Michael J. Keegan

Trust in Government: A Close Look at Public Perceptions of the Federal Government and Its Employees. America is experiencing a lack of trust in major institutions—particularly the federal government. Only 4 in 10 Americans say they trust the federal government to do what is right at least some of the time, according to a national survey conducted by the Partnership for Public Service and Freedman Consulting.

Blockchain: Emerging Technology Offers Benefits for Some Applications but Faces Challenges. NEW GAO Report: Blockchain combines several technologies to provide a tamper-resistant record of transactions between parties without a central authority, such as a bank. Although cryptocurrency is the best-known use, blockchain has potential non-financial uses. This report also highlights potential benefits and challenges of blockchain. GAO presents policy options for oversight, standard-setting, and more.

USDR Leaders Reflect on State of Government Digital Services. The United States Digital Response (USDR) group, which was formed as a volunteer response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, is celebrating its second anniversary, as it continues to expand the scope and focus of its work.

For over 100 years, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has helped Congress to improve the performance of government, ensure transparency, and save federal funds. Today, GAO’s work spans all federal programs and spending—from agriculture to space programs, banking regulation to public health, and cybersecurity to international aid. It also does financial audits of the U.S. government and assessments of its fiscal outlook.

Hill Leaders Looking for Near-Term Action on FISMA, FedRAMP Legislation. Two senior House leaders on Federal technology issues said today they are looking for decisive action soon on legislation to update the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), and codify and improve the General Services Administration’s Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP).

High-Risk Series: Key Practices to Successfully Address High-Risk Areas and Remove Them from the List. Every 2 years, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) update our High Risk List of federal programs and operations vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement, or needing broad reform. Working on the problems GAO flagged has saved more than $626 billion for the government over FYs 2006–2021.

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is considered the nation’s premiere IT combat support agency and the trusted provider to connect and protect the warfighter in cyberspace. DISA provides, operates and assures command and control (C2), information-sharing capabilities, and a globally accessible enterprise information network that directly supports DoD and the services. “We have supported and enhanced,” explains Caroline Kuharske, acting chief data officer, “the overall communication infrastructure at a global scale to support the warfighters.

DHS Deputy CDO Emphasizes Data for Evidence-Based Decisions. Carlene Ileto, deputy chief data officer at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), explained the agency’s data strategy and data governance approaches at a Feb. 23 virtual event organized by FCW, and emphasized how DHS is aiming to use data for making evidence-based decisions.

Federal CIO Issues Data Call Asking Agencies How They are Using AI. Federal CIO Clare Martorana currently has a data call out to several Federal agencies asking them how they are currently using AI, their current AI use cases, and what AI work they have in production, according to a DHS program manager.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) protects our nation’s borders from terrorism, human and drug smuggling, and illegal migration while simultaneously facilitating the flow of lawful travel and trade. Its mission is vitally important for the protection of the country and the national economy.