Policy
House passes 45-day FISA extension after senators secure declassification deal
The bill to extend Section 702 of FISA now goes to President Donald Trump’s desk. A deal worked out with lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence Committee could shed more light on the surveillance power in the coming weeks.
Policy
House passes 3-year FISA 702 extension
The bill now moves to the Senate, where it could face obstacles in clearing reauthorization because of a measure that bars the Federal Reserve from issuing digital currency.
Digital Government
House votes to make IRS publish call metrics online
The bill would require the tax agency to release detailed, real time and monthly call metrics. The House also passed a technology proposal meant to move the IRS off paper.
Artificial Intelligence
House panels probe Airbnb, Anysphere over use of Chinese AI models
GOP lawmakers are seeking details on companies’ reliance on Chinese-developed systems, citing risks tied to data security, censorship and alleged AI distillation campaigns.
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.
Artificial Intelligence
Lieu and Obernolte introduce consolidated AI bill package
The American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence Act takes provisions from previous bills and the 2024 Bipartisan AI Task Force report to move forward AI policies with support from both sides of the aisle.
Emerging Tech
House lawmakers introduce quantum initiative reauthorization
The House version of the NQIA Reauthorization runs in parallel with the Senate version, with industry reacting well to its application-focused language.
People
Plankey withdraws nomination to lead CISA
It’s not clear who Trump will tap to lead the cyberdefense agency following Plankey's withdrawal.
Emerging Tech
US needs to flesh out strategy to counter China’s robotics advances, lawmakers say
“We can and still must lead in the field of robotics, but to achieve that goal, we need a concerted national effort to support innovation across the full robotics system,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., said.
Modernization
House FY27 VA funding bill allocates $3.4B for EHR rollout
The measure, which was voted out of the House Appropriations Committee, withholds 25% of the funds for the EHR modernization project until July 1, 2027, contingent upon VA providing lawmakers with additional information and meeting performance requirements.
Emerging Tech
AI capabilities are needed to counter drone threats, senator says
Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., said the use of drones has changed modern conflicts and the U.S. needs to respond to this shifting environment by better leveraging artificial intelligence.
Digital Government
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.
Policy
Senate passes 10-day FISA extension after House revolt sinks long-term deal
The short-term patch was cleared by unanimous consent hours after the House sank a five-year proposal and had to pivot to the 10-day stopgap. It now goes to President Donald Trump’s desk.
Policy
House passes 10-day FISA extension after prospects of long-term deal collapse
The short-term patch was cleared via unanimous consent after opposition from many Democrats and GOP hardliners sank a 5-year proposal with reforms not satisfactory to privacy advocates.
Artificial Intelligence
AI is helping VA speed up claims processing, but Dems worry about errors
“Speed does not equal success,” Rep. Tim Kennedy, D-N.Y., said about VA’s use of automation and AI to process veterans’ benefits claims.
Policy
House readies vote to renew FISA 702 without a warrant amendment
GOP leadership is confronting a possible shortfall in support.
Emerging Tech
Senate committee approves quantum reauthorization bill with 7 amendments
A markup in the Senate Commerce Committee outfitted the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act to support near-term quantum application development, cybersecurity migration timelines and scaling testbeds for quantum sciences and technologies.
Policy
Judge renews procedures for 702 surveillance program that could soon lapse
The program still requires reauthorization from Congress, and the judge notably took issue with how spy agencies use filtering tools to sift through raw data collected by the program.
Policy
Former national security officials urge Congress to renew Section 702 before expiration
The surveillance program lapses April 19 unless renewed by Congress. The Trump administration is asking for a clean, 18-month extension.
Artificial Intelligence