With the shutdown behind us (for now), the government tech media appeared to turn much of its attention to cybersecurity news, including coverage of this week’s Aspen Institute Cyber Summit. Here’s my weekly roundup of some of the trending news of the past week:
Legislative Roundup
This week saw a series of articles on new legislation and Congressional activity related to cybersecurity and, to a lesser extent, artificial intelligence. Below, I’ve called out several highlights:
- The House voted to revive the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program to protect government services and critical infrastructure against cyberattacks through 2033, according to an article by Rae D. DeShong for Government Technology.
- Covering the House bill for StateScoop, Colin Wood wrote that the bill could revive one of the few remaining federal mechanisms for bolstering the cybersecurity of poorly resourced local governments.
- Chris Teale reported in Route Fifty that the bill would also stabilize cost-sharing agreements for the grants so that the federal government would provide 60% to 70% of each grant, with states providing the rest.
- Weslan Hansen of MeriTalk also covered the cyber grants bill as well as a separate one that would stand up an interagency task force to address cyber threats posed by China. Hansen also reported on legislation introduced in the Senate to secure advanced technologies from foreign threats – a companion to a similar bipartisan law introduced in the House.
- Following last week’s temporary extension of a cyber threat data sharing law, two senators who spoke at the Aspen Institute Cyber Summit this week called for a permanent fix to avoid situations in which companies would avoid discussing these issues due to fears of legal repercussions, Tim Starks reported in CyberScoop.
- In her coverage of the senators’ comments, Hansen noted that they told the audience reauthorization of a cybersecurity information-sharing act is unlikely to pass as standalone legislation and will instead be part of another piece of major legislation.
- Covering the story for Nextgov/FCW, David DiMolfetta wrote that the senators are considering including the information-sharing legislation as part of a broader appropriations bill that will be needed to fund the government after January.
- The Scoop News Group covered AI legislation news from multiple perspectives. Keely Quinlan reported in StateScoop that federal lawmakers are again attempting to pass a moratorium on state laws that govern AI, this time through language that would be included in the National Defense Authorization Act for 2026. In a related piece in FedScoop, Madison Alder noted that the White House “appears to be eyeing an executive order that would target individual state efforts to rein in artificial intelligence and initiate several actions aimed at preempting those laws.” Meanwhile, states are racing to legislate AI as the tech outpaces federal action, according to another StateScoop article by Sophia Fox-Sowell.
Federal Cyber Strategy/CISA News
The head of the White House cyber office gave a preview of the forthcoming federal cyber strategy. Meanwhile, changes are afoot at the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA):
- Also speaking at the Aspen Institute event this week, National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross said the forthcoming cybersecurity strategy from the White House will focus on imposing costs on adversaries and strengthening partnerships with industry, according to coverage by Grace Dille in MeriTalk.
- Covering Cairncross’s comments for CyberScoop, Starks reported that the forthcoming strategy will have six pillars, two of which will center on deterring malicious hackers and partnering with industry.
- DiMolfetta quoted Cairncross in his coverage: “As a top-line matter, it’s going to be focused on shaping adversary behavior, introducing costs and consequences into this mix.”
- Chris Riotta of GovInfoSecurity published an article on a memo from the acting CISA director that said he faces a major staffing crisis, “an admission made after the Trump administration spent this year hollowing out the U.S. cyber defense agency.”
- In other coverage of the memo, Eric Geller wrote in Cybersecurity Dive that the staffing crisis is pushing CISA to go on a “hiring spree” and change some of its workforce policies to avoid driving away talented staff.
- On a more positive note related to CISA, Dille reported that the agency unveiled four new guides this week, three of which aim to help mitigate risks associated with unmanned aircraft systems and one that looks to mitigate cybercriminal activity enabled by bulletproof hosting providers.
Upcoming Industry Events
Is it just me, or did Thanksgiving completely creep up on us this year? Given the holiday, we don’t have many industry events to put on your radar for next week. So I’ll use this space to give you a preview of events you can look forward to in early December:
- December 4: Fix Fed Tech Forum, MeriTalk, Morton’s the Steakhouse, Washington, D.C.
- December 4: MeriTalk Tech Tonic, MeriTalk, Morton’s the Steakhouse, Washington, D.C.
- December 4-5: Imagine Nation ELC 2025 | DMV, ACT-IAC, Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Oxon Hill, Maryland
If you would like your event included in this list, please fill out this form.
“This Week in Government Tech Media” will be taking a holiday next week, but I’ll be back in two weeks with another roundup. I wish all of you a very happy Thanksgiving holiday. As always, subscribe to this update on LinkedIn or via the form below.