Emerging Tech

Republican Lawmakers Push for Billions in Boosts to Science Agency Budgets

Their re-introduced bill also calls for a national S&T strategy—and new requirements, including a supply chain-tracking database.

Digital Government

Automating the Plum Book and other Sunshine Week bills

Among the current crop of "Sunshine Week" bills are measures to continually update the Plum Book of federal appointments and to require the president to establish records management controls to store electronic messages in a way that they can later be searched and retrieved.

Cybersecurity

House panel advances industrial control systems bill

New legislation puts the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in the center of federal response to threats to computerized industrial systems.

Cybersecurity

King: Mandatory breach disclosure bill coming soon

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), a co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, said he plans to propose new legislation in the coming weeks.

Digital Government

GAO: Agencies Need to Plan Better, Pay More and Deal with Harassment and Diversity Issues Among Tech Workforce

A new report and testimony from the Government Accountability Office re-ups past work to identify problems hiring and retaining a skilled federal science and technology workforce.

People

A blueprint to rebuild OPM

A congressionally mandated study from the National Academy for Public Administration asks lawmakers and the executive branch to help create the conditions for the Office of Personnel Management to fulfill its purpose as a strategic human capital advisor to federal agencies.

Digital Government

President Biden: COVID Relief Needs ‘Fastidious Oversight’

The American Rescue Plan is the latest in the federal government’s historic pandemic spending. 

Digital Government

More Than a Dozen IG Vacancies Await Nominees from Biden

The positions are critical to ensure ethical, effective operations at a time when agencies are disbursing billions of dollars in pandemic relief.

People

VA watchdog cautions on pandemic hires

Temporary waivers to speed hiring at VA medical facilities have helped fill workforce gaps, but the agency's Inspector General warns on security risks of putting off certain security checks.

Acquisition

New House task force focuses on supply chain vulnerabilities

Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), co-chair of the Defense Critical Supply Chain Task Force, said "sometimes the marketplace just doesn't get it right and we, without intending to, create real national security vulnerabilities for ourselves."

Cybersecurity

Air Force Only Service to Develop Cybersecurity Requirements for Weapon Systems Contracts, GAO Says

The audit found the Defense Department has improved weapon systems cybersecurity in recent years, but detailed requirements must make it into contracts.

Digital Government

Air Force Academy IT in dire need of upgrades, superintendent says

Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, the Air Force Academy’s superintendent, told Congress the academy’s accreditation was threatened by legacy IT.

Digital Government

Cybersecurity and IT Remain Top Concerns on GAO’s High-Risk List

Agencies showed some slight progress on IT issues, though cybersecurity took a step backward in the latest report.

Cybersecurity

When water utilities get hacked, who should they call?

In the wake of a cybersecurity breach at a public water system, lawmakers have begun questioning what rules are in place to govern those facilities' cybersecurity and what changes may be necessary.

Digital Government

IG: ‘Tens of Billions’ in Fraudulent Unemployment Claims in 2020

A Labor Department Inspector General memo suggests a massive uptick in fraudulent unemployment claims brought on by COVID-19.

People

Flat defense budget, cost-savings push seems likely for 2022

Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the chairman for the Senate Armed Services Committee, said military services should look for cost-savings and where reinvestments can be made.

Cybersecurity

CIA nominee: Cyber threats are 'ever greater risk' for U.S. society

William Burns, the president's nominee to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, said the SolarWinds attack was a "harsh wake-up call" about the country’s vulnerabilities in both critical infrastructure and supply chains.

Digital Government

Billions went to fraudulent unemployment claims in 2020, IG memo reports

Fraudulent unemployment benefit claims since March could end up costing tens of billions of dollars, the memo says.

Digital Government

Democratic Lawmakers Call Out TV Companies Over Misinformation Spread

The pair asked cable, satellite and streaming TV companies about conspiracy-related content ahead of a Feb. 24 hearing.