People
NSA has met 2,000-person workforce reduction goal, people familiar say
A broader Pentagon goal to shrink the nation’s defense budget over the coming five years could potentially subject the agency to further downsizing.
Artificial Intelligence
AWS announces new AI Factories to reduce infrastructure barriers for public, private sector
AWS and NVIDIA have teamed up to offer public and private sector partners access to bespoke artificial intelligence resources.
Cybersecurity
New bill proposes government-wide processes to attribute, sanction hackers
The measure would permit “robust sanctions against designated actors, including asset blocking, financial restrictions, export controls, procurement prohibitions, visa bans and suspension of assistance.”
Acquisition
SAP offers major discount to government customers through OneGov agreement
Discounted software could generate as much as $165 million in savings for agencies over the next 18 months, GSA estimates.
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.
Artificial Intelligence
The CDC placed early bets on AI — and now they are paying off
The CDC has quietly been building a modern AI infrastructure designed to reshape how public health data is collected, analyzed and acted upon.
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.
Ideas
Inside former FCC CIO Allen Hill’s full-throttle leadership
COMMENTARY | Hill’s four-decade career has left a legacy of leadership and modernization, following his recent retirement.
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.
Defense
The Army is taking counter-drone experimentation from Europe to INDOPACOM
A joint exercise with Poland and Romania, plus a counter-drone competition, took place this month.
Policy
Civilian agency spending cratered during shutdown
October spending during the shutdown dropped by as much as 80% for some agencies compared to October 2024.
Artificial Intelligence
White House launches Genesis Mission to spur AI with federal assets
The Genesis Mission initiates a new artificial intelligence experimentation platform, linking agencies with federal data to spearhead advanced AI use cases and evaluate “experimental outcomes.”
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.
Defense
Foreign spies are targeting Army soldiers, civilians and families, official warns
Current and former federal workers, especially those with security clearances, should be aware of the attempts, an Army intelligence chief said in a November memo.
Emerging Tech
AWS to invest $50B in AI and supercomputing infrastructure for government customers
Amazon Web Services is granting government expanded access to its tech products offerings while scaling the infrastructure required to support it.
Policy
House Science Dems call for investigation into NASA Goddard cuts
The administration’s ongoing push to close labs and facilities at the Goddard Space Flight Center “risks permanently degrading Goddard’s scientific and technical capabilities with these moves,” Democratic members of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee wrote.
Ideas
Leading the AI transformation in government HR
COMMENTARY | As AI increasingly handles routine tasks, human workers must be equipped for strategic, creative and judgment-intensive roles.
People
ICE — overwhelmed with applicants — leans on cyber talent program to speed tech hiring
ICE’s acting CIO, Dustin Goetz, said the agency will need more personnel as it seeks to meet sweeping deportation and detainment demands set by the White House.
Artificial Intelligence
White House official, lawmaker call for amplifying US tech policy abroad
Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., and OSTP Director Michael Kratsios also advocated for a light-touch regulatory regime that has become a centerpiece of the Trump administration's tech approach.
Cybersecurity