People

Trump freezes federal pay for 2019

Consistent with his fiscal year 2019 budget proposal, President Donald Trump announced plans to freeze federal pay. But Congress will have the final say over whether feds get a pay raise.

Acquisition

How business process reengineering can support performance improvement

Modern use of BPR can create cost savings by focusing on problem definition and clarity of roles and responsibilities vs. people's individual performance -- not by targeting budget or staff cuts.

Digital Government

Does the CFAA apply to voting machine hacks?

Recent Department of Justice statements cast doubt around whether the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act would apply to hacked voting machines.

Modernization

TRANSCOM quietly takes another shot at cloud

The U.S. Transportation Command is discreetly revving up for another cloud bid, following an industry day with lead cloud service providers in August.

Cybersecurity

Lawmakers seek answers on security application release by USPS

Two Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee want details on how a former CIA officer's federal security clearance application ended up in the hands of a political action committee.

Cybersecurity

State Department Visa Analysis System Wasn’t Patched or Scanned for Viruses, Audit Finds

Department officials also weren’t tracking who used the system or if they were sharing passwords.

Artificial Intelligence

FBI Looking For Tech to Foil Fingerprint Obliteration

The FBI wants artificial intelligence tools that can ID people with burnt, cut or otherwise altered fingerprints.

Emerging Tech

For First Time in 3 Years, NASA Is Shopping For New Spacecraft

At first, NASA officials didn’t think they’d see anything new in commercial spacecraft this year. Now they’re taking a second look.

People

Trump's Twitter blocks raise constitutional questions

After a federal judge found that official government Twitter accounts may be violating free speech by blocking users, President Trump has unblocked some accounts.

Digital Government

Key open gov deadline nears with no public action

Can stakeholders and activists take this White House at its word that it is sincerely interested in advancing open data and open government policy?

Acquisition

Education taps NITAAC for major loan platform buy

The Department of Education will use the National Institutes of Health's governmentwide acquisition contract in a major procurement to modernize financial aid services.

People

OPM rescinds guidance after ruling on workforce orders

The federal government's HR agency withdrew portions of guidance issued in response to President Trump's three workforce executive orders after they were invalidated by a district court ruling.

Digital Government

Big Tech's Newest Experiment in Criminal-Justice Reform

Unicorn startup Slack is launching an apprenticeship program for formerly incarcerated people. But will the industry ever hire from the inside en masse?

People

Project management vs. product management

Steve Kelman argues that government innovation needs more of the latter.

Cybersecurity

Lawmakers Want the Cyber Vulnerabilities Register Improved

Irregular funding has forced the vulnerability database to focus on short-term problems, they say.