.
People
Could Biden’s recent strategy to streamline government hiring be scuttled under Trump?
One of the purposes of the administration’s federal hiring improvement plan is to make agencies aware of hiring tools they already have access to.
Acquisition
A decade-old risk led to ‘phenomenal partnership’ between AWS and the intel community
The move to bring highly classified systems to the cloud was uncharted territory for both the company and the CIA.
Digital Government
OMB releases federal tech impact report as Biden admin winds down
Clare Martorana, the federal CIO, says she expects federal IT to stay bipartisan.
Digital Government
Then and now: Census Bureau readies release of American Community Survey
The agency compared the most recent information with the numbers from 1974, and in several places it was clear that the country has changed quite a lot.
Cybersecurity
Salt Typhoon attacks prompt talk of hacking back against China
In classified settings, lawmakers have often asked national security officials why American cyber forces don’t go on the attack more often, one senator said.
Defense
Defense officials hopeful incoming administration keeps funding cutting-edge tech
Amid competing priorities, they pitched dual-use research as key to competing with China.
People