The Daily Scoop Podcast

An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Thursday mandates a review of agency activities stemming from the Biden administration’s now-revoked EO on artificial intelligence and calls for the creation of a new plan of action. The brief order establishes that it is the policy of the U.S. “to sustain and enhance America’s global AI dominance in order to promote human flourishing, economi...

The Office of Personnel Management has created a new email account meant to collect reports of suspected diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, one of a series of moves the Trump administration has taken to slash DEI efforts across the federal workforce. According to a Jan. 21 memo available online, OPM directed agencies — which are now engaged in the process of shutting down diversity init...

President Donald Trump on Monday officially shut down the Customs and Border Protection-run app designed to help schedule appointments for people seeking eligibility for asylum, closing off a pathway for migrants at the Southern border hoping to enter the United States. Supporters of the CBP One app had said that the system made the jobs of border agents easier, despite technical difficulties and...

Details are starting to trickle in about how the Trump administration and its new DOGE will look to use tech modernization as a driver of efficiency in the federal government. But there’s still uncertainty about how the new administration will address some key topics, like AI, cybersecurity, the tech workforce and more. Last month, the Alliance for Digital Innovation issued a set of tech priority...

Troy Meink, a senior leader at the National Reconnaissance Office, is President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to serve as secretary of the Air Force. The former and future commander-in-chief announced his pick Thursday on Truth Social. As the civilian head of the Department of the Air Force — which also includes the Space Force — Meink would be responsible for leading the service during a period of...

The Biden administration released anticipated guidance Wednesday for federal agencies to implement the OPEN Government Data Act and reupped the Chief Data Officers Council after it lapsed last month, completing two key actions for federal data pol icy. Under the Office of Management and Budget memo (M-25-05), commonly known as “Phase II” guidance, agencies have long-awaited marching orders on how...

Days before the Biden administration is set to leave the White House, it issued Tuesday an executive order aimed at shoring up the nation’s AI infrastructure, including through the operation of data centers, in an effort to ensure that the growing technology will be built and operated in the U.S. Specifically, the order outlines requirements for federal agencies — including the departments of Defe...

As mentioned last Tuesday, Mina Hsiang, administrator of the U.S. Digital Service, is one of the many technology officials who will depart federal service with the forthcoming change in administrations later this month. Hsiang, a longtime government digital services leader, was tapped to lead USDS at the beginning of the Biden administration and has now seen that role through to the term’s end. In...

Federal agencies would be required to track and report computer usage for teleworking employees under new legislation from a Senate Republican. The Requiring Effective Management and Oversight of Teleworking Employees (REMOTE) Act, from Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, would charge executive department heads with enacting policies that record the login activity and network traffic of teleworkers’ governme...

The White House announced Tuesday the official launch of the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, a cybersecurity labeling initiative aimed at enhancing the security of internet-connected devices. The initiative tackles rising consumer concerns about the security vulnerabilities of “smart” devices essential to modern homes. As households become more dependent on interconnected gadgets — with a 2023 Deloitte stu...

Guy Cavallo, the chief information officer of the Office of Personnel Management since July 2021, will retire from federal service on Jan. 13, he confirmed to FedScoop. Cavallo leaves federal service having held several top technology roles over the past decade, including as deputy CIO of the Small Business Administration and executive director of IT operations at the Transportation Security Admin...

Mina Hsiang, administrator of the U.S. Digital Service, is one of the many technology officials who will depart federal service with the forthcoming change in administrations later this month. Hsiang, a longtime government digital services leader, was tapped to lead USDS as the beginning of the Biden administration and has now seen that role through to the term’s end. In a two-part exit interview...

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency unveiled a detailed set of guidelines Wednesday to safeguard the mobile communications of high-value government targets in the wake of the ongoing Salt Typhoon telecom breach. The guide aims to help both political and federal leadership harden their communications and avoid any data interception by the Chinese-linked espionage group. As of earli...

A consolidated list of federal artificial intelligence use cases released by the White House on Wednesday shows agencies more than doubled the amount of uses reported last year. Per the 2024 consolidated inventory, which is available on the Office of Management and Budget’s GitHub, 37 federal agencies have reported 1,757 public AI uses. A consolidated list released by the White House last year doc...

House AI task force members on Tuesday touted the long-awaited release of their report outlining recommendations to Congress on the federal government’s adoption of AI, while confirming that lawmakers are in conversation with the incoming administration about the very same topics. The nearly 300-page report digs into a plethora of areas that the emerging technology touches, including the governmen...

As the federal government journeys into uncharted territory with the adoption of AI, it’s no surprise that the nation’s space exploration agency is one of the most innovative among the bunch. Krista Kinnard is NASA’s Digital Transformation, Culture and Communications Lead and was recently promoted to that agency's deputy chief AI officer, where she'll continue to play a key role shepherding the cu...

The Defense Department doesn’t know who has been flying drones recently near its military installations in New Jersey, and the Pentagon is “frustrated” by this type of activity, according to a senior official. In recent days and weeks, there have been thousands of reports and tips about drone sightings in New Jersey as well as other states. Law enforcement agencies have been investigating the repo...

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security disclosed Thursday that they are supporting New Jersey law enforcement with “numerous detection methods” as part of the response to recent mysterious aircraft sightings in the state’s skies. Thus far, however, the federal agencies “have not corroborated any of the reported visual sightings with electronic detection,” according to a joint statement shared...

As members of the Biden administration wrap up their duties ahead of next month’s transition, the Office of Management and Budget’s IT office is touting the “innovative” technological progress it’s made over the past four years in the face of “unprecedented challenges.” In an impact report shared exclusively with FedScoop, OMB’s Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer highlighted several o...

The Pentagon announced Saturday that it selected five small, non-traditional defense contractors to receive funding to help move their emerging technologies into production. Each company will receive $10 million under the Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) pilot program overseen by Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering. The award...

In this episode of The Daily Scoop Podcast, Sunny Wescott, CISA ISD Chief Meteorologist at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, provides an in-depth look at her critical role managing extreme weather impacts on national infrastructure. She blends her expertise in meteorology, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence (AI) to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. Wescott d...

A package of bills introduced by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., last week would freeze federal hiring and salaries for one year and reintroduce a merit-based compensation structure for federal employees, among other provisions. Blackburn on Thursday announced a single bill as part of her DOGE Act, but a spokesperson from her office clarified in an email to FedScoop that she plans to introduce sev...

David Sacks, a venture capitalist, former CEO of enterprise social network firm Yammer and podcaster, will join the incoming administration in a new role President-elect Donald Trump referred to in a Thursday night announcement as the “White House AI & Crypto Czar.” In a series of posts on Trump’s own Truth Social platform, he said Sacks “will guide policy for the Administration in Artificial Inte...

Legislation to improve federal agency oversight and management of software purchases passed the House on Wednesday, keeping top IT and software trade groups’ hopes alive that the bill will get through the Senate and become law before this congressional term is up. The Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act (H.R.1695) – better known as the SAMOSA Act — was introduced b...

David Shive is one of the longest-tenured CIOs in all of the federal government and serves as vice chair of the Federal CIO Council. He also helms the IT portfolio of one of the most innovative and forward-leaning agencies across the executive branch. As such, he’s an insightful leader with a strong read on the state of technology transformation across the federal government. FedScoop recently cau...