People
Agencies lag on IT workforce planning, GAO says
The congressional watchdog warned that agencies are putting billions in spending at risk by not taking steps to raise skills and competencies in the IT workforce.
Acquisition
An insider's guide to avoiding procurement fraud
Outright criminal procurement fraud is thankfully rare, but compliance issues in federal contracting often have legal ramifications. Good communication can help, according to a new book.
Digital Government
DOD data strategy nearing release
Navy chief data officer says the final draft should be out in November, with service-specific implementation plans to follow.
People
Blackburn presses DOD management chief on Fourth Estate cuts
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) pressed DOD's acting chief management officer for answers on why the Pentagon can't find more cuts in Fourth Estate agencies.
Cybersecurity
Lieu seeks answers from White House about cybersecurity purge
A member of Congress wants Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney to answer for recent reports that indicate the White House's cybersecurity team has been gutted.
People
AFGE president takes leave in the wake of sexual harassment allegations
J. David Cox says the charges, from at least 10 employees, are "scurrilous, politically-motivated attacks."
Cybersecurity
Lawmaker pushes online verification to combat disinformation
Mandatory ID checks for social media platforms could help fight propaganda, but experts worry about privacy tradeoffs.
Digital Government
Some movement in the Senate on funding, but concerns remain
The Senate is moving ahead on a package of funding bills with bipartisan support, but spending levels for homeland security and defense continue dog lawmakers, with a shutdown still a possibility.
Digital Government
Security, modernization and people are key IRS challenges
The IRS should focus the next year on modernizing IT, improving security controls for its primary e-filing tool, eliminating critical vulnerabilities in servers used for personal devices and addressing its "serious" human capital crisis, according to Treasury auditors.
Cybersecurity
Senate investigation pins CPSC breaches on 'incompetence'
Poor software design and lack of trainings were found to be responsible for a series of data breaches that touched 10,000 manufactures and 30,000 consumers.
Digital Government
Election security lessons from Illinois
Officials express confidence that 2020 won't be a repeat of 2016, but testimony from state and local officials indicate that substantial security holes still exist.
Modernization
GAO Wants To Know The Best Way To Buy a Modernization Strategy
The agency plans to upgrade its content management and delivery systems, as well as its talent management tools. But first, it needs to decide on the best way to buy a modernization strategy.
Digital Government
Can a joint DOD-VA oversight body catch up with health record deployment?
Lawmakers want to put teeth in a governance body to corral DOD and VA health record deployment, but facts on the ground may be getting ahead of planned governance.
Cybersecurity
DHS Needs a Better Grasp of Its Cyber Workforce, Watchdog Says
The agency doesn’t fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of its cyber personnel, and it’s more than two years behind on developing a workforce planning strategy, the inspector general found.
Acquisition
VA needs more time on scheduling software
As part of its electronic health records modernization plan, the Department of Veterans Affairs is adopting Cerner's scheduling system but it's going to take longer than they thought.
Modernization
VA to Pilot New Scheduling System at Same Ohio Facility that Tested the Last Solution
The Chalmers P. Wylie Ambulatory Care Center in Columbus, Ohio, is set to get another new scheduling system, as VA lets one contract expire and shifts to its new EHR provider.
People
Finding the feds of the future
Lawmakers and experts say that hiring and management need improvement if the federal government is going to attract replacements for its aging workforce.
Acquisition
House panel probes Trump hotel lease
With impeachment in the background, Democrats on a House subcommittee grilled the General Services Administration about its oversight of President Trump's lease on the Old Post Office building in Washington, D.C.
Digital Government
DHS is Struggling to Coordinate Its Sprawling Research Efforts
Poor oversight and shoddy data management have left the DHS Science and Technology Directorate unprepared to invest in the future, according to the agency's inspector general.
People