Paul Lawrence on the progress of VA’s EHRM rollout

Throughout 2026, you cast your nominations for the FedScoop 50, and the results are in. Hundreds of top executives from across the government tech landscape are now up for vote to see who will be honored among this year’s FedScoop 50. Voting is open now and runs through September 25. Make your voice heard to help us select who will be recognized on this year’s list. One of those nominees in the prestigious Golden Gov category for this year is VA Deputy Secretary and currently acting CIO Paul Lawrence. Lawrence joined the Daily Scoop Podcast to discuss his top priorities in both roles, namely the continued rollout of the department’s modernized electronic health record with Oracle.

Sam Corcos, the Treasury Department’s chief information officer who entered the federal government as a member of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, has taken on three roles within the General Services Administration. Corcos now serves as acting director of Technology Transformation Services, acting deputy commissioner for the Federal Acquisition Service, and acting assistant commissioner of Login-dot-gov, according to the GSA. “As a current federal agency CIO, Sam Corcos has led complex technology operations and worked across government to advance the President’s technology priorities,” a GSA spokesperson told FedScoop. Before Corcos was made Treasury CIO in May 2025, he was co-founder of Levels, a health tech company. Since joining Treasury as a special adviser in March 2025, Corcos has sought access to government data and, according to Wired, made efforts to unify the API at the IRS. “The Trump Administration is focused on making government more effective, efficient, and responsive, and TTS will continue to be an important part of that effort. We are confident that Sam will help advance that mission,” the spokesperson said. Outgoing federal CIO Greg Barbaccia has led TTS since February and Greg Hogan has overseen Login-dot-gov since April.

Lawmakers are pushing back on Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to equip in-the-field agents with gloves that deliver electric shocks. Members of the House Committee on Homeland Security sent a letter last week to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, urging him to intervene and halt the procurement. The signatories included Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the committee’s top Democrat, as well as Reps. Luis Correa of California and Shri Thanedar of Michigan, ranking members of the Border Security and Enforcement, and Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability subcommittees, respectively. The representatives warned of the technology being “incorrectly used or abused by officers resulting in injury or death,” per the letter. In acquisition planning documents published earlier this month, DHS said it intends to invest up to $20 million into Compliant Technologies’ Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter devices for Homeland Security Investigations officers and Enforcement Removal Operations agents. The contract is expected to be awarded later this year. “ICE is constantly assessing the needs of our officers in the field to ensure they have the tools and equipment necessary to safely arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from our country,” a DHS spokesperson said in an email. “Every decision is made with careful consideration and appropriately reviewed to ensure that any technology ICE utilizes is consistent with all applicable law enforcement policies and standards.”

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