Cybersecurity

Budget would double money for Justice IT fund

The Obama administration wants $179.79 million for the Justice Information Sharing Technology programs in fiscal 2011.

Cybersecurity

Virtual border fence would lose under budget

The administration wants $43.59 billion for the Homeland Security Department in fiscal 2011 compared with the $42.60 billion that the department got for this year.

People

Obama proposes expanding acquisition workforce

The administration says the government's spending has doubled, but the size of the workforce has remained generally constant.

People

The 2.0 presidency: Obama to stage YouTube-based exchange

Experts say the president's Feb. 3 venture helps validate the role in social media in governance.

Digital Government

White House launches iPhone app

The White House has joined in the application frenzy with a free download for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Cybersecurity

Better integrated intell could save lives

National security agencies want to make the various databases that hold terrorism information more searchable after the failed Christmas Day airplane bombing.

Cybersecurity

Candidate for TSA top job withdraws from consideration

The Transportation Security Administration is still without a leader now that White House nominee Erroll Southers has withdrawn from consideration.

Acquisition

President orders clampdown on tax-delinquent contractors

The presidential memo directs federal officials and Congress to improve information sharing in order to block delinquent companies from receiving new awards.

People

U.S. investment in global research and development falls

North America funded 35 percent of the global research and development in 2007, according to a new report from the National Science Board.

People

Cybersecurity czar's former employer picks new leader

The Information Systems Security Association has chosen someone to take over as president of the International Board of Directors in the wake of Howard Schmidt's departure to the Obama administration.

Modernization

White House details new e-mail archiving system

The Obama White House's system for archiving unclassified e-mail messages is secure, centrally managed and automatically archived, according to the Executive Office of the President's Office of Administration.

People

White House forum examines IT, government modernization

Technology alone will not modernize government agencies, new processes are also needed, according to business leaders who participated in a White House forum.

Digital Government

White House meets corporate CEOs for ideas on modernizing government

The White House is convening a conference of 50 corporate CEOs with the hope of generating “game changing ideas” that can help IT improve government efficiency.

Digital Government

Senior lawmaker urges diligence on aviation screening technology

After the failed attempt to detonate a bomb aboard a commercial airliner, Rep. Bennie Thompson says information sharing and aviation security technologies demand immediate attention.

People

NRC looks for public input on open government

Even though independent agencies are exempt from the Open Government Directive, NRC plans to comply with the White House order, according to a Federal Register notice.

People

No laurels yet for open directive

The praise for President Barack Obama’s Open Government Directive has been tempered by concern that agency officials will not embrace it.

Cybersecurity

Analysis, not info sharing, blamed for intell failure

Officials failed to search all available databases to uncover data on the would-be airplane bomber, a preliminary White House review has found.

Cybersecurity

President calls for urgent improvements to anti-terrorism efforts

President Barack Obama has directed his security team to take technology-related security measures to bolster homeland security and thwart terrorist attacks.

People

Obama signs bill granting 2 percent pay raise to feds

The House approved a $1.1 trillion omnibus funding package for fiscal 2010, which includes a 2 percent raise for civilian federal employees and extends a moratorium on new public-private competitions for federal work.

People

White House directive offers little guidance on what makes for open government

The Open Government Directive requires federal agencies to make more information available online to the general public. But with fast deadlines and little in the way of concrete guidance, transparency remains in the eye of the beholder.