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People
White House taps Education’s tech lead as new deputy federal CIO
Thomas Flagg is a longtime government executive, having worked in the Labor Department for over 11 years prior to joining the Education Department.
Artificial Intelligence
OMB’s examination of Mythos is ‘not giving access to anything to agencies,’ official says
Following the debut of Anthropic’s ultra-powerful AI, Mythos, the federal CIO told stakeholders the administration is meeting with industry and intelligence partners to discuss guardrails and safeguards associated with “potentially releasing a modified version of the model.”
Artificial Intelligence
Agencies report over 3,000 AI use cases in 2025
The number of reported use cases more than doubled from 2024, revealing the federal government’s continued appetite to acquire advanced artificial intelligence for its workflows.
Policy
Agency CIOs must supply top-down IT contract information, OMB memo states
The guidance aims to help enforce legal mandates that CIOs have full visibility into their agency’s IT spend.
Policy
Vought takes aim at GAO in new guidance
This is not the first time the head of the Office of Management and Budget has pushed back against Congress’ watchdog.
Acquisition
Contract reviews continue at OMB, official says
Deputy Director for Management Eric Ueland emphasized the need for CIOs to be empowered “at the beginning of conversations” for IT contracts.
People
Federal CIO tapped for dual-hatted role at GSA
Greg Barbaccia will serve as the acting Technology Transformation Services director and senior advisor to the administrator at GSA, while its previous lead, Thomas Shedd, will remain with the agency in another role.
People
OMB is hiring for a deputy federal chief information officer
“If you know how to run large systems, cut through noise, and turn strategy into execution across government scale, this is that job,” Federal CIO Gregory Barbaccia said about the search for his deputy.
People
Inside the federal CIO’s culture-first approach
Gregory Barbaccia told Nextgov/FCW that his priorities for the coming year are aimed at making change at scale in government IT.
Digital Government
Federal CIO says he’s zeroed in on government service delivery
That effort has new accountability levers and top-down support that can be helpful in driving change, CX leaders from the Office of Management and Budget said Friday.
Cybersecurity
OMB reverses Biden-era software attestation order
A new executive branch memorandum instead allows agencies to lean on software bills of materials, or SBOMs, in lieu of a universal attestation framework.
Artificial Intelligence
White House instructs agencies to stop using ‘biased’ AI
The Office of Management and Budget clarified the steps agencies will have to take to ensure their contracted large language models do not produce “woke” outputs.
Digital Government
Trump administration knocks out at least 15 oversight websites, saying IGs 'lied to the public'
It's not a shutdown issue: the White House is withholding funds from the umbrella organization for the government's inspectors general.
Policy
Trump budget office is hiding federal spending information, ethics nonprofit alleges
Federal courts have ordered the Office of Management and Budget to publish information about how agency funding is disbursed, but Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington contends that officials are using footnotes to obfuscate disclosure.
People
Federal deputy CIO leaving government for private sector role
OMB did not respond to a request for comment about who will replace Drew Myklegard at the agency.
Artificial Intelligence
Advocacy groups ask OMB to axe Grok AI procurement
Citing vulnerabilities and biased outputs in the program, multiple advocacy organizations and nonprofits signed a letter to the Office of Management and Budget asking it to bar Elon Musk’s Grok from federal workflows.
People
OMB wants to break down barriers for CIOs, White House official says
Republicans also included a line in their funding bill to reiterate that CIOs should be involved in agencies' tech budgets.
Cybersecurity
OMB draft memo sets agency and vendor quantum security standards
The Office of Management and Budget is drafting a new memorandum to outline steps for the federal government’s migration to a post-quantum cryptographic standard.
Artificial Intelligence
Industry awaits how OMB AI guidance on paper will be implemented in practice
The Trump administration’s new artificial intelligence use and acquisition guidance touches on safeguarding civil liberties, but experts have expressed skepticism about its implementation.
People