Front Burner
White House Launches First-Ever AI Safety Consortium
MeriTalk reports that, last Thursday, the Department of Commerce announced the creation of the U.S. AI Safety Institute Consortium, that will contribute to the development of guidelines on AI trust and safety.
DHS Inventory of AI Systems for Cybersecurity is ‘Not Accurate,’ Oversight Report Says
NextGov reports that the Government Accountability Office published a report Wednesday documenting issues with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) public inventory of AI use cases, including one that was not AI.
Federal IT Officials Call on CISA for Tougher Standards, More Coordination
At a recent panel discussion on Federal cybersecurity, Federal tech officials from the Departments of Treasury and Veterans Affairs praised the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency for its partnership, but cited room for improvement in how the agency shares information across government and enforces operating standards, Fedscoop reports.
TMF Looks to Fund AI Projects
As part of the implementation of the President’s AI Executive Order, the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) issued a call for proposals last week directed at Federal agencies who want funding for “mission-enabling” AI projects, NextGov reports.
Polaris Small Business Contract Gets Green Light to Move Forward
According to Washington Technology, the Government Accountability Office rejected two protests against the Polaris contract solicitation last week, clearing the way for the General Services Administration to begin making awards for the small business IT solutions and services vehicle.
Congressional Update
Senate Passes Security Supplemental, but House Prospects Murky
Roll Call reports that the Senate passed a 95.3-billion-dollar security supplemental in a 70-29 vote early Tuesday morning that would provide 60.1 billion dollars to Ukraine and 14.1 billion dollars to Israel, but the bill faces an uncertain future in the House because it does not include border security provisions, reportedly a key sticking point for the House Speaker.
Huge Gap on Spending Bill Policy Riders as Time Dwindles
With less than a month until appropriations start expiring under the current continuing resolution, appropriations subcommittees have not begun negotiations over controversial policy riders on full-year appropriations bills, Roll Call reported on Thursday.
House and Senate Panels Advance Bills Targeting Federal Tech
According to NextGov, House and Senate committees advanced five separate bills last week that touch on several key topics for Federal contractors, including acquisition, Federal IT, and service delivery.
Senate Bill Wants NIST to Develop Cyber Guidelines for Drones
MeriTalk reports that Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and John Thune (R-SD) introduced the Drone Evaluation to Eliminate Cyber Threats Act of 2024 (DETECT) Act last Wednesday. The bill would require the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop cybersecurity guidelines for the Federal use of civilian drones.
Panel Readies More than Two Dozen Ideas to Fix DoD Budget Process
Federal News Network reports that, on Thursday, Bob Hale, the leader of the Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) Reform said that the commission will release its recommendations to Congress next month on how to improve the DoD’s PPBE process.
Regulatory Tracker
The Coalition’s Regulatory Tracker
As a service to our members, the Coalition is also offering a Regulatory Tracker that lists open FAR and DFARS cases relevant to the Federal procurement community, including synopses and status descriptions. For questions or comments regarding the Tracker, please e-mail Joseph Snyderwine at JSnyderwine@thecgp.org.
Click here to download and view the Tracker.