Congress and the White House united to enact a “minibus” bill (H.R. 6938) that funds key scientific agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. While the bill reduces funding in some areas, Congress rejected more significant cuts proposed by the White House. The bill includes investments in AI, quantum, and advanced manufacturing.
Thank you for reading! Below, we’ve rounded up additional tech policy news and shared a featured podcast.
This Week in Washington
- Broadband Breakfast and NextGov: Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Todd Young (R-IN) advocated for widespread investment in technological innovation and a federal standard on artificial intelligence.
- CyberScoop: The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) published an initial list of technology products federal agencies should consider as they transition towards quantum-resistant encryption. Former President Biden signed an Executive Order last year mandating that agencies shift to post-quantum encryption by 2035, and the order is still in effect.
- Bleeping Computer: CISA reported that a vulnerability in Broadcom’s VMware vCenter Server, a software widely used by federal agencies, was being actively exploited. Federal agencies are mandated to apply the latest security patches by February 13.
- FedScoop: The Treasury Department is looking to expand Do Not Pay, its primary anti-fraud campaign. The expansion may include expanded data access, AI data analysis tools, and a broader centralization of the federal government’s fraud-fighting activities.
Article Summary
- Fox 6 Milwaukee: The Wisconsin State Assembly advanced a bill to ensure datacenter developments in the state contain environmental and energy cost protections. The bill will now be considered by the State Senate.
- Associated Press: Michigan State University (MSU) will offer AI skill-building courses in all majors, a comprehensive addition to its curriculum. Although the courses will not be mandatory, other universities, including Purdue University, have added AI competency classes to their required courses for graduation.
- Fierce Network: SpaceX is asking states to change their Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) requirements. Among the requested changes are provisions removing incorrectly installed equipment from performance testing. This is the first year that satellite services were eligible for BEAD funding, and SpaceX was awarded more than $600 million nationwide.
- McAfee: McAfee Security released a report that 44% of Americans replied to a scam message in the last year, and one in three Americans was less confident in their ability to spot scams than last year. The average loss per scam was $1,160.
Featured Podcast
- Tools and Weapons
As AI adoption increases globally, disparities in access and benefits are beginning to emerge. Microsoft President Brad Smith hosted the director of Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab, Juan Lavista Ferres, to discuss the findings of the latest AI Diffusion Report and what they mean for the future of AI. (Key findings from the Microsoft AI Diffusion Report – January 8, 2026) – 19 minute listen
Note: Voices for Innovation regularly shares a range of opinion articles and press releases from organizations in and publications covering tech policy. These pieces are meant to educate our audience, not to endorse specific platforms or bills.