Compliance/FedRAMP

Put federal agent actions on the record.

Start with the agency action that creates review risk: a case update, benefits workflow, procurement record, CUI export, or outbound message. Veto checks that action before execution and records the policy, verdict, actor, reviewer, and timestamp for FedRAMP evidence work.

Update a case

Approve a benefits workflow

Change a procurement record

Export CUI

Send an agency message

Last updated: May 23, 2026

Start with the agency action, not the whole AI program.

Federal buyers do not need another AI governance promise. They need to know which action can run, which action waits, which action is blocked, and what record remains for assessment and continuous monitoring.

Tool path

Name the exact federal workflow step the agent can trigger before it reaches the system of record.

Policy decision

Return allow, review, or deny from policy before the governed tool call executes.

Human review

Route actions that need judgment to the agency or contractor reviewer before impact.

Evidence export

Keep actor, tenant, tool, policy, verdict, reviewer, and timestamp in one decision record.

What is FedRAMP?

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) is the U.S. federal program for standardized security assessment and review of cloud products and services. Established by OMB Memorandum M-11-29 in December 2011 and made permanent by the FedRAMP Authorization Act (Public Law 117-263) on December 23, 2022, FedRAMP defines baselines and certification paths that agencies can use when making authorization decisions. FedRAMP does not grant an agency Authority to Operate; agencies grant ATOs for their own systems and use FedRAMP package data as evidence.

Why it applies to AI agents

Cloud services used by federal agencies generally need FedRAMP-recognized assessment evidence or an agency authorization path. An AI agent inside that service inherits applicable controls from the chosen baseline or certification class. Moderate often applies to workloads handling CUI; High applies when loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability would have severe or catastrophic impact.

The hard part is ongoing evidence. FedRAMP continuous monitoring needs records of control effectiveness, not a one-time slide. For agents that make many decisions per day, reviewers need structured decision records they can sample. Veto provides those records on the governed tool path so teams can map them into OSCAL-oriented evidence work.

Control mapping: FedRAMP baselines to Veto features

The table maps controls in FedRAMP Moderate and High baselines that govern AI agent activity. Moderate-only controls and Moderate+High shared controls are noted in the Baseline column.

ControlBaselineVeto feature
AC-2M, HPer-agent API key issuance, rotation, and revocation with decision records
AC-3M, HDeny-by-default authorization at each governed tool call; allow only what policy explicitly permits
AC-4M, HInformation flow enforcement: per-tool argument validation limits cross-boundary data movement
AC-6(9)M, HPrivileged function logging with sensitive-tool flags in policy YAML
AU-2M, HAuthorization decisions logged continuously; categories configurable per tool
AU-3(1)M, HAdditional audit information: arguments, policy version, reviewer comments
AU-6(1)M, HAutomated process integration: webhook export to SIEM for AU-6 audit review automation
CA-7M, HContinuous monitoring evidence: monthly decision record exports, decision outcome trend reports
CM-3M, HConfiguration change control: policy diffs trigger reviewer approval and CI validation
CM-3(2)HTesting changes: offline policy tests before promotion to production where configured
IR-4M, HIncident handling: kill-switch policy commit; forensic timeline from decision records
SI-4(2)M, HSystem monitoring with automated tools: alerts on policy violations and unusual patterns

Evidence Veto provides

A 3PAO performing a FedRAMP assessment needs evidence packages that map to each control description in the System Security Plan. Continuous monitoring requires that those evidence packages stay current, not annual-only.

SSP narratives

Policy-as-code YAML provides structured source material for SSP control descriptions on AC, AU, and CM families. Inheritance from CSP-provided controls can be documented in policy comments.

Continuous monitoring artifacts

Monthly decision record exports, decision outcome trend reports, and policy change history can feed the CA-7 continuous monitoring evidence package.

POA&M support

Decision record anomalies and approval rejections supply structured evidence for Plan of Action and Milestones remediation tracking.

OSCAL alignment

Structured JSON exports can be mapped to OSCAL component definitions, control implementations, and assessment results as FedRAMP expands machine-readable certification and authorization packages.

Implementation timeline

December 8, 2011OMB M-11-29 establishes FedRAMP
December 23, 2022FedRAMP Authorization Act (Public Law 117-263) makes FedRAMP permanent
May 2023FedRAMP Rev 5 baselines published, aligning with NIST 800-53 Rev 5
March 24, 2025FedRAMP 20x announced as an automation-focused Certification path
ContinuousMonthly POA&M updates, monthly vulnerability scans, annual control assessments, significant change reviews

Frequently asked questions

What is FedRAMP and how does it cover AI agents?
The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) was established by OMB Memorandum M-11-29 (December 2011) and rebooted under the FedRAMP Authorization Act (Public Law 117-263, December 2022). It standardizes security assessment and review for cloud products used by U.S. federal agencies. AI features inside FedRAMP-bound cloud services inherit applicable control requirements like other cloud components, with control selection driven by FIPS 199 impact categorization (Low, Moderate, High).
Which FedRAMP baseline applies to AI agent systems?
The baseline depends on the data, mission impact, and agency authorizing official. Many AI agent systems in federal deployments land in FedRAMP Moderate (CUI or other non-public data) or FedRAMP High (data where loss would have severe or catastrophic impact). FedRAMP Moderate inherits 161 NIST 800-53 Rev 5 controls; FedRAMP High inherits 410. Both include the AC, AU, CM, and IR controls that govern AI agent runtime authorization.
What does FedRAMP continuous monitoring require for AI agents?
FedRAMP continuous monitoring under Rev 5 requires monthly POA&M updates, monthly vulnerability scans, annual control assessments, and significant change reviews. For AI agents specifically, decision records can support evidence that AC-3 (Access Enforcement) and AU-2 (Event Logging) remain effective month over month. Policy diffs can support significant-change analysis when they widen agent authority.
How does FedRAMP 20x affect AI deployments?
FedRAMP 20x, announced by GSA in March 2025, is an automation-focused path for FedRAMP Certification. FedRAMP's 2026 package work points to certification and authorization data across security materials, ongoing reports, significant changes, and vulnerability data. FedRAMP does not grant an agency ATO; agencies use the package data to make their own authorization decisions. Veto's structured decision records and policy-as-code files can be mapped into OSCAL-oriented control narratives and evidence packages.

Related evidence resources

Continuous monitoring needs continuous evidence. Decision records deliver it.