It has been a head-spinning week in the nation’s capital, as the second Trump administration has quickly come in and promoted its new agenda. As expected, many of the changes put forward are focused on tech policy. Here’s a roundup of how the government tech media has covered this week’s news:
- New Direction on AI
- Changes to Cybersecurity Policy
- DOGE News
New Direction on AI
One of the first actions taken by the new administration was rescinding President Biden’s executive order (EO) on AI:
- Weslan Hansen reported in MeriTalk that the new administration believes the EO’s requirements that agencies set standards for AI testing and address cybersecurity risks would stifle AI innovation. Hansen also had a related story on the new administration’s plan to invest $100 billion in AI infrastructure as part of its “Stargate Project.”
- In her coverage, Natalie Alms noted in Nextgov/FCW that the action was not a surprise, given that Republicans had made no secret that they considered the Biden EO “dangerous.” Later in the week, Alms joined her colleagues Alexandra Kelley and Frank Konkel in a report on Trump’s own EO, which calls for an AI action plan on how to enhance America’s global AI dominance.
- In addition to rescinding the EO, the Trump administration also ordered a review of all other existing policies and regulations related to AI and crypto, according to an article by Madison Alder in FedScoop.
- In StateScoop, Colin Wood shared an update on similar AI policy reviews happening at the state government level.
Changes to Cybersecurity Policy
This week the new administration fired non-government members of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cyber Safety Review Board, which had been investigating the Chinese Salt Typhoon cyberattacks:
- Among the board members affected was Chris Krebs, former leader of DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), according to reporting by David DiMolfetta in Nextgov/FCW. In related news, DiMolfetta also published a piece on partisan disagreement as to the future of CISA’s mission.
- Tim Starks of CyberScoop reported that Congressional opinion is split with regard to support for the changes at the board.
- The move generated coverage in commercial tech trade media as well. Ryan Naraine, the editor at large for Security Week, wrote that it erases “one of CISA’s few bright spots.” In Dark Reading, Becky Bracken noted that it remained unclear whether the administration would appoint new members to replace the outgoing ones.
- In a less contentious take on cybersecurity policy, Andrew Rice noted in MeriTalk that – at least for now – the Trump Administration has not taken action against two major Biden EOs on cybersecurity, including the most recent one signed last week.
DOGE News
It’s official: We now have a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and it has a strong tech focus. Here’s what was reported:
- The new organization will replace the U.S. Digital Services (USDS) and is charged with “modernizing federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity,” Alms reported in Nextgov/FCW. In a separate piece, Alms shared the news that USDS workers are being re-interviewed to determine their suitability for work under DOGE.
- DOGE intends to kick off a software modernization effort to improve the quality and efficiency of governmentwide software, network infrastructure and IT systems, according to a MeriTalk article by Lisbeth Perez.
- In FedScoop, Caroline Nihill gauged the reaction to the DOGE news among some federal tech experts, who were hopeful but also “had questions.”
There’s plenty more news out there on changes wrought by the new administration. For a broader view, check out the Government Executive transition webpage. For a Defense Department angle, watch the Weekly Break Out Video from Breaking Defense for an analysis of “looming battles” as Trump takes office. And go to Federal News Network for a roundup by Drew Friedman of Trump’s day one actions, including a federal hiring freeze and return-to-office directive.
More to come next week. We’ll continue to keep you posted on the issues grabbing headlines in government tech media. Thanks for reading!