Policy
House lawmakers press Meta over illicit drug ads
In a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, lawmakers said they were “continuously concerned that Meta is not up to the task” of keeping ads for illegal drugs off of its sites.
A pair of new bills aim to reshape the Secret Service
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., penned new legislation to shift the agency’s jurisdiction for investigating financial crimes and alter how it designates its protective perimeter in the wake of the Trump assassination attempt.
Bipartisan bill pushes DHS to review terrorist risks from foreign-based mobile apps
The legislative proposal calls out several China- and Russia-tied apps for particular attention.
HHS reorg seeks to streamline tech, cyber policy
A new assistant secretary post will consolidate management of technology, data, AI and health IT.
Biden looks to preserve tech, cyber legacy with veto threat
Experts see continuity in tech policy from the Biden administration to a possible Kamala Harris presidency, with possible divergence on some national security and antitrust issues.
Senate DOOBIE Act would overlook past marijuana use in feds’ hiring, security clearances
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., argued “it's crucial that the federal government modernizes its hiring practices to reflect evolving laws and societal norms.”
White House announces almost $100M in commitments to expand pool of tech talent
Arati Prabhakar, the director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, said the government’s adoption of emerging capabilities “hinges on getting terrific people to come do this work.”
Updated
How federal agencies are responding to the Trump assassination attempt
FBI, Secret Service and others are taking a lead role and deploying personnel in response to Saturday's shooting.
Russian influence operations ‘preeminent threat’ to November election, officials warn
Moscow appears to continue favoring Donald Trump, while other nations will aim to sow divisional chaos online or sway broader geopolitical discussions.
Feds are still slated for a 2% average pay raise in 2025 per House appropriations bill
The House Appropriations Committee advanced legislation Thursday that failed to override President Biden’s 2025 pay plan.
Prodded by fed up parents, some in Congress try to curb kids’ use of social media
Lawmakers are seeking to set a minimum age to access social media and put more of the onus on social media companies and their algorithms, while also giving parents more controls in trying to protect their kids online.
VA says it's seeing more patients than ever and cutting wait times for them
Staffing and productivity gains will allow VA to continue functioning more efficiently while avoiding burnout, official says.
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Lawmakers update proposal to cut down on billions in improper payments
Agencies would be required to include details on their anti-fraud controls and fraud risk management work in annual financial reports.
Large-language models demand huge amounts of data. Lawmakers want to know what that means for user privacy
A bipartisan effort is underway in the House and Senate to pass national data privacy standards, but Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and others are concerned that companies are pushing back on data minimization in the race to field AI applications.
Bipartisan group looks to push IRS towards simpler math error notices
The IRS MATH Act would require the tax agency to send more specific, straightforward notices when it corrects simple math errors on tax returns.
Biden signs extension of controversial spying program into 2026
The Section 702 authorities were reauthorized without the addition of a warrant requirement to review the communications of Americans caught up in foreign surveillance.
House advances spy power reauthorization bill without warrant measure
The bill — which represents a win for Biden administration policy objectives — will now be taken up in the Senate, with a week to go before the authority sunsets.
Section 702 renewal has support in Congress, but intelligence officials are leery of warrant measure
The disputed surveillance authority expires April 19, and the intelligence community is sending a full-court press to keep it from garnering significant privacy reforms.
OPM issues its final rule for Schedule F protections
The federal HR agency finalized its rule offering protections for career civil servants meant to safeguard against the potential reemergence of the Trump-era Schedule F policy.
US targets 6 to 8 month timeframe for new nations to join spyware pact
Six new countries joined the agreement last week, and the State Department was working behind the scenes to initially get more signed on.
