Michael J. Keegan

The response to the COVID-19 pandemic illustrates that stable and effective government action has been key to managing through the crisis and addressing its longer-term implications. Moreover, collective strategies have led to identification and resolution of challenges in way that brings together government leaders, scientists, data analysts, health care organizations, academic institutions, and industry. So, how can governments emerge stronger and better prepared for future shocks?

Since World War II, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has been at the forefront of most of the groundbreaking and world changing revolutions in science and technology. Artificial intelligence (AI), including machine learning (ML), is an ideal tool for deriving new insights from analysis of very large data sets. AI becomes more useful as the speed and computational power of today’s supercomputers grows.

A Government That Delivers. OMB is updating Performance.gov with information about the challenges and opportunities that inform the three PMA Priorities, as well as the goals and key success metrics developed by the Workforce and Customer Experience Priorities.

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.