Ideas
Government Secrecy Is Growing During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Local, state and federal officials throughout the United States have locked down information from the public.
Digital Government
House Bill Would Limit President’s Ability to Remove Inspectors General
The legislation comes after President Trump removed two inspectors general and verbally attacked others.
Digital Government
Pentagon Mandates Homemade Masks for Some Workers
N95 respirators and surgical masks will be reserved for health care workers and patients, the Defense Department said in a series of memos this week.
Digital Government
ODNI Directs Agencies to Be Flexible with National Security Contractors
The guidance recommends immediate contract modifications to allow some industry personnel to remain at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Digital Government
GSA Creates Buying Guide for COVID-19 Screenings at Federal Buildings
As the government’s buyer and landlord, the General Services Administration created a central contract vehicle for screening services to prevent infected people from entering federal buildings.
Digital Government
NOAA Teams with Record-Breaking Explorer to Map the Unknowns of Earth’s Deepest Ocean Points
The agency will work with Victor Vescovo’s Caladan Oceanic to share assets, facilities and data that they hope will strategically power new discoveries.
Cybersecurity
CISA Offers Ways to Lessen Lag for Teleworkers Without Sacrificing Security
The temporary guidance outlines options and best practices for agencies to follow during the coronavirus pandemic.
Digital Government
Lawmakers Push CDC for New Demographic Data on Coronavirus Patients
A group of 17 lawmakers asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to collect sex, race, ethnicity and other information to spot potential inequities in health care.
Cybersecurity
Pentagon’s Cybersecurity Certification Program Still Working on Third-Party Auditors
Participants in a webinar plagued by technical difficulties still appear to be in denial about the end of self-verification.
Artificial Intelligence
White House Expands Coronavirus-Focused Supercomputing Consortium
Officials are putting high-performance computing resources to work across the country to help combat COVID-19.
Podcasts
Critical Update: How CISA Defines ‘Trust’ in the Trusted Internet Connection Policy
Nextgov offers a deep dive into TIC 3 and the purported conflict between CISA’s trust zones and zero-trust security.
Cybersecurity
Executive Order Lays Out Timelines for National Security Reviews of Foreign Telecom Providers
FCC Chairman says the agency will now act on a rulemaking it’s been sitting on since 2016.
Cybersecurity
Industry Groups Request Extension to Comply with Ban on Huawei, Other Chinese Suppliers
Top trade associations are hoping COVID-19 will buy companies six more months.
Ideas
How One Federal Agency Took Care of Its Workers During the Yellow Fever Pandemic in the 1790s
The pandemic forced Americans to tackle some of the questions that have surfaced in the past week.
Ideas
Where’s the Money? Keep an Eye on the CARES Act
With the passage of the $2.3 trillion economic relief bill, things are happening at breakneck speed.
Digital Government
Lawmaker to White House: What About National Security Contractors?
The Trump administration needs to clarify relief guidance for defense and intelligence community contractors regarding pay and sick leave, according to Sen. Mark Warner.
Cybersecurity
Defense Contractor Cybersecurity Certifiers Launching ‘National Conversation’ Webinars
The accreditation body shared timelines for working groups that will shape key features of its program.
Digital Government
Justice, HHS Redistribute More than 500,000 Pieces of Protective Gear Seized from Hoarder
Emergency medical supplies peddled by price gougers were redistributed to front line medical personnel in New York and New Jersey.
Digital Government
Trump Objects to Pandemic Spending Oversight, But Congress and IGs Still Have Authority
“Signing statements by themselves do not really do anything,” said one expert.
Modernization