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Cybersecurity Gets Hot On The Hill

Client Alert | 1 min read | 04.07.10

On February 25, David Bodenheimer of Crowell & Moring testified at a House Armed Services Subcommittee hearing on private sector views on DoD information technology and cybersecurity initiatives, where he underscored the importance of real public-private partnerships because "the Defense Department and industry will either succeed together -- or fail separately." In his testimony, he also emphasized the private sector's need for (1) liability protection similar to the SAFETY Act coverage for contractors supporting DoD cyber initiatives; (2) effective, two-way information sharing between DoD and the private sector; (3) dispute resolution mechanisms to assure prompt due process before DoD pulls the plug on a contractor's connection to the information network; and (4) clear, firm, and consistent cybersecurity standards so that contractors do not face a kaleidoscope of conflicting requirements.

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Client Alert | 3 min read | 04.14.26

DOJ’s False Claims Act Resolution Against IBM Signals Heightened Risk for Federal Contractors with DEI Programs

On Friday, April 10, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) has agreed to pay just over $17 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by failing to comply with federal anti-discrimination requirements incorporated into its federal contracts due to allegedly discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) employment practices. This resolution marks the first FCA settlement secured by the DOJ under its Civil Rights Fraud Initiative, created in May 2025, and announced by then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as part of the administration’s coordinated efforts to target allegedly unlawful DEI practices. Per the agreement, the settlement is neither an admission of liability by IBM nor a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded....