People
DOD should update emergency response plans to accommodate telework, IG says
Each component should also update its plan "to include revised assumptions regarding telework for personnel and the resources required to support the teleworking workforce," the IG wrote in an April 1 report.
Modernization
GAO Dismisses IBM Bid Protest on $729 Million Task Order
The decision comes after the Army undertook multiple corrective action periods to address concerns mostly related to mapping of government personnel.
Digital Government
Third Defense Audit Shows Some Progress, Watchdog Says
Some components are performing better, but overall, the department’s books still don’t add up.
Emerging Tech
Watchdog to Review How Postal Inspectors Handle Cryptocurrency
Digital currencies have already been seized by the law enforcement arm in previous investigations.
Cybersecurity
Impatient lawmakers press Biden for cyber director nominee
President Joe Biden has said cybersecurity will be a top priority for his administration, but two senior positions focused on the issue remain either vacant or held by an acting official.
Emerging Tech
Republican Lawmakers Push for Billions in Boosts to Science Agency Budgets
Their re-introduced bill also calls for a national S&T strategy—and new requirements, including a supply chain-tracking database.
Digital Government
Automating the Plum Book and other Sunshine Week bills
Among the current crop of "Sunshine Week" bills are measures to continually update the Plum Book of federal appointments and to require the president to establish records management controls to store electronic messages in a way that they can later be searched and retrieved.
Cybersecurity
House panel advances industrial control systems bill
New legislation puts the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in the center of federal response to threats to computerized industrial systems.
Cybersecurity
King: Mandatory breach disclosure bill coming soon
Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), a co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, said he plans to propose new legislation in the coming weeks.
Digital Government
GAO: Agencies Need to Plan Better, Pay More and Deal with Harassment and Diversity Issues Among Tech Workforce
A new report and testimony from the Government Accountability Office re-ups past work to identify problems hiring and retaining a skilled federal science and technology workforce.
People
A blueprint to rebuild OPM
A congressionally mandated study from the National Academy for Public Administration asks lawmakers and the executive branch to help create the conditions for the Office of Personnel Management to fulfill its purpose as a strategic human capital advisor to federal agencies.
Digital Government
New Bill Would Increase Transparency of Presidential Records
Legislation was introduced to kick off National Sunshine Week.
Digital Government
President Biden: COVID Relief Needs ‘Fastidious Oversight’
The American Rescue Plan is the latest in the federal government’s historic pandemic spending.
Digital Government
More Than a Dozen IG Vacancies Await Nominees from Biden
The positions are critical to ensure ethical, effective operations at a time when agencies are disbursing billions of dollars in pandemic relief.
People
VA watchdog cautions on pandemic hires
Temporary waivers to speed hiring at VA medical facilities have helped fill workforce gaps, but the agency's Inspector General warns on security risks of putting off certain security checks.
Acquisition
New House task force focuses on supply chain vulnerabilities
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), co-chair of the Defense Critical Supply Chain Task Force, said "sometimes the marketplace just doesn't get it right and we, without intending to, create real national security vulnerabilities for ourselves."
Cybersecurity
Air Force Only Service to Develop Cybersecurity Requirements for Weapon Systems Contracts, GAO Says
The audit found the Defense Department has improved weapon systems cybersecurity in recent years, but detailed requirements must make it into contracts.
Digital Government
Air Force Academy IT in dire need of upgrades, superintendent says
Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, the Air Force Academy’s superintendent, told Congress the academy’s accreditation was threatened by legacy IT.
Digital Government
Cybersecurity and IT Remain Top Concerns on GAO’s High-Risk List
Agencies showed some slight progress on IT issues, though cybersecurity took a step backward in the latest report.
Cybersecurity