Modernization
Technology Modernization Fund nears expiration, despite bipartisan backing
Some lawmakers are pushing for the modernization fund to be included in the must-pass annual defense bill before it expires next week.
Digital Government
Social Security wants about 15 million fewer visits in its field offices
The new goal to cut the number of field office visits comes as the agency’s frontline locations have lost thousands of employees.
Digital Government
Interior announces digital park passes alongside new, ‘America-first’ fee structure
Congress instructed the government to roll out digital park passes by January 2026 in a law signed by former President Joe Biden just before he left office.
Modernization
Social Security occupational data update appears stalled after agency drops regulatory overhaul
The Social Security Administration has spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to update the occupational data used in disability adjudications. When the agency will actually move to newer data is unclear.
Digital Government
DOGE no longer has ‘centralized leadership’ under White House tech team, personnel head says
The team that was altered to house DOGE — formerly the U.S. Digital Service — is also still doing its own technology work across agencies.
Digital Government
Login.gov director departs for the private sector
Whoever officially leads the government’s identity proofing service next could impact how millions of Americans interact with the government online.
Exclusive
Policy
SSA abandons planned disability program overhaul expected to cut benefits for thousands
Trump administration officials informed the co-founder of a nonprofit disability advocacy group that a proposed rule — which would have updated decades-old occupational data, in addition to changing eligibility considerations — will no longer be moving forward.
Policy
Trump administration resumes funding for inspectors general hub after previously blocking it
OMB’s move to restore CIGIE funding until Jan. 30 comes as the president has already fired or replaced more than 20 agency inspectors general.
Digital Government
Satisfaction with government services rises, despite recent layoffs and turmoil
The Trump administration has touted some service delivery projects and launched a design initiative, but it has also fired and pushed out thousands of civil servants.
Modernization
Government spending package includes money for House modernization efforts
Funding earmarked for the House of Representatives’ Modernization Initiatives Account can be used to accelerate the development of innovative constituent-focused tools.
Digital Government
DHS expanding citizenship system for voter verification, despite concerns about potential disenfranchisement
Twenty-six states are in line to use a revamped DHS system to check their voter rolls for non-citizens, although the network has raised concerns about privacy and accuracy — including if it could kick eligible voters off the rolls.
People
Longtime Agriculture tech executive departs government
Gary Washington, USDA’s long-serving chief information officer, is leaving government after being moved to a new role earlier this fall.
Digital Government
IRS returns to relying on tax prep companies for free filing options without Direct File
A new report from the tax agency that was requested by congressional Republicans said that dropping Direct File “is in the best interests of American taxpayers and the IRS.”
Exclusive
Digital Government
Direct File won’t happen in 2026, IRS tells states
The free service that allowed taxpayers to file online directly with the IRS was used by hundreds of thousands of taxpayers in 2024 and 2025, who gave it high marks — although tax prep companies and Republicans have sought its end.
People
Threats against public servants increased over 35 times what they were a decade ago, according to new research
Threats and violence against public servants hurt the ability of the government to deliver, say the groups behind a new map showing threats against public sector employees.
Policy
DHS proposes biometrics expansion for immigrants, dropping age restrictions and requiring biometrics from some US citizens
A new DHS regulatory proposal would allow CBP and ICE to collect biometrics from children under the age of 14.
Modernization
Inside the Secret Service hunt for skimmers as outdated SNAP cards let thieves steal millions
The government still uses 1970s-era technology to deliver SNAP, leaving beneficiaries vulnerable to transnational crime rings that have taken hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits in recent years.
Digital Government
CBP expands facial recognition for non-citizens at borders
U.S. citizens can opt out of the facial recognition process, which CBP intends to expand to all air, sea and land ports.
Artificial Intelligence
Salesforce pitches AI agents as the government sheds staff
Amid the White House’s ongoing push to reduce the federal workforce, “government will be the largest users of agentic technologies of any industry,” predicted one Salesforce exec.
Digital Government