The Wrap: Trump Orders Tech Build; GAO May Take Funding Freeze to Court; Hit Our AI Poll on X
Welcome to The Wrap for Thursday, February 27!
From the newsroom at MeriTalk, it’s the quickest read in Federal tech news. Here’s what you need to know today:
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Trump Orders Tech Build
After seven weeks of shaking up Federal civilian agencies with nary a mention of putting better technology in place, President Trump issued an executive order late Wednesday that instructs most civilian agencies to undertake a rapid new technology build. The order has two major features – the first is for agencies to work with their Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) teams to build new technology into systems that will record all agency payments under certain contracts, display written justifications for payments, and give agency officials ways to actively monitor payment flows. The second is to undertake a sweeping review aimed at cutting or modifying some existing contracts. The order is squarely aimed at Federal civilian agencies, as it exempts law enforcement, military, and immigration enforcement personnel, among others. The order also lists “classified information or classified information systems” under its general exclusions list. “This order commences a transformation in Federal spending on contracts, grants, and loans to ensure Government spending is transparent and Government employees are accountable to the American public,” the White House order says. Please do click through for all the details.
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GAO May Take Funding Freeze to Court
Gene Dodaro, comptroller general of the United States and head of the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), told lawmakers this week that his agency is preparing to potentially take President Donald Trump to court over his efforts to freeze Federal funding for programs that Congress has already approved. Last month, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) declared a freeze on most Federal grant and loan program payments with an aim to defund Federal programs that don’t align with the president’s agenda. The agency then quickly?rescinded?the memo in a series of legal maneuvers, and a Federal judge is still?weighing?the legality of the freeze. Dodaro told House Oversight and Reform Committee members on Feb. 25 that GAO is looking into the legality of pausing these payments, which he said may be a violation of the?Impoundment Control Act of 1974. “We’ve already sent letters to the administration asking them to explain their legal position to us, and we will be making rulings as to whether or not these issues violated the Impoundment Control Act or not,” Dodaro said. Pressed by Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., on next steps, Dodaro pointed to legal action. “I fully intend to carry out our responsibilities under the Impoundment Control Act expeditiously and thoroughly,” he said, adding, “I’ll do it as quickly as I can, but we need to be careful and thorough because the next step for us is to go to court ourselves.” He continued, “Under the Impoundment Control Act, if we say there’s an impoundment – the money’s not released within a certain period of time – we have to go to court.” When asked by Rep. Khanna if he is prepared to do that, Dodaro said, “Yes, but I need to be prepared and be careful because when I go there, I want to win.”
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Evans Lands Exec Role at CISA
Congrats to long-time Federal government IT and cybersecurity leader Karen Evans who has been named executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). The new top-level title follows her appointment last month as a senior advisor at CISA. In her new role, Evans “guides CISA’s cybersecurity efforts as the national coordinator for critical infrastructure security and resilience,” the agency’s?website?says. Evans previously served as CIO at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security during the first Trump administration. She also was assistant secretary for cybersecurity, energy security, and emergency response at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) . During the George W. Bush administration Evans was administrator of the Office of Electronic Government and Information Technology at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) – the forerunner of today’s Federal CIO post.
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Hit Our AI Poll on X
We’re asking all X users to weigh in on the question of how much Federal government work do you think should be automated with AI? Please click the link and get your voices heard! Poll ends on Tuesday, March 4.
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Once again, let’s “call IT a day,” but we'll bring you more tomorrow. Until then please check the MeriTalk breaking news website throughout the day for the latest on government IT people, process, and policy. And finally, please hit the news tip jar [with leads, breaking news, or simply your two cents] at [email protected].