Jerry Markon

MeriTalk

AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies holds great promise to improve the lives of millions of Americans yet also pose risks that include biased application and potential misuse by foreign adversaries, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., said on March 8.

[…]

The pandemic-fueled expansion of unemployment insurance (UI) benefitted millions of Americans even as the programs became riddled with fraud, a senior Federal watchdog agency official said on Feb. 8 at a congressional hearing marked by contentious exchanges between Republicans and Democrats over more than $60 billion in fraudulent payments.

[…]

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is closely monitoring the Federal government’s transition to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), and believes that agencies need to provide better training for their employees as the shift accelerates, a top GAO official said on Jan. 25.

[…]

AI Quantum Computing

The Chips and Science Act is accelerating the work of a new Washington, D.C.-area quantum research consortium that is trying to create and operate a quantum network as a regional test bed, the body’s executive director said on Jan. 18.

[…]

The new rules package approved by the House on Monday night includes a provision that could affect the government workforce, allowing members of Congress to attempt to fire or reduce the salary of Federal employees during the appropriations process.

[…]

CISA

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is in line to receive a 12 percent funding increase under Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations legislation unveiled today – a spending hike that Capitol Hill leaders said will help the agency boost its ability to prevent cyberattacks and secure critical infrastructure.

[…]

Cybersecurity experts at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) today praised Federal agencies for their progress and cost savings as reflected in the latest FITARA Scorecard issued by the House Oversight and Reform Committee today, but said agencies need to do better in speeding their transition to Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) communications contracts, and do more to empower their chief information officers (CIOs).

[…]

CISA

Federal agencies are engaged in “a tremendous amount of work” to meet requirements to move to zero trust security architecture as laid out in President Biden’s cybersecurity executive order issued last year, even as some agencies are struggling with initial steps to begin that transition, a top Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) official said Wednesday.

[…]

Congress should shore up the role of the Federal chief information officer (CIO) and consider enshrining the position into law to help improve the government’s often troubled management of IT, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) says in a new report.

[…]

Jerry Markon
MeriTalk