Digital Government
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.”
People
GSA announces latest cohort of Presidential Innovation Fellows
The 17 experts chosen to participate in the program will be detailed to selected federal agencies to help them develop and scale technology-focused projects.
People
FAA sets records in effort to hire gamers as air traffic controllers
The agency received over 12,000 applications in less than two days, making the effort “wildly successful,” according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Artificial Intelligence
GSA No. 2 talks ‘million hours challenge,’ scaling agency AI efforts
GSA Deputy Administrator Michael Lynch last week offered a comprehensive look at the agency’s plans for key acquisition and shared services programs and new internal efforts aimed at automating work.
People
OPM cuts degree requirements for government tech jobs in new standards
The changes have been years in the making and represent a federal hiring apparatus more focused on applicable skills than specific backgrounds.
People
CISA cancels CyberCorps summer internship hiring amid DHS shutdown
The reversal presents a major setback for students who had secured internships after months of confusion about their job outcomes.
People
OPM seeks cybersecurity talent to join Tech Force
"Through Tech Force, we’re recruiting highly skilled cybersecurity professionals to take on real challenges and strengthen the government’s defenses where it matters most,” OPM director Scott Kupor said in a statement.
Artificial Intelligence
CIA plans for ‘AI coworkers’, deputy director says
The spy agency managed a few hundred AI projects last year, and recently used AI to generate an intelligence report for the first time, deputy director Michael Ellis said.
Artificial Intelligence
Survey: Human capital is a key barrier to government AI adoption
A vast majority of federal leaders see artificial intelligence as an important step toward better operations, Ernst & Young found.
Artificial Intelligence
IRS faces AI skills gaps after pushing tech talent out, watchdog finds
The agency drained about 40% of its IT staff last year, GAO said.
People
‘No practical use': TSA experts say Trump’s ICE deployments won’t help with airport security
More than 400 TSA employees have left the agency since the shutdown began last month, White House says.
Digital Government
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.
People
DOJ clears the way for government to hire technologists still connected to their private sector employers
Ethics experts and public sector lawyers told Nextgov/FCW that they are skeptical about the arrangement of private sector technologists joining the government on leaves of absence while retaining their deferred compensation packages.
Artificial Intelligence
Senators call on agencies to capture AI’s workforce impact
A bipartisan group of senators are asking the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau to update their national surveys to better understand artificial intelligence’s impacts in the culture and workforce.
Modernization
Bipartisan lawmakers worried about shaky progress on modernized government worker background check system
The IT system undergirding the overhauled background check program is nearly a decade behind schedule and billions over budget.
Cybersecurity
CISA to furlough most of its workforce under impending DHS shutdown
The shutdown would also slow ongoing revamps of a major cyber incident reporting rule that was signed into law in 2022, acting director Madhu Gottumukkala said this week.
People
CISA’s acting chief says 70 staff were reassigned to other DHS offices in last year
The cyberdefense agency in turn received some 30 employees from other DHS components, while a “handful” of CISA staffers were transferred to ICE, Madhu Gottumukkala told lawmakers.
People
Dem lawmakers propose 4.1% raise for feds in 2027
The annual reintroduction of the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates Act aims to set a baseline for negotiations around federal employee compensation for the coming year.
People
Now accepting applications — for classified intel
Foreign adversaries are using fake jobs and consulting gigs to coax secrets from former U.S. officials. It’s had results, and the efforts don’t appear to be slowing.
People