Nicole Argentieri, the principal deputy assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division within the Justice Department, delivered a keynote speech at the recent Artificial Intelligence in the Department of Justice symposium during which she announced her division’s Strategic Approach to Countering Cybercrime.
The strategic approach forms part of the division’s plan to counter criminal activities enabled by emerging technologies like AI, the DOJ said Thursday.
As part of the strategic approach, Argentieri said her division supports the United Nations Convention on Cybercrime. The convention, which addresses the need for international cooperation to combat cybercrime, was negotiated by the DOJ and interagency partners.
Also as part of the approach, Argentieri said her division will work to foster the responsible use of vulnerability testing and reporting by updating the Vulnerability Disclosure Framework of the computer crime and intellectual property section, a.k.a. CCIPS. The update to the framework also covers the need for security research into AI systems.
The symposium took place on Oct. 2 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., and was co-sponsored by the DOJ Criminal Division’s CCIPS.
Members of Congress left Capitol Hill last week to focus their attention on the campaign trail during the six weeks leading up to Election Day, leaving much of their work unfinished.
The Republican House and Democratic Senate are scheduled to remain on recess until Nov. 12, though the urgent needs created in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which are fully funded for the moment, could bring the chambers back into session before then.
When lawmakers do return to Washington, D.C., they’ll need to address the must-pass legislation they’ve left on autopilot instead of negotiating new bipartisan compromises.
So far this year, lawmakers have pushed off reaching brokering agreement on must-pass measures like the farm bill as well as this year’s batch of government funding bills and the annual defense policy legislation.
Kids’ online safety, radiation exposure
There are also a handful of measures that have passed one chamber with broad bipartisan support, but haven’t been taken up on the other side of the Capitol that leadership could decide to move forward during November or December.
For example, an interesting combination of senators, led by Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., are advocating for House Republican leaders to hold votes on a pair of online safety bills designed to better protect children from the darker side of the internet.
The rail safety bill drafted by a bipartisan group of senators from Ohio and Pennsylvania after the train derailment in East Palestine remains unaddressed following more than a year of intransigence.
And legislation to reauthorize the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, which passed the Senate on a broadly bipartisan vote earlier this year, sits on a shelf collecting dust in the House.
Cancer victims, Indigenous communities and many others have pressed House GOP leadership to hold a vote to reauthorize the program after it expired this summer, but they have avoided it due to cost.
Five-week lame duck
Lawmakers interviewed by States Newsroom and congressional leaders all indicated the outcome of the November elections will have significant sway on what Congress approves during the five-week lame-duck session that spans November and December.
All interviews took place before Hurricane Helene made landfall and Israel was directly attacked by Iran, both of which are likely to be at the top of congressional leaders’ to-do lists.
Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., said it’s “hard to say” what, if anything, Congress will approve during the lame-duck session.
“I think a lot will be shaped by what happens in November,” he said.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said just a day before Hurricane Helene made landfall that Democrats would advocate for passing natural disaster response funding previously requested by the Biden administration.
“Extreme weather events are on the rise and they affect everyone — in blue states, purple states and red states,” Jeffries said. “This is not a partisan issue, it’s an American issue in terms of being there, in times of need for everyday Americans, who have had their lives and livelihood upended.”
Other House Democratic priorities during the lame duck include approving the dozen full-year government funding bills that were supposed to be completed before Oct. 1, the defense policy bill that had the same deadline and the farm bill, which is more than a year overdue.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he “sure hopes” the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act reauthorization bill reaches the president’s desk before the end of the year.
He didn’t rule out lobbying to attach it to a must-pass government funding bill, but said the real hurdle is House GOP leaders.
“It doesn’t need help in the Senate. It just needs the House,” Hawley said. “I’ve had good, productive conversations with Speaker (Mike) Johnson in the last few weeks, and I appreciate his personal engagement on this, and I hope that that will lead to action.”
Haley said the House allowing RECA to expire, preventing people who qualify for the program from receiving benefits, was “outrageous.”
Defense priorities, farm bill
Senate Armed Services Chair Jack Reed, D-R.I., said staff would work during October to bridge the differences between the two chambers on the annual defense policy bill, called the National Defense Authorization Act.
Those staff-level talks will lay the foundation for Republicans and Democrats to meet once they return to Capitol Hill following the elections.
“We have to be ready when we come back to go right to the ‘Big Four’ meeting,” he said, referring to the top leaders in both chambers. “That’s our objective.”
Reed said many of the differences between the House and the Senate aren’t typical Defense Department policy issues per se, but are “more political, cultural, social.”
Congress may begin to debate additional military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine this year, though said that’s more likely to happen next year, Reed said.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said she was making a “big push” for the House and Senate to reach agreement on the farm bill in the months ahead, though she cautioned talks don’t actually constitute a conference.
“I wouldn’t call it a conference; technically to have a conference, you have to have a bill passed by the House and a bill passed by the Senate, which will not happen,” Stabenow said.
“But I believe that there is a way,” Stabenow added. “I believe there’s a way to get a bipartisan bill.”
Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., the top Republican on the Agriculture panel, said lawmakers didn’t need the election results to “start working through our disagreements” on the farm bill, adding there’s some new momentum in talks.
“I think what’s changed is that there is a recognition among members, all members, how difficult it is right now as a farmer,” Boozman said. “So that’s really what’s changed in the last three or four months. It’s developing a real sense of urgency for these folks.”
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said the election outcome could influence what lawmakers choose to accomplish during the lame-duck session.
“There’s any number of scenarios, whether it’s NDAA, whether it’s farm bill, whether it’s anything else,” she said. “But it comes down to Leader Schumer.” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is the majority leader in the Senate.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said he expects Congress will broker some agreement on government funding legislation and the NDAA, but not necessarily anything else.
“In an odd way, the better the Dems do on Nov. 5, the more we’ll get done,” Kaine said. “Because I think if the House is going to flip back to Dem, I think the Rs will say, ‘Well, let’s get a whole lot of stuff done before the House goes down.’ So I think the better we do, the more we’ll get done in the lame duck.”
Kaine said if Democrats do well in the elections, they might not need to approve additional aid for Ukraine this Congress, since that funding can last into next year.
“If we don’t do well in the (elections), we might need to do it in the lame duck,” Kaine said. “So that’ll all depend.”
Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kim Lyons for questions: info@penncapital-star.com. Follow Pennsylvania Capital-Star on Facebook and X.
The grants will help develop mathematical models for virtual clinical trials of cardiovascular medical devices and statistical tools for analyzing ethical artificial intelligence use, NSF said Thursday.
The effort will also explore digital twin-based studies of neurodegenerative diseases and AI-informed decision-making linked to glucose metabolism in diabetic people, the agency added.
The fundings are provided through the Foundations for Digital Twins as Catalyzers of Biomedical Technological Innovation program, established to develop digital twin models with AI capabilities.
A collaborative effort involving NSF, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, the program also promotes innovations in mathematics, statistics, computational sciences and engineering to support digital twin development.
According to Yulia Gel, program director of the NSF Division of Mathematical Sciences, digital twins can potentially eliminate the medical risks in patient monitoring and treatment.
“Real-world use of these complex models could streamline clinical trials for safer development of drugs and medical devices,” Gel noted.
On Dec. 11, the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Healthcare Summit will explore the trends and innovations shaping the future of the healthcare sector. Industry leaders and experts will discuss critical issues, such as the rise of artificial intelligence and the future of healthcare delivery models. Register now to attend this important event!
Lawmakers in Congress are considering multiple proposals to expand the availability of paid leave for federal workers who also serve in the National Guard or reserves, following complaints that the current offerings is inadequate for employees with non-traditional work schedules.
Currently, a federal employee may take up to 15 days of paid leave in connection with their service or training with the National Guard or reserves. While that may be sufficient for a federal worker who works a traditional weekday schedule, employees like federal firefighters, correctional and law enforcement officers who often work weekends must often dip into annual or sick leave—or take unpaid leave—in order to fulfill their training and service obligations.
A provision in the House-passed version of the fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 8070) would increase the military leave cap from 15 days to 20 days. And new legislation introduced this week by Reps. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., and Rob Wittman, R-Va., would expand the benefit’s availability even further.
The Supporting Federal Employees in the National Guard and Reserves Act (H.R. 9910) would increase the maximum military leave an employee may take in connection with their part-time service to 36 days, which corresponds to the minimum number of days that members of the National Guard and reserves are required to serve—14 days of annual training plus one weekend each month.
“Our brave guardsmen and reservists often leave their homes and families to remain prepared to support our communities during an emergency, train to serve their country or when called into full-time service,” Spanberger said in a statement. “These heroes serve at great personal cost—and should not have to further sacrifice in support of the mission. I’ve heard firsthand of the extra burden shouldered by federal employees who often contribute their personal PTO and sick leave to fulfill their duties.”
“Our nation’s veterans and federal employees who serve in the National Guard and reserves have made incredible contributions to our communities and our country,” Wittman said. “These dedicated public servants should not have to use their sick leave and vacation days in order to attend drill on weekends and their annual training.”
The bill already has the support of an array of federal employee and first responder unions, including the Fraternal Order of Police and the International Association of Fire Fighters, as well as reservist advocates.
“[Spanberger and Wittman’s legislation] recognizes the dual service of federal employees who also serve in the Reserves and National Guard, highlighting the significant personal sacrifices they make to fulfill their military obligations,” said William Bowser, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2902, which represents federal workers at Fort Walker in Virginia. “It underscores the strain they experience due to the limited military leave available, often forcing them to use personal vacation time to meet their duty requirements and still be able to pay the bills.”
In his new role, Johns will leverage more than 27 years of digital transformation experience to oversee software and hardware hardware efforts within the Siemens Digital Industries Xcelerator arsenal.
John Ustica, president and CEO of SGT, said, “Aaron possesses a unique ability to effectively bridge complex technologies with easily translatable concepts and real-world challenges for our customers.”
Since joining SGT in 2020, Johns has overseen various software-powered modernization projects for U.S. military clients. Prior to being appointed VP of digital solutions, he served as the director of technical strategy and pre-sales for the unit.
“Recognized for both his technical insights and hands-on approach to digital transformation initiatives for our customers, Aaron will be a tremendous addition to our executive leadership team,” Ustica, a multiple-time Wash100 Award winner, added.
Johns also served as the U.S. Navy technical account manager for Siemens Digital Industries Software. In this position, he targeted Department of Defense’s organic industrial base business and worked to strengthen the supply chain while utilizing engineering, simulation and manufacturing technologies.
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency has announced the transition of Adjudication and Vetting Services to a fee-for-service program under DCSA’s Working Capital Fund, providing a full-cost recovery financial operating model designed to improve business efficiency.
DCSA said Tuesday AVS’ transition to WCF, which kicked off on Oct. 1, is expected to improve transparency into validating and tracking service and product-related costs, align customer demand and mitigate budgetary risk due to improved service management.
“It will promote consistent operational and financial processing across the federal government through a unified service approach,” DCSA Financial Operations Chief Jack Jibilian said of the move. “The working capital fund program will provide valuable insights with detailed financial reporting that can reduce our overall program costs.”
DCSA noted that the AVS conversion to WCF supports its efforts to optimize the delivery of personnel security services and products to the Department of Defense and other federal agencies.
In January, Jibilian and his team informed AVS customers of the upcoming changes and offered guidance on the WCF transition.
“The efficiencies of a single WCF model versus multiple ones (general fund and WCF) and its optimization potential will provide us with opportunities to ultimately reduce program costs and avoid new expenses resulting in savings we can pass on to our customers,” Jibilian stated.
President Joe Biden has signed into law the Building Chips in America Act of 2023, which seeks to simplify the national government’s permitting procedures for microchip manufacturing projects.
The legislation intends to eliminate delays in constructing microchip manufacturing facilities supported by the CHIPS and Science Act, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said in a Wednesday statement.
In a release announcing the enactment, the White House noted that the bill would exempt specific semiconductor production projects from environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.
According to Kelly, the new law will prevent delays in building microchip factories to ensure that semiconductor manufacturing will return to the United States.
The senator added the legislation would support thousands of high-paying jobs and reduce the United States’ “reliance on foreign supply chains for this critical technology.”
Kelly introduced the bill in July 2023 and garnered enough bilateral support from senators for its eventual passage in December.
Last week, the House of Representatives approved the measure, allowing it to reach the president’s desk.
DCMA said Wednesday the partnership is meant to streamline operations and leverage expertise from a distance through the adoption of the National Aerospace Standard 413, which provides guidance for implementing remote verification processes.
Todd Outten, a DCMA Center integrator, noted that integrating virtual reality contract administration services through NAS413 will enable warfighters, astronauts and other end-users to capture clear images of defects on their government-delivered assets. This enables them to receive localized advice for tackling the issue.
The Joint Strategic Quality Assurance Council held a demonstration at the Goddard Space Flight Center showcasing the use of virtual reality in conducting remote surveillance. The capabilities exhibited during the event included onscreen overlay and drawing, audio reception, high-resolution video and photo sharing.
Gery Mras, director of lifecycle management at the Aerospace Industries Association, presented the concept of virtual hubs operating under the DCMA that will provide centralized expert support to locations worldwide using advanced visualization technologies.
These hubs will utilize virtual prototype modeling and immersive design centers to facilitate augmented reality collaboration between customers and suppliers.
Craig Bennett, DCMA’s NASA team lead, said, “Model-based quality assurance and acquisition, with VR and artificial intelligence, digital twin, machine learning and modeling tools will serve as the foundation for future partnerships and the achievement of DCMA’s strategic initiatives and future contract deliverables.”
ODNI said Wednesday the collaboration aims to establish the National Security Data and Policy Institute, which will spearhead the utilization of emerging technologies in collecting, analyzing and managing data for the IC’s foreign intelligence mission.
According to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, a four-time Wash100 Award winner, the partnership will enhance the IC’s ability to identify and leverage open-source data and advanced analytical tools for national security objectives using unclassified information.
“Today, not only is an astounding amount of open-source data available to the public, but various actors, including foreign adversaries, also have access to increasingly advanced analytic tools that rely on, among other things, artificial intelligence, to exploit such information in new ways that exacerbate existing threats such as cybersecurity challenges,” said Haines.
University of Virginia President Jim Ryan expressed his gratitude for ODNI’s investment in the university.
“It’s an honor to pursue our public service mission by capitalizing on academic strengths from across the University in addressing security and policy challenges that face our nation,” Ryan said.
The General Services Administration has issued a request for information seeking public comments on ways to further improve U.S. federal transparency under the Sixth U.S. Open Government National Action Plan, set for drafting with stakeholder participation.
GSA wants public input from public, private, advocacy, non-profit and philanthropic groups, as well as government agency personnel, the Department of Justice’s Office of Information Policy said in a blog post on Wednesday.
The RFI’s topics cover four focus areas, including public input on innovative approaches or emerging technologies that the government could adopt to improve transparency, public engagement and accountability.
The deadline for public input submission is on Nov. 12.
The RFI follows the GSA’s September announcement of the Open Government Challenge under which the agency will develop guidelines for community participation to promote broader and more meaningful public engagement of federal agencies.
A new federal PPCE toolkit will also be developed as a guidebook on case studies on best practices on public participation and engagement.
The transparency initiatives are driven by the U.S. membership in the Open Government Partnership, an international alliance among federal, state and local governments and civil society organizations advocating democratic principles and government accountability.
The OGP requires its members to create and commit to transparency plans every two to three years, as well as submit progress reports to independent monitoring and reporting bodies.
