Policy

House passes last-minute CR, potentially averting a government shutdown

After days of brinkmanship, House Republicans passed a 45-day continuing resolution to keep the government open past Monday.

Policy

Ahead of shutdown, House and Senate Dems propose back pay for furloughed contractors

A similar effort to legislate back pay for contractors failed during the 2018-2019 shutdown.

Cybersecurity

US, Japan warn of China-backed hackers lurking in networking gear

The joint advisory cautioned that a China-backed threat group called BlackTech is exploiting weaknesses in routers to hack government and industrial targets.

Digital Government

The technologist at the table

Ann Lewis is bringing tech talent to bear on a range of big, pressing service delivery challenges from her perch as director of the Technology Transformation Services.

Artificial Intelligence

Can AI boost health care delivery?

Rep. Ted Lieu thinks so, with the right oversight by humans — and government.

Modernization

House panel advances MGT update

A bipartisan bill to reauthorize and update the legislation that established the Technology Modernization Fund sailed through committee on Wednesday.

Modernization

TMF reboot looks to stabilize funding, increase transparency

The reauthorization of the Modernizing Government Technology Act is due for a committee markup on Wednesday.

Modernization

VA's health record 'reset' will extend into 2024

There's one deployment of the new, multibillion dollar EHR on the books for next April and officials expect the rollouts to pick up in the summer.

People

Who are your rising stars?

Nominations are open for the 2023 Rising Stars program. We're looking to spotlight innovators across federal, state and local governments and up-and-coming talent at contracting firms.

Digital Government

Pandemic unemployment fraud as high as $135B, watchdog says

The Government Accountability Office's new estimate underscores the urgency of modernizing state-based unemployment insurance systems.

People

Senate confirms deputy secretary at VA

Tanya Bradsher takes over as the top official tasked with managing the Department of Veterans Affairs’ troubled electronic health record project.

People

GOP lawmakers tap Holman Rule to slash salaries of agency heads

If House conservatives get their way, multiple federal officials will open fiscal 2024 with $1 annual salaries.

Digital Government

The federal government's most disliked IT help desks

A survey of more than 270,000 federal employees shows DOD at the bottom when it comes to satisfaction with IT support and equipment.

Artificial Intelligence

Library of Congress probes the many collisions of copyright and AI

The Copyright Office has questions about how protections do — or don’t — apply to AI-generated works.

Acquisition

DOD looks to counter China by accelerating drone acquisition, production

The "Replicator" initiative announced by the Pentagon's No. 2 official looks to leverage lo-fi, autonomous systems to outpace China on the battlefield.

Cybersecurity

Threat actor targeted DOD contracting website

Malware leveraging flaws in edge routers has been spying on military contracting websites, according to research from Lumen's Black Lotus Labs.

Cybersecurity

Voting machine hacking plot figures into Trump indictment

A plot allegedly hatched by lawyer Sidney Powell to use stolen data to rewrite the results of the Georgia vote in the 2020 election is a key piece of the fourth indictment of former President Donald Trump.

Digital Government

VA extends PACT Act filing deadline after website glitches

The Department of Veterans Affairs is giving eligible veterans an extra week to announce their intention to submit claims under a law that expands benefits for exposure to toxic substances.

Defense

DOD pushes cloud buyers to JWCC

The Defense Department's top tech official directed defense agencies to tap the multi-vendor Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability contract for new cloud acquisitions and is requiring all top-secret cloud buys across the Pentagon and military services to use the vehicle for top secret capabilities.