Policy

Lawmakers look to restart suicide lifeline’s LGBTQ+ youth service

Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate are looking to restart the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services program after the Trump administration shut down the dedicated line on July 17.

People

Democrats launch ethics investigation into AI and crypto czar David Sacks

Sacks’ role as a special government employee limits him to a 130-day period of service within a single year.

Modernization

DOGE caucus co-chair says the cost-cutting unit’s work will continue

Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said he is focused on using data to weed out fraud across the government.

Cybersecurity

House funding extension tacks on two-month reprieve for key cybersecurity laws

The short-term measure gives lawmakers extra time to iron out differences between House and Senate versions of the renewal.

Cybersecurity

Senators call for election security briefing as major races draw closer

“We are concerned that you may have directed the Intelligence Community (IC) to cease its intelligence reporting on this vital topic,” the senators wrote to the director of national intelligence in a Monday letter.

Digital Government

Senate Finance Chair wants details from SSA following whistleblower allegations of data endangerment

Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, says he has reviewed information from SSA’s former chief data officer alleging that DOGE put sensitive agency information at risk. Now he wants information from the agency itself.

Digital Government

US needs an agency to call ‘balls and strikes’ on digital IDs, lawmaker says

Rep. Bill Foster, D-Ill., said Congress needs to create a federal body capable of auditing identity verification technologies to lay the groundwork for a broad embrace of digital IDs.

Artificial Intelligence

Cruz unveils new AI framework as blueprint for future legislation

Released in conjunction with the SANDBOX Act, Senator Ted Cruz’s new AI Policy Framework offers a new potential playbook for implementing artificial intelligence policy.

Artificial Intelligence

Draft bill from Ted Cruz would establish a federal AI sandbox in OSTP

The federal regulatory artificial intelligence sandbox program would be set up within the Office of Science and Technology Policy, offering waivers from existing rules.

Artificial Intelligence

Psychology experts call for AI age controls and chatbot tailoring

Experts testified before Congress about their concerns with artificial intelligence’s presence in mental health practices, particularly among adolescents and children.

Emerging Tech

US risks losing space dominance to China without NASA support, experts say

Continuing the space agency’s programs “is a matter of national security,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said during a congressional hearing.

Cybersecurity

House panel advances bill to extend bedrock cyber info-sharing law

Some Republicans want to ensure there’s language that would prevent the nation’s core cyberdefense agency from engaging in alleged “censorship” of Americans’ free speech.

Cybersecurity

Wyden calls for review of US court systems’ cyber posture after case system hack

Since the incident, several district courts have instructed filers not to submit sealed documents, amid risks that the systems protecting them may not be secure.

People

Lawmakers look to ease educational requirements for federal cyber workforce

New legislation from Reps. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, attempts to expand the U.S. government’s pool of cyber talent by promoting skills-based hiring.

Digital Government

Veterans Experience Office codified under new law

The office was created in 2015 to gather feedback from veterans and their families that would help VA improve its services, although it was never formally established within the department.

Artificial Intelligence

Senators call for robust security protocols over US-owned AI datacenters

As the Trump administration drafts its new AI export control regime, two senators wrote to the Secretaries of Commerce and State asking for officials to incentivize companies to keep their AI infrastructure within the U.S.

Cybersecurity

Expiring cyber information-sharing law puts US maritime infrastructure at risk, experts warn

A congressional probe last year found Chinese‑made technology embedded in many U.S. ports, raising fears of espionage and sabotage.

Policy

Democrat asks agency watchdogs to tally the cost of DOGE

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is estimating that the efficiency project has racked up around $21.7 billion.

People

Senate panel advances CISA director nominee to full Senate floor vote

Sean Plankey may still have to contend with a hold from Senator Ron Wyden over objections to the cyber defense agency not releasing a 2022 report on telecommunications industry vulnerabilities. The agency said it plans to release it.