Ivanka Trump Leads White House Discussion For Workforce Policy Week
Last week, the policy theme was infrastructure. This week, it's workforce development.
LEARN MOREThe Government Still Uses Floppy Disks — Trump Wants To Change That
To help overhaul outdated technology, various tech executives were invited to the White House for the American Technology Council's first meeting.
The Government Still Uses Floppy Disks — Trump Wants To Change That
Getty Images
June 20, 2017
The Department of Defense still uses floppy disks.
That was just one revelation Monday about the state of the federal government's technology — which President Donald Trump wants to overhaul.
"Fifty years ago, our government drove the innovation that inspired the world and put Americans on the moon. Today, many of our agencies rely on painfully outdated technology," Trump said at an American Technology Council roundtable.
Tech executives, including Apple CEO Tim Cook and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, visited the White House for the American Technology Council's first meeting.
Trump created the council in May with an executive order. Its purpose is to help modernize the federal government's technology.
Beyond government technology infrastructure, the executives touched on artificial intelligence, computer science education and immigration.
Some of the tech companies in attendance were major critics of the president's travel ban limiting visitors from some Muslim-majority countries.
One person not in attendance was Tesla's Elon Musk. He stepped down from a number of White House advisory councils after a different controversial Trump decision — withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement.
Although the White House invited Facebook to attend the council's meeting, the company did not send a representative. A Facebook spokesperson told Axios "scheduling conflicts" were to blame.
The Obama administration also tried to upgrade the government's technology systems. In 2014, the former president created the U.S. Digital Service to help federal agencies with technology projects.
Former US leaders asked to re-check for classified docs
The Archives sent a letter to representatives of former presidents and vice presidents to ensure compliance with the Presidential Records Act.
By Gerald Herbert / AP2:54
Senators: Biden administration blocking access to mishandled documents
Senators are reacting with bipartisan anger, insisting they need to see for themselves what documents Biden, Trump and Pence were holding.
By J. Scott Applewhite / APDonald Trump can soon return to Instagram, Facebook
Meta has reinstated former President Donald Trump's accounts as part of a new protocol.
By APTop Stories
4:15
Where Gen Z gets its news: social media
A 2022 poll shows the favorite news source for Gen Z is social media.
By Martin Meissner / AP3:45
Federal funding helps Jackson, Mississippi address water crisis
A Jackson restaurant owner shares what the millions headed to the city could do to help businesses like his deal with aging infrastructure.
By AP6:29
Inside the chaotic system of New York's immigration services
Lack of information, guidance and a language barrier are just a few issues migrants face while waiting sometimes overnight in lines.
By Scripps News