Policy
HHS issues seven nonconformity letters in crackdown on health data blocking
The Trump administration is seeking to give patients access to electronic health information through the enforcement of regulations and “troubleshooting call[s].”
Tech bills of the week: Cutting federal funding for Flock; Making data centers shoulder their power costs; and more
Lawmakers are continuing to take bipartisan aim at the use of artificial intelligence-powered surveillance systems and at data center development and operations.
Tech bills of the week: Transparency in agency AI use; Creating a CISA AI task force; and more
Although Congress is in recess, lawmakers in the House and Senate still rolled out proposals over the past week looking to promote clarity around the use of — and potential harms posed by — AI tools.
Agencies withheld records needed to verify DOGE data safeguards, GAO says
A review of six agencies could not establish the full extent of DOGE’s system access or whether security rules were followed. Two agencies challenged the watchdog’s authority to investigate.
Tech bills of the week: Creating an AI-focused agency; Reviewing AI-assisted cyber attacks; and more
Lawmakers introduced a deluge of AI-focused measures this week in response to growing concerns about the capabilities of advanced models and to President Donald Trump’s pushback against new measures.
Congress — not the president — should appoint the next GAO head, bipartisan coalition argues
The organizations from across the political spectrum contended that former Comptroller General Gene Dodaro’s retirement last year provides an opportunity for lawmakers to overhaul the nomination process.
Tech bills of the week: Community protection from data centers; AI labs for education; and more
Recent proposals look to address data center concerns and establish grant programs to bolster students and educators’ AI and data science skills.
Tech bills of the week: Ban on AI superintelligence; AI oversight at the Pentagon; and more
Among this week’s bills is a sweeping measure to address the rapid pace of advanced AI development and deployment by banning work on superintelligent AI and temporarily pausing advanced AI development.
Democrats urge consumer product agency halt public health modernization project
The lawmakers say the project is particularly concerning as the Trump administration has a “broader pattern” of “seeking unprecedented access to Americans’ private data.”
House BIOTech caucus is weighing IP security and AI-enabled biotech policy
Lawmakers on the caucus say they won’t push any new legislation forward before the end of the year, but they spotlit intellectual property protection and AI-enabled gene synthesis as concerns.
Stopgap funding bill temporarily extends key cyber info-sharing law
The short-term package pushes the sunset date for the bedrock cyber legislation to Dec. 11, in addition to setting extensions for the Technology Modernization Fund and National Cybersecurity Protection System.
Shutdown threat possibly lifted as House passes stopgap spending bill
The measure gives Congress more time to reach a deal on a comprehensive spending package for fiscal 2027.
Tech bills of the week: identifying sponsored content in AI tools; Reshoring biotech manufacturing; and more
This week’s bills seek to label sponsored content in AI platforms, fortify emerging technology supply chains and spur adoption of open-weight models.
Lawmakers call for watchdog review of Transportation’s passenger privacy practices
The Department of Transportation “has never taken a single enforcement action related to privacy,” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, said in a letter to the Government Accountability Office.
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.
Exclusive
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.
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.
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.
White House S&T strategy calls for new approaches to safeguard US research
The new guidance says the U.S. "will further strengthen its workforce by attracting and retaining top-tier global talent in critical national security S&T fields” — a departure from last year’s National Security Strategy that said global talent “undercuts American workers.”
Tech bills of the week: Leveraging AI for environmental evaluations; crafting a report on China’s AI ecosystem; and more
Recently proposals look, in part, to deploy artificial intelligence solutions to prevent natural disasters from impeding U.S. military operations and evaluate China’s AI chip manufacturing sector.
