The Daily Scoop Podcast — Special Interview: Federal CIO Greg Barbaccia

Date: December 9, 2025
Host: Billy Mitchell
Interviewed by: Madison Alder

Episode Overview

In this special episode, Federal CIO Greg Barbaccia sits down for a wide-ranging interview on the state of federal IT as 2025 and the first year of the second Trump administration conclude. The conversation dives deep into critical topics including FedRAMP modernization, AI adoption in government, federal tech talent, IT consolidation, procurement strategies, and priorities for 2026. Barbaccia offers candid insights into both challenges and successes, emphasizing a push for cultural change, innovation, and government-wide efficiencies.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. FedRAMP Modernization & Acquisition Reform

• Personal Experience & Need for Change

  • Barbaccia shares a frank view on FedRAMP certification from his private sector days:

    "It's a pain in the butt, yeah." (01:32)

  • He describes the difficulties for smaller tech firms entering the federal market, emphasizing how easier tech development hasn't translated to easier government entry.
  • The current "20x" initiative is framed as a complete reimagining rather than an incremental revision:

    "Instead of making tiny incremental changes, how do we throw out the playbook and go back to first principles and make the whole ecosystem faster?" (01:44-02:36)

• Centralization & Consolidation Philosophy

  • Emphasizes the administration's focus on centralizing procurement for efficiency, transparency, and to eliminate redundancies:

    "Commodity technology, things that are agnostic to the end mission of the agency should be consolidated and it goes to the administration priorities of efficiency, transparency, and accountability." (05:23-05:36)

  • Critiques the "special snowflake" mindset that leads to too many unique, often inefficient systems:

    "It does not help the taxpayer that we have hundreds of HR systems... It doesn't help the vendors..." (05:36-06:25)

2. The OneGov Initiative & AI Procurement

• Accelerating Government AI Adoption
  • Centralized deals with AI and tech providers have helped agencies rapidly pilot and implement new solutions:

    "It's certainly accelerating it, which was exactly the point and part of my whole priority for this administration is how do we move forward as a whole of government." (02:52)

  • Centralized terms and pricing reduce confusion and support agency mobility and interoperability.
  • On future pricing after low-cost trial agreements:

    "I believe we're going to see commitments from the major vendors... to have aligned pricing in the future... at least they're coming to the table with fact-based pricing that's transparent to us..." (03:49-04:37)

3. Federal Tech Teams & The Status of DOGE/USDS

• Evolution of the US Digital Service (DOGE)
  • The once-centralized DOGE entity has transitioned, with teams now embedded within agencies:

    "So in the early days when DOGE was more of a central entity, I had more liaising. But now the central like command and control has been dispersed." (06:47-07:07)

  • Current teams report to agency heads, and the legacy central DOGE no longer exists in its previous form.

4. AI Use Cases & Risk Culture

• AI Inventory and Use Cases

  • Over 2,000 use cases have already been submitted; early use cases focus on "low impact" and common needs (translation, document generation, summarization):

    "People in the government have this no risk type of mentality. But it’s near impossible to do things without some sort of risk... So we’re looking at things that are kind of fungible that any agency could use." (09:06)

• AI Impact on Labor

  • AI is automating repetitive tasks, illustrated by the State Department's use to support diplomats and translators:

    "[Diplomats] could get out into the field... pushing our strategic efforts forward... now instead of just translating things all day, [third country nationals] are able to... be strategic advisors..." (10:25-11:33)

  • No wholesale job displacement yet due to AI; focus is on refocusing existing roles:

    "I have not seen whole cloth displacement of an individual because their job was completely outsourced to AI..." (12:20)

5. Tech Talent: Challenges & Opportunities

• The Tech Workforce Dilemma

  • Many federal hires with engineering backgrounds aren't doing core technical work; misalignment of roles is an issue.
  • Barbaccia pitches federal tech jobs for their outsized impact despite non-competitive pay:

    "...you do have access to really some of the hardest problems in the world, some of the most high impact use cases you could have in the world..." (13:20)

  • On recent disruptions and job cuts:

    "It's hard for me to put a number on things like that. Of course there was some sort of disruption and disruption is not intrinsically a negative thing." (14:05)

  • Stability and unique mission focus are highlighted as key selling points:

    "There is a tremendous amount of stability for a highly skilled, highly motivated technologist in the government right now." (14:32)

• Leadership & Private Sector Dynamics

  • Nearly half of major federal CIOs are new and from private industry; this has introduced productive friction and innovation:

    "...the frustration the private sector CIOs that come in have... it's helpful... to take an objective look at something and go, this doesn't make sense..." (15:20-16:06)

  • Creative solutions now emerge from the interplay between seasoned federal CIOs and new private sector leaders.

6. Authority to Operate (ATO) & Compliance Reform

• Reimagining Compliance
  • Critique of box-checking mentality in security compliance and ATO regimes:

    "...it is kind of disconnected to the reality in the field that it supports... So that’s how we’re thinking now. How do we change the environment so it is no longer set up for these inefficiencies?" (17:09-17:35)

  • Barbaccia aims to overhaul these processes as part of culture change.

7. Reflections on 2025: Wins & Lessons

• Changing the Culture

  • The biggest win cited is cultural transformation among CIOs; from disconnected silos to a robust, candid, and collaborative council:

    "I am very, very proud of the culture change in the CIO Council... Now you know, they're almost 100% attended. We always do social functions. There is a camaraderie and a fraternity and a candor among the CIOs. And that allows us to access the hive mind of the government." (17:56-19:37)

  • Draws comparisons to lessons learned in military/intelligence, emphasizing knowledge sharing across agencies.

• Relationship Reset

  • Increased trust and candidness with both agency CIOs and vendors; deployment of Federal CIO team to agencies for in-person collaboration.

8. Priorities for 2026 & What’s Next

• FedRAMP 20x and Beyond
  • Plans for another "complete rethinking" of FedRAMP and the ATO process, moving away from incremental tweaks to wholesale change.
• Tech Talent Initiatives
  • Teases a forthcoming OPM initiative for early-stage tech talent recruitment, including a potential "semester in government" program for students:

    "...what if you were come into the government and you could do a semester... of college credit?... So that's something we're excited about..." (22:17)

• Whole-Government Data & Intelligence
  • Push for integrated, government-wide data and contract management systems to enable smarter decisions at an enterprise level.
• Security Compliance Rethink
  • Open to working with Congress and NIST to overhaul outdated compliance models:

    "If NIST is not the right way to look at the security regulations, then we should work with the Hill and see what else is there..." (22:17-23:13)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Fixing Government IT Culture:

  "We’ve spent a lot of time treating the individual symptoms, and I now realize my role is to, you know, treat the disease." (17:56)

• On Modernizing Procurement:

  "Instead of making tiny incremental changes, how do we throw out the playbook and go back to first principles..." (01:44)

• On AI Risk Culture:

  "People in the government have this no risk type of mentality. But it’s near impossible to do things without some sort of risk." (09:06)

• On Federal Tech Work:

  "Your impact here is going to be outsized. The mission focus is going to be things that are almost impossible to get in the private sector." (14:32)

• On the Value of Shared Knowledge:

  "...there is no one problem that plagues a CIO of an agency another CIO hasn't figured out..." (19:37)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• FedRAMP & Acquisition Reform: 01:15–02:36
• OneGov Initiative & AI Procurement: 02:36–04:37
• Consolidation Philosophy: 05:00–06:25
• DOGE/USDS Status: 06:25–07:55
• AI Use Case Inventories & Deadlines: 07:55–09:06
• AI Labor Impact: 09:56–12:20
• Tech Talent & Workforce Issues: 13:20–14:54
• Leadership & Council Dynamics: 15:20–16:45
• Security Compliance & ATO Reform: 16:45–17:35
• 2025 Reflections & Culture Change: 17:35–20:50
• Priorities for 2026 (FedRAMP, Tech Talent, Data): 20:50–23:13

Summary

Federal CIO Greg Barbaccia lays out a bold vision for transforming federal IT—prioritizing culture change, procurement reform, consolidation of common technologies, and forward-thinking AI and talent strategies. His candid assessment of past pain points, especially with FedRAMP and box-checking compliance, reflects a focus on ditching incremental fixes in favor of "first principles" rethinks, aiming for measurable efficiency and better service to taxpayers. The episode is essential listening for anyone tracking the intersection of technology, culture, and management in the federal government.