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This Week in Government Tech Media – November 7, 2025

By Brad Bass /

We are now into the longest-running government shutdown in U.S. history. And the government tech media has been right there throughout this ordeal, reporting on its implications to government workers, contractors and their missions. That continued this week with several updates on the situation as well as more worrisome news regarding the government’s cybersecurity posture. Check out the roundup below:

The Longest Shutdown: Week 6

There was quite a bit of hand wringing in this week’s coverage of the government shutdown – much of it regarding the potential long-term consequences of such an extended pause to government programs. Meanwhile, members of Congress say they are continuing to work toward a resolution:

  • First, a glimmer of good news: Eric Katz noted in Nextgov/FCW that senators in both parties voiced “mild hope” about their progress in ending the shutdown.
  • Federal News Network continues to provide extremely thorough coverage of the shutdown. This week, Drew Friedman reported on the concern among many observers about long-lasting impacts on U.S. citizens. Jory Heckman wrote that most of the 4,000 layoff notices sent to federal employees earlier in the shutdown are on hold due to a federal court’s order. Jason Miller shared the results of a  Federal News Network “pulse poll” that showed two-thirds of respondents believe more of their co-workers will call out sick more often if the lapse in appropriations continues deeper into November. And Terry Gerton interviewed an analyst who discussed which regions of the country are most affected.
  • Grace Dille published a piece in MeriTalk on how the length of this shutdown has left federal employees “frustrated, financially strained and demoralized.”
  • The Federal Aviation Administration announced that strains on the air traffic control system have led to a temporary limit on the hours that commercial space launches can take place during the government shutdown, according to an article by Jeff Foust in space industry trade Space News. 
  • In The Hill, Max Rego reported that the Department of Transportation may have to close certain parts of the country’s airspace next week if the shutdown continues.
  • Turning to the effects of the shutdown on contractors, Nick Wakeman reported in Washington Technology on how the industry group Professional Services Council (PSC) is assigning actual numbers to measure the economic pain being caused by the shutdown, while Miles Jamison noted in ExecutiveGov that PSC leaders said the prolonged lapse threatens essential government missions. Valerie Insinna wrote in Breaking Defense that, for the most part, CEOs of top defense companies say they’re not seeing a financial impact to their business — not yet, anyway.

Cyber Challenges Continue

The shutdown has also spurred cybersecurity concerns associated with shutdown-related staffing shortages of cyber professionals. In what seems like a weekly occurrence, we saw several pieces on a new cyberattack against a government target – this one on the Congressional Budget Office (CBO):

  • Jacob Bogage and Riley Beggin of The Washington Post broke the news that the CBO was hacked by a suspected foreign actor, potentially exposing the key financial research data Congress uses to craft legislation. David DiMolfetta noted in Nextgov/FCW that a Senate Budget Committee staffer acknowledged the hack and that the committee is closely monitoring the situation. The CBO said it quickly responded after the intrusion was identified to mitigate the threat and secure the network against further risks, according to coverage by Naveen Goud in Cybersecurity Insiders. Tim Starks wrote in CyberScoop that attacks like the one against CBO in which unauthorized parties obtain access to sensitive information from congressional offices aren’t unprecedented.
  • Turning back to the shutdown, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is proceeding with layoffs despite a court order barring workforce reductions while the shutdown proceeds, according to a report by DiMolfetta in Nextgov/FCW. In a separate article, DiMolfetta noted that the shutdown is complicating an already dire situation at the National Security Agency, including leadership gaps, program cuts and deferred resignation offers.
  • In GovInfoSecurity, Chris Riotta reported that CISA attorneys told a federal judge the agency is complying with the order blocking layoffs during the shutdown, even as it issued 54 reduction-in-force notices to employees. CISA argued in court that none of the affected employees belong to unions whose members are protected by the order.
  • In another GovInfoSecurity piece, Riotta cited senior cyber officials who said the government struggled to contain the fallout from a likely Chinese-instigated breach of application security vendor F5 as furloughs and staffing shortages hinder federal response efforts.
  • A federal audit found that the “ongoing decimation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has rendered the agency’s overall information security program ineffective,’ as described in an article by Matt Bracken in FedScoop. Covering the story for MeriTalk, Dille added that  the agency continues to face challenges safeguarding and tracking its IT equipment.

Upcoming Industry Events

Here are several interesting government/industry events happening over the next week you may want to add to your calendar:

Those are the top trending stories for this week. Come back next week to find out what happens next. You can subscribe on LinkedIn or via the form below. See you then!