Welcome back from recess! As we begin a new legislative session this week’s newsletter dives into the fast-moving frontiers of technology and governance, where innovation and oversight collide. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers are wrestling with how cyber diplomacy will shape America's global influence and how IT modernization can unlock a more agile, efficient government. Plus, we bring you the latest on AI’s skyrocketing energy demands, groundbreaking moves in international AI legislation, and critical updates from the FCC’s push to rewire the rules of space-based telecommunications. Stay ahead of the curve—read on for everything you need to know.

In this week’s Nimitz Tech:

• DOGE: The Musk-aligned "Department of Government Efficiency" is quietly building a sweeping surveillance database that experts warn could lead to a dystopian erosion of privacy for immigrants—and American citizens alike.

• Sentiment: As AI reshapes our world, new research warns that ignoring public opinion could doom efforts to govern it wisely.

• Law: In a global first, the UAE will entrust AI to draft, update, and track its federal and local laws—ushering in a new era of machine-written governance.

WHO’S HAVING EVENTS THIS WEEK?

Tuesday, April 29th

• 🖲️ House Hearing: “Shaping the Future of Cyber Diplomacy: Review for State Department Reauthorization.” House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Europe. Hearing scheduled for 2:00 PM in 2200 Rayburn HOB. Watch here.

• 🖥️ House Hearing: “Unlocking Government Efficiency Through IT Modernization.” House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation. Hearing scheduled for 2:00 PM in 2247 Rayburn HOB. Watch here.

TECH NEWS DRIVING THE WEEK

In Washington

• Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is spearheading a massive effort within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to consolidate immigration, tax, social security, and voter data into a single, searchable repository that experts warn could enable unprecedented surveillance of immigrants and citizens. By merging sensitive information from DHS, the IRS, the Social Security Administration, and even voting records from states like Pennsylvania and Florida, DOGE aims to geolocate and monitor undocumented immigrants in near real-time, while critics fear it could also sweep up millions of lawful residents and citizens in its dragnet. Sources reveal the effort involves bypassing traditional privacy safeguards, undermining agency silos designed to protect sensitive data, and utilizing tools like Palantir’s Foundry software to facilitate rapid cross-agency data access—all with minimal oversight following cuts to key civil rights offices at DHS. Privacy experts and former officials warn that this project could represent the first step toward a centralized government dossier on every person in the United States, raising profound concerns about mass surveillance, civil liberties, and the weaponization of government data.

• The Trump administration announced it will loosen regulations on self-driving cars, allowing U.S. developers to bypass certain safety rules for research and demonstration purposes, as part of a broader strategy to compete with China in the tech race. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy unveiled the plan under the Department of Transportation’s new Innovation Agenda, emphasizing a future goal of creating a unified national standard for autonomous vehicles rather than a patchwork of state laws. The move, praised by the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association as “bold and necessary,” is expected to significantly benefit Tesla, which is preparing to roll out robotaxi services in Austin this summer and expand nationally by year’s end. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whose government work leading the Department of Government Efficiency has drawn increasing scrutiny, announced he will scale back his White House involvement to refocus on Tesla after the company reported a steep 71 percent earnings drop.

• The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted Monday to review its decades-old satellite spectrum sharing rules, a move intended to boost space-based telecommunications by allowing greater power usage for systems like SpaceX’s Starlink. FCC Chair Brendan Carr argued that current power limits, set in the 1990s, degrade satellite broadband quality and hinder innovation, while both SpaceX and Amazon’s Project Kuiper pushed for updates to enable better coverage and capacity. Wireless industry giants like AT&T and Verizon, however, raised concerns that loosening these limits could cause interference with terrestrial 5G networks, highlighting the need for careful safeguards. The FCC is now seeking public input on whether new frameworks could improve spectrum efficiency, as competition heats up in the race to connect the hardest-to-reach corners of the United States with satellite-based services.

National

• While governments, industry, and experts rush to develop rules for AI, a new study from Purdue University's GRAIL lab highlights a critical blind spot: the public's views have been largely overlooked. Their AI SHARE database, aggregating global survey data from 2014–2023, reveals that in the U.S. and U.K., public sentiment toward AI has grown more negative, with rising concerns about job loss, mistrust in both tech companies and governments to regulate AI, and support for stronger domestic and international oversight. Notably, people are more worried about AI's impact on society than on their own careers, and favor multi-stakeholder regulation over corporate or government-led approaches alone. The researchers argue that without standardized, longitudinal tracking of public attitudes, governance efforts risk becoming disconnected from the very societies they aim to protect—making public trust and engagement essential to any legitimate AI governance strategy moving forward.

• The International Energy Agency (IEA) warns that the rapid expansion of AI will drive a massive surge in electricity demand, with data center consumption expected to more than double by 2030—surpassing the total energy use of Japan today. AI-optimized facilities are projected to quadruple their energy needs, with some mega-centers consuming up to 20 times the electricity of a typical center, and the U.S. poised to lead the growth, where AI data processing will soon use more power than heavy industries combined. While renewables and gas will dominate new energy supply, emissions from data centers could rise sharply, from 180 million tons today to 300 million by 2035. Still, the IEA suggests fears about AI worsening climate change may be exaggerated, noting that AI could simultaneously deliver major efficiencies across sectors like transportation, energy management, and resource extraction.

International

• The United Arab Emirates announced it will become the first nation to use artificial intelligence to write, review, and amend federal and local laws, marking a major step in the Gulf state’s broader digital transformation strategy. The new Regulatory Intelligence Office will oversee this AI-driven legislative system, which officials claim will speed up lawmaking by 70%, reduce government costs by 50%, and track laws’ effects on society and the economy through a centralized database. Building on its 2017 appointment of the world’s first AI minister, the UAE’s move reflects ambitions to capture part of AI’s projected $15.7 trillion global market value by 2030. Leaders like Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum hailed the shift as a way

FOR FUN

• 💐 Profs & Pints DC: Goddess of Spring and the Underworld | 4/30 @6 p.m. | $15 | Capitol Hill

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