FedScoop

The Elastic Public Sector Summit, produced by FedScoop, convened government and industry leaders to discuss how data, AI, and cybersecurity are transforming public sector operations. Throughout the day, speakers and panelists shared real-world insights on emerging technologies and mission-critical innovations shaping government IT strategy. Key discussions explored: ? The role of generative AI in government – Agencies are leveraging AI to improve citizen services, automate workflows, and enhance mission outcomes, while addressing security, bias, and governance concerns. ? Advancing Zero Trust architectures – Leaders emphasized interoperability, cross-agency data sharing, and AI-driven threat detection to strengthen cybersecurity. ? Unlocking data for decision-making with data mesh – Federal and state agencies are using data mesh strategies to eliminate silos, improve accessibility, and ensure real-time, data-driven insights without centralizing data. ? The evolution of Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) – Security leaders outlined the shift from reactive cybersecurity to proactive, AI-powered defense strategies that improve resilience and compliance. A special thank you to our partners at Elastic, along with the distinguished speakers: Chris Townsend, Ashutosh Kulkarni, Brian Epley, Pritha Mehra, Amy Ritualo, Nishant Shah, Nick Drost, Steve Kearns, George Teas, Dr. David Markowitz, Lt. Gen. Jerry Carter, Sean MacKirdy, David Weinberg, Bill Wright, Hussein Johnson, Alex Martinez, Shelly Hartsook, Matt House, H. Michael Nichols, Marlan Macklin, Manuel “Manny” Medrano, Justin Senseney, Jennifer Nowell, Natalie Evans Harris, Matt Sokol, Graham Stroman, sponsors, and attendees for advancing critical discussions on AI, cybersecurity, and data-driven innovation shaping the future of government technology. ?? Join the conversation! Share your key takeaways using #ElasticGovSummit and continue shaping the future of public sector technology. ?? What’s next? Stay connected for future discussions: https://lnkd.in/ep6-C-_v Carahsoft | AWS Public Sector | ElastiFlow | AgileBlue | ECS | Red River | Swish | Tines | Abba Technologies | Chainguard | FCN Inc. | Iron Bow Technologies | Norseman Defense Technologies |

As litigation plays out on DOGE access to individuals’ sensitive data, a House lawmaker is asking civil society groups, privacy experts, government technologists and others to inform legislation seeking to modernize the Privacy Act of 1974. Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., said in a press release that she is beginning an effort to reform the Privacy Act, which has been cited in various lawsuits against agencies over allegedly allowing unauthorized DOGE staffers to access data that could contain personally identifiable information. “Unaccountable billionaires, inexperienced programmers and unvetted political appointees are perpetrating the biggest government privacy scandal since Watergate,” Trahan said in the release. https://hubs.ly/Q03c_L2P0

Several federal agencies responsible for terminating nearly 25,000 federal probationary status workers told a federal court Monday evening that they’re complying with an order to reinstate those employees, giving thousands of people their jobs back for the time being. According to a status report and corresponding declarations filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, 18 federal agencies and their subcomponents said they were working to reinstate their fired probationary employees following the court order. Most of those agencies said those workers would be placed on administrative leave. https://hubs.li/Q03c_L850

A bipartisan group of lawmakers want to give the Energy Department component charged with managing the country’s nuclear stockpile more power to protect against unmanned aerial systems flying nearby. The Nuclear Ecosystem Drone Defense (NEDD) Act from Reps. Susie Lee, D-Nev., Mark Amodei, R-Nev., Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., and Seth Moulton, D-Mass.,would expand the National Nuclear Security Administration’s authority to build and develop counter-drone technology. The legislation, introduced Tuesday, comes in response to a series of unauthorized drone sightings near NNSA facilities. https://hubs.li/Q03c_KZ-0

Customs and Border Protection has deployed Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service so that officers working in remote border locations can send certain data when other communications systems aren’t available. The program, which is called the Seamless Integrated Communications program, is meant to streamline a series of communications technologies, including Starlink. But in the midst of cost-saving measures, two satellite locations used for backhaul data communications are being replaced with ground-based connectivity in fiscal 2025, a CBP spokesperson told FedScoop on Wednesday. https://hubs.li/Q03c_KPR0

Democratic leadership on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee sees “real opportunities” for bipartisan artificial intelligence work that could unearth the kind of inefficiencies in government that the Trump administration says it wants to target. But contact with Elon Musk’s DOGE to move that ball forward hasn’t materialized so far. David Weinberg, staff director for the Democrats on the powerful tech-focused panel, told FedScoop on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Elastic Public Sector Summit that ranking member Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and other minority members are “hoping for more transparency” from DOGE and anxious to “hear more about what they’re thinking.” https://hubs.li/Q03c_DNd0

The federal government is entering a new era of IT modernization, and this time at an accelerated pace. Long-standing inefficiencies and legacy systems are being scrutinized, and agencies are under pressure to innovate. For IT contractors, this scrutiny and Trump administration priorities will require agility, and those who don’t adapt will find themselves sidelined. https://lnkd.in/eywAFDNE

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to consolidate the contracting of common goods and services, including information technology, under the General Services Administration. Within 30 days of the order’s issuance, GSA will take over as the executive agent of all governmentwide acquisition contracts (GWACs) for IT, as designated by the Office of Management and Budget. https://lnkd.in/ea9qKc9T

The General Services Administration on Thursday revealed a new generative AI tool designed to boost efficiency and help automate repetitive tasks. The platform, now available to GSA staff, comes amid anxiety that the Department of Government Efficiency might use artificial intelligence to surveil or replace federal workers, who are being laid off in large swaths across the government. https://lnkd.in/ec2eUMWy

Federal agencies must now allow any officials designated by the president or agency leadership to have complete access to unclassified records, data, software systems and IT systems, President Donald Trump declared in an executive order late Thursday night. Trump’s directive aims to stop waste, fraud and abuse by eliminating information silos, requiring agency heads to “ensure Federal officials designated by the President or Agency Heads (or their designees) have full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, data, software systems, and information technology systems — or their equivalents if providing access to an equivalent dataset does not delay access — for purposes of pursuing Administration priorities related to the identification and elimination of waste, fraud, and abuse.” https://lnkd.in/euP8VW-i