Congress
Trump formally taps Joshua Rudd to lead NSA, Cyber Command
The nomination marks a turning point for the electronic surveillance and hacking teams that have been without a permanent leader for eight months.
Sen. Cotton urges top White House cyber official to protect open-source software
A letter from the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee cites previous Nextgov/FCW reporting about a potential Russian backdoor into a Defense Department software suite.
House passes measure to help reduce federal software spending
For the second straight Congress, lawmakers in the lower chamber have advanced legislation to impose heightened transparency requirements on government software spending.
Rep. Garbarino ‘disappointed’ Senate hasn’t approved Trump’s CISA nominee
The House Homeland Security Committee chairman also questioned a recent FCC vote to reverse telecom security rules put in place after a major Chinese cyber intrusion.
Quantum cryptography implementation timelines must be shortened, industry CEO to tell Congress
A joint House hearing on Wednesday will examine how AI and quantum computing will impact current cybersecurity.
Lawmakers question VA health record’s costs and batched deployments
The agency is looking to deploy its new Oracle Health EHR near simultaneously at four Michigan medical facilities in April 2026.
Lawmaker looks to shake up VA’s software management
Legislation from Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., prioritizes waste reduction when it comes to the roughly $1 billion that VA spends annually on software assets.
New bill seeks ‘phase-out’ of LiDAR tech tied to foreign adversaries
The ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., said his new bill “takes a proactive, commonsense step to secure our supply chains, protect advanced technologies from compromise, enhance Americans’ security, and ensure these systems are built by trusted partners.”
Cyber takes back seat to immigration in global threats hearing
Witnesses briefly touched on concerns about encrypted messaging and the threat China poses in cyberspace, as well as efforts to protect infrastructure that supports the worldwide internet.
Bipartisan, bicameral bill looks to help the government hire more AI talent
The proposal follows the exodus of hundreds of thousands government employees — including AI and tech talent — under the Trump administration’s push to shrink the government workforce.
Lawmakers seek details behind SSA plan to slash office visits
Nextgov/FCW first reported the agency’s intention to reduce field office visits last week.
New House commission to scrutinize AI's impact on the economy
The House Democratic Commission on AI and the Innovation Economy will address policy issues like guardrails for AI and its economic, safety and health impacts.
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Defense authorization bill includes billions for cyber, intelligence matters
The NDAA notably deviates partly from President Donald Trump’s national security strategy, which seeks some distance between the U.S. and Europe. It also makes a sweeping regulatory harmonization demand.
Technology Modernization Fund reauthorization not included in NDAA
The revolving fund — set up in 2017 to back government modernization projects — will expire at the end of this week without congressional action.
House Homeland leaders seek briefings from Apple, Google on ICE-tracking apps
Republican lawmakers say crowdsourced tools that flag immigration enforcement activity may endanger federal personnel and disrupt operations.
Trump signs law requiring the IRS to clean up adjustment notices
Lawmakers hope that clearer notices when the IRS makes simple math or clerical fixes on tax returns should cut down on headaches for taxpayers.
AI’s impact on US workforce receives renewed legislative scrutiny
Two recently introduced measures look to prepare the U.S. labor market for AI’s broad adoption by studying its consequences and supporting workforce training and education initiatives.
DHS, cyber industry mobilize to get CISA director nominee confirmed
“It’s a national security risk to not have him,” said a current U.S. official.
Technology Modernization Fund nears expiration, despite bipartisan backing
Some lawmakers are pushing for the modernization fund to be included in the must-pass annual defense bill before it expires next week.
Bill prioritizing American customers for AI chips not expected to make it into final NDAA, sources say
With the defense authorization bill being finalized this week, the chips-centric GAIN AI Act lost steam, according to sources familiar with the proceedings, but an amendment prohibiting U.S. investment in Chinese technology is expected to be included.
