Digital Government
Bill Would Push State Department to Clear Passport Backlog
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the backlog of Americans waiting for passports has ballooned to at least 1.4 million people.
Cybersecurity
Energy IG Finds Science Offices Skirt Security Rules for Peripheral Devices
Officials tell internal watchdogs securing devices like printers and flash drives is just hard, expensive and inhibits collaboration.
Cybersecurity
Interior Struggles to Secure IT Systems Amid Pandemic, IG Says
Interior is one of many agencies trying to meet new challenges posed by an explosion of increased remote work.
Digital Government
House Committee Investigates Whether Officials Misled Congress on OPM-GSA Merger
A recent watchdog group report cited notes from a phone call indicating the Trump administration was advised that the merger plan was illegal, an account that is at odds with what OPM officials testified before Congress last year.
Digital Government
New Legislation Would Increase Oversight Over Agency Relocations
Measure would require federal officials to conduct detailed cost-benefit analyses and provide them to inspectors general and the public for review before undertaking any effort to move federal agencies.
People
Former AFGE chief and union sued over abuse allegations
Plaintiffs ask for compensation and punishment, federal monitor to reform union.
Digital Government
Schiff: Trump's vote-by-mail attacks are 'seed' for disinformation campaigns
The House Intel Chair said the president's targeting of absentee ballots provides an anchor for foreign and domestic actors to amplify false narratives about the integrity of the 2020 election.
Cybersecurity
NASA Watchdog Reports on Why the Agency Still Struggles with Cybersecurity
Almost half of the controls in an overarching shared system were assessed as deficient.
Digital Government
Trump Administration Lacks Comprehensive Plan to Reopen Federal Offices, GAO Says
Republicans say feds should swiftly go back to work: "It’s time to take our chances," one argues.
Digital Government
Wyden disparages purge at Open Technology Fund
The Oregon Democrat is demanding answers about the circumstances behind a series of abrupt firings at the non-profit Open Technology Fund carried out by a Trump administration official.
Digital Government
Pandemic Oversight Committee Launches Contract Spending Tracker
The committee had stated in its first report that financial management could be a top challenge for agencies.
People
Oversight chief locked in tight primary
Just seven months after taking over the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Carolyn Maloney finds herself in a tight primary race against a progressive challenger in her New York City district.
Digital Government
37 IGs Report on Agency Tech Challenges Related to $2.4 Trillion COVID Relief Package
A new report shows similar issues with bandwidth, cybersecurity and aging IT systems across government, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Modernization
Pandemic oversight begins to take shape
The Pandemic Response Accountability Council will look at IT challenges, safety measures and funding oversight.
Modernization
Navy’s $7.7B IT Services Contract Clears Three Protests
The Navy’s massive NGEN IT management contract is full steam ahead four months after being awarded.
Modernization
Perspecta's NGEN protest denied
The Government Accountability Office has denied Perspecta’s challenge of the $7.7 billion Navy NGEN award that went to Leidos.
People
Union heads urge caution as DHS looks to resume normal operations
As the Department of Homeland Security considers the process of resuming normal operations, unions representing agency employees are calling on agency leadership to ensure that personnel have adequate resources to protect against exposure to COVID-19.
Digital Government
House Pushes IGs to Investigate Federal Agency Reopenings
IGs may have more work to do regarding the government’s coronavirus response.
Digital Government
House Dems want the Fed to open their digital banking services
Months after IRS began doling out stimulus checks, tens of millions of Americans have yet to receive their share. Experts are calling for better tech and expanded access to the banking system.
People