Policy

Democrats call YouTube ‘extremely irresponsible’ for election misinformation rollback

YouTube’s decision to stop removing false content about previous U.S. elections “threatens to weaken our democracy,” several top Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee said in a letter to the platform’s leaders. 

Cybersecurity

Congress needs ‘private sector buy-in’ to address cyber workforce shortage

Organizations are working to educate and train the next generation of professionals to fill critical cybersecurity vacancies, but private sector firms need to change their hiring practices to integrate this pool of talent into the workforce. 

Modernization

VA official expects Oracle Cerner to deliver on $10B EHR contract despite layoffs

While lawmakers and officials expect work to continue as planned, an insider warned that layoffs at Oracle Cerner targeted a clinical team that worked to implement new electronic health record systems.

Artificial Intelligence

Schumer says 'don't count Congress out' when it comes to regulating AI

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said Congress needs “to invent a new process” to effectively balance the dangers of artificial intelligence with the capabilities of these emerging technologies.

Policy

All Veterans Affairs police officers to be issued bodycams, dashcams by end of 2023

The Department of Veterans Affairs said it will begin issuing in-car and body-worn cameras on June 20, starting with officers at the VA Desert Pacific Healthcare Network in Long Beach, California.

Cybersecurity

Lawmakers propose shoring up nuclear cyber standards ahead of NDAA markup

The bipartisan proposal, which could be added to the FY2024 defense policy bill, would establish a federal working group to help address gaps in the cyber practices securing the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile.

Policy

Relaunched electric grid caucus plans to highlight security, tech improvements

The bipartisan Grid Innovation Caucus plans to hold educational seminars and a Grid Innovation Expo to highlight emerging technologies and ensure the resiliency of the U.S. power network.

Policy

Bipartisan bill seeks to safeguard US data from foreign exploitation

New legislation would restrict the transfer of Americans’ data to foreign nations, but leaves the door open for TikTok to store U.S. users’ data on domestic servers. 

Emerging Tech

DOD needs more diverse emerging tech investment, Democratic caucus argues

Too much of the Pentagon’s funding to support emerging technologies “is concentrated in the early stages of development,” according to members of the New Democrat Coalition’s national security task force.

Cybersecurity

Lawmaker advocates 'all-of-the-above' approach to fix cyber worker shortage

The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee’s cybersecurity panel said a greater focus on cyber education in K-12 schools could help fill the roughly 700,000 vacant cyber jobs across the country.

Cybersecurity

House cyber panel’s NDAA draft prioritizes commercial tech, expert engagement

Tech- and cyber-focused legislative proposals for the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act would restructure the Pentagon’s internal leadership to emphasize greater engagement with the commercial tech sector.

Modernization

VA to lean on automation, better IT to tackle wave of benefits claims

The component responsible for overseeing veterans’ benefits programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs believes that automation and modernized IT systems will enhance its processing of PACT Act-related claims.

Modernization

VA CIO warns against sacrificing 'consistency' for more contractor diversification 

VA is engaging more with smaller vendors to fulfill some of its projects, but the department’s CIO warned that calls for the agency to break large contracts into smaller pieces would not ensure that “there's consistency across the key places.”

Modernization

As disability claims mount, VA needs to ramp up automation, lawmakers say

The Department of Veterans Affairs needs to rely on more advanced automation tools in its processing of veterans’ benefits to meet an expected “tidal wave” of PACT Act-related claims.

Digital Government

How DISA plans to use its workforce to combat China and global adversaries

The Defense Information Systems Agency’s Workforce 2025 framework is designed to help the agency attract and retain a workforce that “adapts to the ever-changing landscape of IT and cyberspace.”

Policy

Agencies issue rule to ban TikTok on contractor devices 

The interim rule amends the Federal Acquisition Regulation to include a ban on the use of TikTok by government contractors and vendors. 

Policy

New bill proposes 'made in China' tags for mobile apps

The legislation would require large online app stores — including Apple’s App Store and Google Play — to disclose the countries where their apps were developed and are currently owned.

Artificial Intelligence

AI and China are ‘defining challenges of our time,’ CISA director says

Artificial intelligence’s potential as an “extinction event” for humanity prompted CISA Director Jen Easterly to advise companies to “think about self-regulation” for product security and safety.

Cybersecurity

Unmonitored networks put US nuclear arsenal at risk, GAO finds

A Government Accountability Office report found that the Energy Department cannot effectively monitor potential insider threats to U.S. nuclear security because department staff “have not identified the total number of DOE’s stand-alone classified networks.”

Cybersecurity

DOD Submits Classified Cyber Strategy to Congress

An unclassified fact sheet released by the Pentagon said the new strategy will continue efforts to conduct “hunt forward operations”’ with U.S. allies and “defend forward” activities meant to disrupt threat actors on their own turf.