Author Archive
Edward Graham
Staff Reporter, Nextgov/FCW

People
Senate Dems call on VA secretary to protect veteran data from DOGE
Lawmakers asked VA Secretary Doug Collins “to deny and sever” DOGE’s access to department systems that include information about veterans.
- By Edward Graham
Digital Government
Sources: VA’s new EHR is not accessibility compliant
A VA official told Nextgov/FCW that, at the facilities where VA’s new electronic health record has been deployed, “veterans with disabilities cannot access their own records because the patient portal is inaccessible to them.”
- By Edward Graham
Defense
DHS personnel descend on New Orleans to help secure Super Bowl LIX
CISA has already conducted physical and cybersecurity vulnerability assessments ahead of the Feb. 9 NFL championship game.
- By Edward Graham
Artificial Intelligence
GOP lawmakers push for DHS innovation arm to secure sensitive data
The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate would be required to develop a process for safeguarding the information in its research and development projects.
- By Edward Graham
Artificial Intelligence
Nuclear Regulatory Commission to examine more nuanced requirements for AI
A regulatory gap analysis said the NRC’s current federal regulations “are fairly flexible enough to adapt to artificial intelligence,” according to a data scientist with the agency.
- By Edward Graham
Modernization
DHS watchdog investigating TSA’s use of facial recognition
The review comes after a bipartisan group of senators previously called for the watchdog to look into TSA’s use of biometric tools “from both an authorities and privacy perspective.”
- By Edward Graham
Artificial Intelligence
Report: agencies’ adoption of GenAI depends on safe and ethical principles
Governments need to adhere to ethical AI principles and comply with regulatory guidance to effectively use GenAI capabilities, according to a recent IBM report.
- By Edward Graham
Modernization
HHS pause on external comms delaying upcoming health summits
Two planned events have been indefinitely postponed as a result of the Trump administration’s freeze on HHS-related mass communications and public appearances.
- By Edward Graham
Emerging Tech
TSA’s facial recognition tech is highly accurate, review says
A DHS analysis found that self-identified Black volunteers who participated in testing of TSA’s biometric tools had the lowest face matching success rate of any demographic group, with an overall accuracy of 98%.
- By Edward Graham
People
Trump’s VA pick voices support for continued EHR deployment
Former Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., said “there's no reason in the world” why VA cannot successfully deploy its beleaguered Oracle Cerner electronic health record system.
- By Edward Graham
People
Trump’s DHS pick says CISA is ‘far off-mission’ and should be smaller
Current South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem wants CISA to be “refocused” on critical infrastructure and to no longer address mis- or disinformation efforts online.
- By David DiMolfetta and Edward Graham
Featured eBooks
Cybersecurity
Salt Typhoon breach was first detected on federal networks, CISA head says
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly said the group was first detected “before we understood it was Salt Typhoon.”
- By Edward Graham
Artificial Intelligence
HHS AI plan looks to the private sector for collaboration
Public engagement and collaborative partnerships with the private sector “throughout the innovation pipeline” can help ensure that AI tools are being equitably used and deployed, HHS said in its AI strategic plan.
- By Edward Graham
Artificial Intelligence
AI tools can help reduce climate risks, State strategy says
The release of the National Adaptation and Resilience Planning Strategy comes as a series of wildfires continue to burn across the Los Angeles area.
- By Edward Graham
Artificial Intelligence
VA accounts for majority of all agencies’ safety- and rights-impacting AI
Of the 1,757 total AI use cases reported by federal agencies last year, 227 of them were listed as safety- or rights-impacting. VA accounted for 145 of those identified use cases.
- By Edward Graham
Emerging Tech
Federal R&D needs sustained funding, OSTP head warns incoming Trump admin
OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar said the U.S. is “at a pivotal moment for federally-funded R&D” as misinformation and proposed budget cuts threaten government-driven innovation.
- By Edward Graham
People
OPM CIO announces retirement
Guy Cavallo is the agency’s longest serving CIO in the past decade.
- By Edward Graham
Artificial Intelligence
HHS’ 2024 AI use case inventory shows move toward internal chatbots
The agency reported 271 AI use cases in 2024, which it said represented a 66% increase from its reported 2023 total.
- By Edward Graham
Artificial Intelligence
DOD announces completion of pilot to identify medical AI vulnerabilities
The Pentagon’s red teaming effort identified more than 800 “potential vulnerabilities and biases” in the use of large language models for clinical note summarization and for a medical advisory chatbot.
- By Edward Graham
Modernization
VA plans to restart EHR rollouts in mid-2026, despite viability concerns
VA Secretary Denis McDonough previously told Congress that the department was looking to end its pause on new deployments of the Oracle Cerner software in fiscal year 2025.
- By Edward Graham