Digital Government
Congress tries again on national preemptive data privacy law
House Republican leaders unveiled two new bills last week in the latest federal attempt to regulate data privacy, preempting states’ existing laws.
Treasury missed security controls in giving DOGE system access, GAO finds
The finding is among the first oversight reports Congress’ watchdog has released about the controversial cost-cutting team.
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GSA taps Greg Hogan as head of government’s identity proofing service, Login.gov
Hogan previously worked at the Office of Personnel Management, an early DOGE stronghold, and more recently in the White House’s National Design Studio.
Agencies doled out $186B in improper payments last year, GAO says
That fiscal year 2025 improper payment number is up by $24 billion from the previous fiscal year, even as the Trump administration says that it’s tamping down on fraud.
NIST is giving fingerprint examiners better tools for a messy job
A newly annotated fingerprint dataset combined with open-source software could help forensic examiners work more consistently, train more effectively and sort through evidence faster.
IRS lacks transparent plans to leverage tech in the face of staffing cuts, GAO and employees say
Agency leaders are “shoving AI at us,” one IRS employee said, despite the fact that “they don’t have the right tools for us yet.”
Sessions introduces bill to set up a new Treasury fraud watchdog
The proposal from the co-chair of the House DOGE Caucus comes after President Donald Trump fired nearly 20 agency inspectors general last year.
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VA has touted appointment wait time reductions, but new data shows a more mixed reality
A comparative analysis of select wait-time data for new patients at more than 100 medical centers indicates the department has made progress in some areas, but not all.
Appeals court removes limits on DOGE access to SSA data despite ‘alarming’ revelations
The Friday decision follows a January court filing in which the government conceded that DOGE associates may have improperly accessed sensitive data at the agency.
Treasury is creating a database with pandemic aid recipients’ sensitive information
Critics say the scope established in the agency’s systems of record notice “is an astonishing and dramatic departure from prior Treasury practice.”
Social Security delays launch of new nationwide caseload system
The agency is postponing the rollout of new, national systems the same month they were set to be deployed. It was still working out specifics for how it would move claims processing to a national setup.
Trump signs executive order setting rules for mail-in voting and eligibility lists
The president has long disputed the mail-in voting process since his 2020 election run. The order is very likely to face legal challenges.
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Trump moves to pay TSA agents as shutdown talks stall in Congress
Emergency order would cover airport screeners who have gone without full pay since mid-February but not other DHS employees, as lawmakers remain deadlocked on funding.
CMS rule looks to kill faxed, mailed claims in favor of e-submissions
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said the new rule “will modernize American healthcare by standardizing electronic claims attachments and enabling secure electronic signatures.”
Trump’s anti-fraud task force poised to scrutinize benefits programs
The new White House task force will withhold government funding for state and local benefits programs if their anti-fraud controls are viewed as lacking.
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Inside DOGE’s early days of pressure campaigns, rule breaking and ‘chaos’
Twenty-three hours of court testimony offer a rare glimpse into the Trump cost-cutting group that officials say “felt more like a club” than the agencies they were breaking.
When disaster strikes, census data can help show who is in harm’s way
The agency’s updated OnTheMap for Emergency Management tool shows how population and workforce data can support rapid response and recovery operations during hurricanes, floods, wildfires and other natural disasters.
Senate Democrats push Social Security on employee reassignments to phone line
The agency is directing employees who normally process benefits to answer phone lines instead.
CMS touts early uses of new biometric verification tools for Medicare.gov
Amy Gleason, acting administrator of the U.S. DOGE Service and strategic advisor to CMS, said 60% of accounts created since the rollout “have all been using one of these modern credentials.”
Much of the government’s technology isn’t accessible, internal report finds
Just over a third of the government’s most-viewed websites met legal requirements that they be accessible for people with disabilities.
