Jerry Markon

Washington, D.C.

Senior Content Writer at MeriTalk

Senior Marketing/Communications Writer. Ex @WashingtonPost & @WSJ reporter. Dad of two great kids. Love Springsteen, great bagels, & thoughtful debate.

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Articles

OPM Needs to Improve Tech-Savvy Fed Talent Pipeline, GAO Says

2 months ago | meritalk.com | Jerry Markon

A prominent Federal program aimed at bringing young professionals into the government has seen a 64 percent decrease in hires, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which says the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) should do more to improve the talent pipeline. The decline in hires for OPM’s Pathways Programs illustrates an overall hiring trend since the programs were implemented in fiscal year 2013, GAO said in a March 20 report.
IRS Flagged for IT Controls, IT Modernization Misspending

2 months ago | meritalk.com | Jerry Markon

The IRS is coming under fire from two government watchdogs that say the agency needs stronger IT controls to safeguard taxpayer data, and that the agency misspent funds designated for business systems modernization. In a report issued March 18, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said it had identified five new deficiencies in internal control involved with IRS financial reporting, and that four of them related to information systems and are sensitive in nature.
IRS Firings Imperil Refunds, Tech Upgrades, Former Employees Say

2 months ago | meritalk.com | Jerry Markon

The mass firings of IRS employees are putting at risk the agency’s ability to issue timely refunds and answer taxpayer questions – along with threatening to reverse recent upgrades to some of the agency’s antiquated technology – former IRS managers said on March 11. “Getting those refunds out … is very important,” said Kelly Reyes, executive director of the Professional Managers Association (PMA), a membership association for IRS managers.
White House Gearing Up China Cyber Fight Amid Talent Layoffs

Mar 7, 2025 | meritalk.com | Jerry Markon

The Trump administration is determined to mount offensive cyber operations to combat escalating threats from China, a leading House Republican said on March 5. Rep.
Rep. Swalwell to Trump: Don’t Cut CISA Funding

Dec 5, 2024 | meritalk.com | Jerry Markon

A leading Democratic member of the House Homeland Security Committee on Thursday urged the incoming Trump administration to spare the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in its much-publicized plans to increase Federal efficiency by potentially eliminating some government operations. Rep.
Trump’s New ‘AI & Crypto Czar’ Reinforces Likely AI Policy Changes

Dec 5, 2024 | meritalk.com | Jerry Markon

President-elect Trump’s decision to appoint a prominent Silicon Valley investor to oversee Federal artificial intelligence (AI) policy points to changes that may be coming in how the government approaches its use of the technology – including what is expected to be a looser regulatory style and a possible repeal or modification of President Biden’s AI executive order (EO).
DHS: GenAI Pilots Succeeding, but Data Needs Improvement

Nov 19, 2024 | meritalk.com | Jerry Markon

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has successfully completed the first phase of three generative AI (GenAI) pilot programs, gaining the knowledge necessary to keep rolling out the developing technology for a variety of missions, a top DHS IT official said today at IBM’s Think Leadership Exchange event in Washington, D.C., produced by MeriTalk.
DoJ’s EOUSA Progresses on IT Modernization, Needs More Time for AI

Nov 18, 2024 | meritalk.com | Jerry Markon

Much has been written about how Federal agencies are moving “full steam ahead” on artificial intelligence (AI), integrating the technology into operations and complying with the Biden administration’s sweeping AI executive order (EO). At the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA), however, Alex Reber has a more basic focus: modernizing an IT system that has been running, in some instances, since the 1970s.
The Great Hygienist Shortage

Jun 30, 2024 | incisaledgemagazine.com | Jerry Markon

It’s a mostly unheralded problem: the current dearth of dental hygienists nationwide. And it’s only going to get worse in the years ahead. Blame low pay, the pandemic, poor working conditions, lousy ergonomics. But what exactly can be done before things get even more dire? By Jerry MarkonGROWING UP in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Ann Hoffman (left) looked up to an aunt who was a dentist. An idea took hold, as happens in childhood: She would become a dental hygienist when she grew up.
DCSA Director Pledges Fixes to Systems Posing National Security Risks

Jun 26, 2024 | meritalk.com | Jerry Markon

The Federal government’s primary personnel investigative agency’s deficient cybersecurity oversight and outdated IT systems pose a risk to national security, and the agency’s director this week pledged action to fix those ongoing technology problems – although he said some of the root causes may not be fully addressed for several years.