Data Governance
Trump signs veterans benefits order calling for improved data sharing
The order instructs the departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense to conduct a broad review of information technology-related contracts to ensure greater interoperability.
SSA needs to enhance its data verification systems, watchdog finds
Improving matches between agency and external data could reduce improper payments, inaccurate records and manual work for federal employees the agency’s inspector general found.
NSA looks to AI to help analysts sift through vast data troves
The tools can speed up work that takes days or weeks, the agency’s cybersecurity chief said.
Microsoft Fabric integration platform launches for select federal customers
The platform is now available on a preview basis for Government Community Cloud High environments and is designed to support the needs of agentic AI tools.
CDC releases overdose prevention data hub
The agency “wants to ensure maximum transparency to empower patients, providers and other stakeholders as we continue our battle against the opioid epidemic,” said CDC Director Erica Schwartz.
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.
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.
Social Security expands electronic health record sharing to speed up disability claims adjudication
A health data sharing superhighway “allows SSA to access complete, structured medical records within seconds or minutes for claimants, helping to significantly reduce disability claim processing times,” an agency official told Nextgov/FCW.
CMS quietly moved a Medicaid technology project to a federal data hub as new eligibility requirements approach
Federal technology offerings promise to help states implement some parts of Medicaid work requirements kicking in on Jan. 1, 2027, but not all of them.
The perimeter is gone. Security has to follow the data.
COMMENTARY | Many zero trust plans are still anchored to the old idea of the border. That protects a version of government IT that no longer exists.
Government service delivery needs standard definitions, former government tech leaders say
A patchwork of technical definitions mean Americans are missing out on benefits and agencies face an additional administrative burden, a new paper from Democratic think tank Searchlight Institute says.
Energy expects $74M in annual savings from new AI and data tools
The agency is expanding an enterprise data platform to all department elements and increasingly using artificial intelligence in daily operations.
FDA launches updated AI and consolidated data platform
The Food and Drug Administration’s flagship internal AI tool, Elsa, is being integrated with the data platform so that staff can accomplish work more easily.
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.”
Trump’s goal to create state-by-state citizenship lists isn’t feasible, experts say
A Tuesday executive order mandating that DHS create state-by-state citizenship lists is Trump’s latest effort to exert some control over state-run elections.
Agency data leads worry about staff capacity to tackle statutory requirements, survey finds
The Data Foundation found that some 40% of chief data officers lost six or more employees last year.
Safe AI pathfinding is essential for government adoption, officials say
GSA's architecture lead for AI services said standardized evaluation helps users identify the right models for their needs.
Lawmakers raise questions about security of health data shared with AI tools
“I do think there's some consumer safeguards that should be implemented,” Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said about the way AI firms may apply users’ healthcare data.
IRS CEO largely dodges questions about data sharing at IRS, SSA
Frank Bisignano cited “current litigation” for why he could not provide further details about IRS data sharing with ICE, and he disputed court records detailing how DOGE employees handled data at SSA.
LGBTQ data is disappearing under Trump, reports find
Government agencies have gotten rid of gender identity and sexual orientation data elements from over 360 data collections over the last year.
