Digital Government

Obama nominates new DOD IG

President Barack Obama has nominated acting Defense Department Inspector General Glenn Fine to be the permanent IG.

Digital Government

Blockchain gains congressional support

Blockchain now has its own congressional caucus to raise awareness among lawmakers and advance policy discussions around the technology for tracking bitcoin transactions.

Cybersecurity

7 Takeaways from GAO's Information Security Assessment

The federal government needs to fully implement its information security programs, GAO said.

Cybersecurity

Missed deportee fingerprints spark legislation

A new bill would force DHS to digitize all fingerprint records in the wake of an embarrassing oversight report.

People

Obama nominates new OPM IG

A State Department watchdog has been selected to lead internal oversight at the Office of Personnel Management.

Digital Government

18F, USDS lack performance and accountability measures

The U.S. Digital Service and 18F lack the ability to assess whether they have achieved their goals and hold themselves accountable, according to GAO.

Cybersecurity

DHS officials say border databases are working together

Interlocking database checks are a potent link in blocking potential terrorists from entering the U.S., DHS officials said at a Capitol Hill hearing.

Cybersecurity

IG tells TSA to tighten up transportation ID security

Dockworkers, truckers and others must have government-issued credentials to access secure facilities, but a watchdog says the program for granting those credentials needs to be improved.

Cybersecurity

Old adversaries, new threats, say intel overseers

Congressional leaders say the U.S. continues to face threats from the same old adversaries, but those threats are changing and so must America's intelligence structures.

Digital Government

Commission on Care, lawmakers want commercial EHR for VA

The leaders of the Commission on Care are recommending that the Department of Veterans Affairs abandon its homegrown VistA software for a commercial product.

Digital Government

Chaffetz wants CyTech to get paid for OPM work

The cyber vendor on the ground when the OPM hack was first discovered has a powerful legislator backing his claims that the government owes him money.

Cybersecurity

Chaffetz details where OPM went wrong, warns about future

The House oversight committee's Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) delivered an indictment of OPM's security and the protracted federal procurement process.

Digital Government

GAO: Performance.gov needs big improvements

The Performance.gov website needs greater transparency and long-term plan to improve, according to a government watchdog.

Digital Government

Lawmakers want the latest on new background check agency

Two Democratic lawmakers have asked OPM for a progress report on the planned National Background Investigations Bureau.

Digital Government

Will the MEGABYTE Act save money?

The MEGABYTE Act enshrines key Obama administration IT initiatives into law and promises to save at least $2 billion a year on software spending -- assuming implementation goes according to plan.

People

Lawmakers want automated tax-compliance check

Top-ranking members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are asking about the status of an automated system to check on the tax debt of security clearance applicants.

People

The IT leadership that agencies need

FITARA has raised the bar for what's expected of agency CIOs, and efforts are underway to make sure the government hires accordingly.

People

GAO: Army should further integrate virtual training methods

The Army needs to make better use of its virtual training tools to prepare soldiers for real-world situations, according to a Government Accountability Office report.

Digital Government

GAO: Army Needs More Virtual Training

The watchdog recommended the Pentagon adjust policies to allow virtual training to be used more broadly.

Cybersecurity

IGs: DOT, Labor show cyber protection deficiencies

In separate assessments, inspectors general found deficiencies in the way the departments of Transportation and Labor secure computer systems that contain personally identifiable information.