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Policy
Inside the effort to connect Congress with the feds enacting its policies
Those writing laws don’t often hear from those charged with implementing them. The POPVOX Foundation wants that to change.
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People
White House taps Education’s tech lead as new deputy federal CIO
Thomas Flagg is a longtime government executive, having worked in the Labor Department for over 11 years prior to joining the Education Department.
Modernization
VA still on pace with EHR deployment after rollouts earlier this year, officials say
Other agencies are also looking to iterate on their version of the electronic health record system being used at the VA and DOD — including by bringing it onto ships at sea.
Digital Government
The State Department looks to build on the success of online passport renewal
The agency’s second attempt at moving the passport renewal process online has enabled millions to navigate the process in a fraction of the time it used to take.
Digital Government
House votes to make IRS publish call metrics online
The bill would require the tax agency to release detailed, real time and monthly call metrics. The House also passed a technology proposal meant to move the IRS off paper.
Digital Government
Treasury missed security controls in giving DOGE system access, GAO finds
The finding is among the first oversight reports Congress’ watchdog has released about the controversial cost-cutting team.
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Digital Government
GSA taps Greg Hogan as head of government’s identity proofing service, Login.gov
Hogan previously worked at the Office of Personnel Management, an early DOGE stronghold, and more recently in the White House’s National Design Studio.
Digital Government
Agencies doled out $186B in improper payments last year, GAO says
That fiscal year 2025 improper payment number is up by $24 billion from the previous fiscal year, even as the Trump administration says that it’s tamping down on fraud.
Policy
Tech bills of the week: Creating data privacy standards; Securing critical infrastructure from drones; and more
Congressional lawmakers introduced a raft of proposals this week, including bills to balance the power needs of data centers with consumer energy costs and to establish guidelines on the types of advanced semiconductors that can be sold to China.
Digital Government
IRS lacks transparent plans to leverage tech in the face of staffing cuts, GAO and employees say
Agency leaders are “shoving AI at us,” one IRS employee said, despite the fact that “they don’t have the right tools for us yet.”
People
Andrew Vanjani becomes CIO for USCIS
Vanjani has held several positions across federal and state agencies and will take over a position left vacant for nearly a year after former USCIS CIO Bill McElhaney departed in May.
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Modernization
Transportation celebrates air traffic control modernization, asks lawmakers for more funding
The government has been trying to modernize the U.S. national airspace system for decades, with little success. Trump’s Transportation Department secretary says this time is different.
Digital Government
Sessions introduces bill to set up a new Treasury fraud watchdog
The proposal from the co-chair of the House DOGE Caucus comes after President Donald Trump fired nearly 20 agency inspectors general last year.
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Digital Government
VA has touted appointment wait time reductions, but new data shows a more mixed reality
A comparative analysis of select wait-time data for new patients at more than 100 medical centers indicates the department has made progress in some areas, but not all.
People
OPM cuts degree requirements for government tech jobs in new standards
The changes have been years in the making and represent a federal hiring apparatus more focused on applicable skills than specific backgrounds.
People
OPM seeks cybersecurity talent to join Tech Force
"Through Tech Force, we’re recruiting highly skilled cybersecurity professionals to take on real challenges and strengthen the government’s defenses where it matters most,” OPM director Scott Kupor said in a statement.
Digital Government
Appeals court removes limits on DOGE access to SSA data despite ‘alarming’ revelations
The Friday decision follows a January court filing in which the government conceded that DOGE associates may have improperly accessed sensitive data at the agency.
Digital Government
Treasury is creating a database with pandemic aid recipients’ sensitive information
Critics say the scope established in the agency’s systems of record notice “is an astonishing and dramatic departure from prior Treasury practice.”
Artificial Intelligence
GSA to require agencies to pay for USAi after launching it as a free service
The platform was billed as a way to accelerate AI adoption across the government when GSA launched it last year.
Modernization
The IRS wants to shrink its workforce by nearly 4,000 — and use technology to make up the difference
“Without modernization, the IRS would be unable to sustain performance with a reduced headcount,” the budget document says.
