The senators pointed to reports that DHS and ICE are tapping into tools ranging from facial recognition and license plate readers to social media monitoring.
Michele Sandiford
- Both of Virginia’s senators want an investigation into how the Department of Homeland Security uses sensitive personal data. Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) this week requested that DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari look into that issue. They pointed to reports that DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are tapping into tools ranging from facial recognition and license plate readers to social media monitoring. Earlier this month, ICE also released a request for information on the use of AdTech data to help with its investigations.
- The Trump administration is naming a new leader to the federal statistical system. Stuart Levenbach is the new U.S. Chief Statistician overseeing about a dozen statistical agencies. He’ll take over for Mark Calabria, who previously held the position. The White House made no formal announcement of the change in leadership. But the website for the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy now lists Levenbach as its chair and as chief statistician. President Donald Trump previously nominated Levenbach in November to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
- A former contracting officer representative at the General Services Administration pled guilty to two counts of conspiracy to bribe a federal official. Lennie Lamont Miller faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The guilty plea is for Miller’s role in agreeing to accept bribes from construction companies in exchange for directing work their way. The Justice Department said that between 2018 and 2021, Miller received more than $100,000 in cash and other things of value, including a sports car. A sentencing date has not been set. The owners of the construction company pled guilty to bribery in 2025 and will be sentenced later this year.
- Democrats in the Senate are urging OPM to reject changes to the appeals process for probationary employees. A dozen Senators believe a proposed rule that would dramatically change the appeal process of fired probationary employees is misguided and doesn’t need to move forward. The lawmakers wrote to OPM Director Scott Kupor saying the new appeals body, called OPM’s Merit System Accountability and Compliance, would lack the balanced governing board of the MSPB. The Democrats said OPM could direct agencies to make probationary terminations and then adjudicate those same actions, eliminating any meaningful independence. OPM issued the proposed rule in late December and comments were due yesterday. OPM said it has received more than 325 comments.
- The Air Force has quietly eliminated all in-person and virtual hearings for Special Access Program (SAP) appeals. It is now replacing in-person appearances with a paper-only process and making the service’s special access oversight office the final authority. It is unclear whether the Air Force will allow appellants to submit written responses instead of a personal appearance or if decisions will rely entirely on existing security files, with no opportunity for individuals to respond. Dan Meyer, partner at Tully Rinckey PLLC, said it would be a loss of due process if individuals are not able to see derogatory information underlying a SAP denial and then respond in writing.
- A longtime watchdog office is closing its doors for good. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction will terminate on Saturday. The watchdog office sent an archived version of its website, including all its publicly available reports, to the federal government’s CyberCemetery. An archived webpage for another office, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), is also available in the CyberCemetery.
- The National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command are a step closer to having a permanent leader. Yesterday, Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing as the next NSA director and CYBERCOM commander. Senators from both parties said they believe he’ll be confirmed, but a vote of the full Senate hasn’t yet been scheduled. That dual-hatted role has been vacant since last April, when President Trump fired Gen. Timothy Haugh.
- The Defense Health Agency is looking to strengthen its combat support role, as well as bring more patients back into its military treatment facilities in 2026. Acting Director David Smith outlined the plan in a message sent to the agency’s workforce in December. The first line of effort, “preparing for war daily,” seeks to ensure medical teams can support troops in combat. A DHA official said that the agency’s strategic focus this year is “driven by the need to provide unified, effective, and agile health services so we are prepared for war.” The second line of effort looks to draw patients back into its military treatment facilities (MTFs) after years of shifting care to the private sector. The Defense Department’s ability to care for patients in its own medical facilities has declined sharply over the past two decades.
- The Senate today is expected to pass the remaining spending bills for fiscal 2026, except for the Department of Homeland Security. The mini-bus appropriations bill would fund several agencies, including the departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Education, Labor and Transportation. Senate Democrats and the White House reached an agreement yesterday to remove the DHS portion from the mini-bus and pass a continuing resolution to keep the agency open for another two weeks to avoid a partial shutdown. Democrats are calling for new restrictions on the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge.
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