Policy
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.
GAO official suggests addressing AI risks through existing legislation
Nick Marinos, the managing director of IT and cybersecurity issues at GAO, said leveraging existing avenues for cybersecurity information sharing can expedite getting AI safety policies into law.
Senate’s short-term funding bill provides temporary extensions for TMF, cyber data-sharing law
The continuing resolution that overwhelmingly passed the upper chamber this weekend would push the federal government’s funding deadline until Dec. 11.
Tech bills of the week: Deterring AI distillation; Taxing AI developers; and more
This week’s bills addressed how to fortify the U.S. AI ecosystem through penalizing adversaries for model distillation, taxing large developers for AI-driven layoffs, and more.
Tech bills of the week: Support for quantum sciences; Child-chatbot protections; and more
Bills introduced this week feature bipartisan efforts to bolster emerging technologies, specifically quantum information sciences and AI’s impact on nuclear security, plus more chatbot regulations.
FCC blocks approval of new foreign-made robots, power inverters
National security agencies said the devices could create supply-chain vulnerabilities, threaten critical infrastructure and enable surveillance or remote manipulation.
Tech bills of the week: Regulating chatbot-child communication; AI in the VA; and more
Bills this week focused on how minors — and seniors — engage with generative AI, gauging AI’s efficacy at the VA and addressing a myriad of policy issues.
Tech bills of the week: Screen time standards for kids; Teaching elementary school students about AI; Modernizing agriculture and more
Bills this week aim to regulate how children interact with and learn about AI, give America’s farmers more AI equipment and add AI regulation to Medicare claim denials.
Feds tie counterterrorism grants to election security measures
The new guidance from FEMA would require states to take various steps on elections before receiving funds. Government groups criticized the move as an overreach.
