Tech
VA launches a new platform to help veterans identify and report scams
Scammers have increasingly targeted veterans and their beneficiaries, particularly after the PACT Act expanded benefits and health services for retired service members.
Tech
Benefits.gov to shutter in September
The Labor Department’s benefits-focused website dates back to 2002.
Tech
Acting Secret Service head suggests that better tech could have thwarted would-be Trump assassin
Ronald Rowe Jr. told a Senate panel that additional cellular bandwidth and the use of counter-drone technology could have averted the attempted assassination of former President Trump.
Management
White House roadmap looks to guide emerging tech standardization
The Biden administration unveiled a to-do list for federal agencies developing standards for cutting-edge technologies, focusing on external communications.
Tech
Biden to receive AI national security memo outlining forbidden uses, opportunities for innovation
The memorandum expected to be delivered Friday to President Joe Biden will build upon existing artificial intelligence guidance while highlighting workforce needs and prohibited use scenarios.
Tech
HHS reorg seeks to streamline tech and cyber policy
A new assistant secretary post will consolidate management of technology, data, AI and health IT.
Tech
VA’s planned restart of its electronic health record system rollouts draws lawmaker concern
“I think we are far from ready to endorse further go-live activities,” Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., said about VA’s plan to resume deployments in fiscal year 2025.
Tech
House lawmaker demands answers from AT&T on recent data breach
Rep. Abigail Spanberger wants AT&T’s CEO to open up about the company’s incident response plans and a reported payment to hackers in exchange for deleting the stolen data.
Tech
Biden looks to preserve his tech and cyber legacy with veto threat
Experts see continuity in tech policy from the Biden administration to a possible Kamala Harris presidency, with possible divergence on some national security and antitrust issues.
Management
Diverting TSA funds harms deployment of new tech, lawmakers warn
A bill to keep all 9/11 security fee collections at TSA would help the agency more quickly deploy facial recognition capabilities, but its supporters say privacy still needs to be prioritized.
Defense
Pentagon background-check systems at risk of hacking, GAO says
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency didn’t fully implement DOD’s cybersecurity process, a new report finds.
Tech
Biden nominates a new director for the Defense Information Systems Agency
Maj. Gen. Paul Stanton, who currently leads the Army’s Cyber Center of Excellence, has been picked to replace Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner.
Tech
Lawmakers look to restore TSA funding to speed screening tech deployment
The measure is one of three bipartisan proposals rolled out this week that seek to bolster funding for TSA’s deployment of new technologies and to limit invasive pat-downs of travelers.
Tech
HHS launches an online tool to identify communities hit hardest by extreme heat
The heat and health index tool provides zip code level data to flag neighborhoods that are the most at risk of experiencing harmful health outcomes as a result of high temperatures.
Tech
DHS sets its research sights on 8 emerging technologies
The Homeland Security Department’s Innovation, Research and Development Strategic Plan focuses its investment the next seven years on AI, cybersecurity, biotech and more.
Workforce
Space Force inches closer to classified remote work
The platform could be a popular remote-work solution for Space Systems Command.
Workforce
CISA would get millions for cyber workforce outreach to underserved communities under new bill
The measure comes amid concerns from cybersecurity officials and professionals over how workforce diversity gaps may threaten U.S. cyber defenses.
Tech
Connolly presses EPA on air quality IT with new bill
Legislation the Virginia Democrat introduced Tuesday would codify watchdog recommendations to assess decades-old systems at the EPA.
Tech
Federal broadband subsidy cut amid fears over its future
The Affordable Connectivity Program will pay some households just $14 in May, down from $30. Unless Congress acts on a $7 billion extension bill, it will run out of money at the end of the month, plunging some families, supporters warn, into “digital darkness.”
Tech