Acquisition

Kaspersky axed from governmentwide contracts

Russian cybersecurity vendor Kaspersky Lab has been taken off key government contract vehicles NASA SEWP and GSA Schedule 70 as part of an overall move to address possible risks posed by the firm.

Digital Government

Lawsuit challenges Trump's Twitter blocks

A lawsuit filed July 11 takes issue on constitutional grounds with the practice of President Trump blocking users on Twitter.

Digital Government

What's coming in Data.gov's next revamp

Contracting documents indicate more automation, geocoding and open source are in store for the federal online repository Data.gov.

People

VA publishes list of firings, suspensions

The Department of Veterans Affairs released a list of recent adverse personnel actions.

Cybersecurity

Former Obama techies join forces at think tank

New America's inaugural class of Public Interest Technology Fellows includes some familiar names from the Obama administration.

Modernization

Senators urge VA to lean on DOD in health record push

The chairmen of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Armed Services committees hope that VA will learn from the Pentagon's commercial health record deal.

Modernization

A long slog ahead for VA health record modernization

Lawmakers who welcomed the news of VA's plan to shift to a commercial health record now have to strap in for a multi-year implementation.

Cybersecurity

Former DHS boss says 'no evidence' of tampering in 2016 vote count

At a House Intelligence hearing, Jeh Johnson testified that Russian interference in U.S. elections did not extend to manipulating vote counts, as far as he knows.

People

VA chief: fast firing authority will improve morale

President Trump is expected to sign a bill granting new authority to fire and discipline VA employees on an expedited basis. Secretary David Shulkin thinks the measure will help improve flagging morale at the agency.

Modernization

VA expects to add an integrator to health record mix

After coming to terms with Cerner on a price for its electronic health record system, VA expects to pivot to finding an integrator to handle legacy interoperability and change management.

Acquisition

OMB cracks down on 'low-value' compliance

The White House announced it was eliminating a range of agency reporting requirements deemed obsolete or unnecessary.

Digital Government

Congress offers $65M as down payment on Vista replacement

House Appropriators are budgeting $65 million for the Department of Veterans Affairs to launch its plan to acquire a commercial health record, but the funding comes with conditions.

Acquisition

SAIC sees uptick in federal IT markets

Federal contracting giant SAIC said near-term budgetary certainty is raising its prospects for contract and task order wins.

People

VA accountability bill clears Congress

The House approves a Senate bill that gives the Veterans Affairs secretary new authority to discipline and fire problem employees while enhancing whistleblower protections.

Digital Government

Grassley calls Trump administration's oversight claims 'nonsense'

A leading Senate Republican is amplifying claims by House Democrats for access to Trump administration officials and materials for oversight purposes. A new lawsuit, meanwhile, also could shake loose relevant documents and details.

Digital Government

GSA reorg surprised rank and file

The move to fold the Technology Transformation Service under the Federal Acquisition Service came as a surprise to the workers at 18F and TTS.

Modernization

Timeline, budget for VA health record switch in progress

VA Secretary David Shulkin told a Senate panel it could take up to six months before a plan is in place to acquire services from commercial electronic health record provider Cerner.

People

SSA gets new CIO

Rajive Mathur is taking over for Rob Klopp as CIO of the Social Security Administration.

People

GSA combines tech and procurement services, names new FAS commissioner

The General Services Administration is backtracking on a 2016 reorg that established the Technology Transformation Service as a separate agency division.

Digital Government

Bray to join NGA as chief venture officer

The FCC CIO is taking his change agent game to the intelligence community.