FedScoop

Nominations for the 2025 #FedScoop50 Awards are officially open! Each year, FedScoop honors the most influential leaders, programs, and innovations driving progress in federal IT and digital transformation. From visionary government executives and trailblazing technologists to rising stars and standout industry partners, the FedScoop 50 celebrates those who are shaping the future of government through technology. If you know a person, project, or organization making a meaningful impact in federal tech, now is the time to recognize their contributions. 📝 Submit your nomination today: https://hubs.li/Q03dH7CK0

A bipartisan bill to fully establish a National Science Foundation-based resource aimed at providing essential tools for AI research to academics, nonprofits, small businesses and others was reintroduced in the House last week. Under the Creating Resources for Every American To Experiment with Artificial Intelligence (CREATE AI) Act of 2025 (H.R. 2385), a full-scale National AI Research Resource would be codified at NSF. While that resource currently exists in pilot form, legislation authorizing the NAIRR is needed to continue that work. https://lnkd.in/e5pWcvZx

Members of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency now have access to technical systems maintained by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to a recent memorandum viewed by FedScoop. The memo, which was sent from and digitally signed by USCIS Chief Information Officer William McElhaney, states that Kyle Shutt, Edward Coristine, Aram Mogahaddassi and Payton Rehling were granted access to USCIS systems and data repositories, and that a Department of Homeland Security review was required to determine whether that access should continue. https://lnkd.in/e6DAbmhj

The Federal Risk Management and Authorization Program isn’t well known beyond technology-focused government spaces. But approval through FedRAMP might be the biggest hurdle to the world’s most lucrative public-sector client: the U.S. government. Created in 2011, FedRAMP provides a pathway for cloud service providers, like Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud, to earn authorization to work with the federal government, typically through a review facilitated by an agency that wants to work with that particular company. Once a service receives authorization, the technology is available for other government agencies to purchase. For this reason, the program is considered a success in government efficiency, as it has generally reduced the need for agencies to repeat each other’s work. https://lnkd.in/ehJTKqF6

President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Personnel Management told senators Thursday that he’d protect federal workers’ data if he’s confirmed, speaking to Democrats’ concerns about Elon Musk’s DOGE accessing such information. Appearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Scott Kupor fielded several questions about data privacy that lawmakers connected to the 2015 OPM breach. Democratic Sens. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire linked that incident to DOGE’s forays into government networks. Slotkin cited reports of associates with the Musk-led group being granted access to taxpayer information at the Treasury Department and potentially to sensitive health information housed in Department of Veterans Affairs systems. https://lnkd.in/eXvME5U2

Major cuts to the Internal Revenue Service workforce have left the embattled agency with holes that technology cannot fill, according to its former commissioner, opening up a “massive opportunity” for government contractors in the IT space. Charles Rettig, who led the IRS from 2018 to 2022, said during an ACT-IAC webinar Thursday that the Trump administration’s message has been “we’re going to go with AI, we’re going to go with technology, we don’t need as many people on deck.” Losing that “human perspective,” however, comes with some very obvious costs. https://lnkd.in/eCkZpByW

A federal judge on Thursday denied a motion from the Office of Personnel Management to dismiss a lawsuit that alleges it violated federal laws by giving Elon Musk and Department of Government Efficiency members access to its systems and the information of tens of millions of Americans. OPM in early March filed its motion to dismiss the case for a variety of reasons, but it ultimately failed to convince Judge Denise Cote of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to rule in its favor in three of the plaintiffs’ five claims. Led by the American Federation of Government Employees and AFL-CIO, the plaintiffs argued in their initial complaint filed Feb. 11 that OPM gave “unvetted and untrained” DOGE agents access to a wide gamut of federal human resources systems that the agency houses and the underlying data of current and former federal employees contained in them. https://lnkd.in/esHgchGr

The Environmental Protection Agency lacks a complete and accurate inventory of its information systems and software asset management data, according to the agency’s Office of Inspector General. In an audit released Tuesday on the EPA’s 2024 compliance with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), the OIG found that the agency is unable to ensure the completeness and accuracy of its systems inventory without having validation of IT systems inventory data. Additionally, the watchdog said the EPA needs to update and maintain its software license inventory to address the lack of accountability for and visibility of software installed on the agency’s network. https://lnkd.in/eajxeTyp

The White House Office of Management and Budget released a pair of memos to provide agencies with guardrails for how they use and purchase artificial intelligence in the government, replacing Biden administration guidance but maintaining some of the same structures. Both memos, which are dated April 3, represent some of the first major policy actions President Donald Trump has taken on the government’s use of AI. Trump began his administration by rolling back former President Joe Biden’s AI executive order and later issuing one of his own that called for an AI action plan and a review of the previous administration’s work on the technology. Specifically, the order included directions to revise the Biden OMB’s AI governance and acquisition guidance. https://lnkd.in/eMjvVYUr

The future of government technology isn’t on the horizon — it’s already here. On May 1, join us for AI & Tech for Government: Innovation in Action at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., for a closer look at the innovations helping federal agencies advance mission success today. From artificial intelligence to dedicated networks and Push-to-Talk solutions, this event highlights real-world applications driving results across federal IT. 📍 Learn more and sign up: https://hubs.li/Q03f1KPJ0 #AIandTechforGovt #TMobileForGovernment #GooglePixel #GooglePixelforBusiness