TMF Funding Boost Hopes Take a Step Back in FY2021 Approps Bill
If the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) is going to see a big boost in funding anytime soon, it may not arrive through the regular annual appropriations process.
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NOAA Issues Final Cloud Strategy
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released its final cloud and data strategies and “establishes a new mindset or modernizing NOAA’s IT environment.”
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NSF, Intel Partnering on $9M Research Investment in Machine Learning for Wireless
The National Science Foundation (NSF) and Intel are partnering to fund research for machine learning (ML) in wireless networks in hopes of accelerating a new wireless architecture that can keep up with modern demands.
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Data Holds Keys to Better Cyber Defense, Officials Say
Federal cybersecurity officials working on the policy and operations fronts agreed this week that better collection of data about vulnerabilities is key to fostering improved network defenses.
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FedRAMP Agency Liaison Program Yielding Positive Results
The General Services Administration (GSA) attributes the FedRAMP program’s success to building a culture that prioritizes continuous improvement, and aims to continue program growth through its recently launched FedRAMP Agency Liaison Program.
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CISA Sets Strategy to Strengthen Industrial Control System Cybersecurity
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a strategy today intended to “strengthen and unify industrial control systems (ICS) cybersecurity for a more aligned, proactive, and collaborative approach to protect the essential services Americans use every day.”
With warfighters at the edge, and teams in the field, the office, and now at home, how is the DoD supporting an agile remote workforce while balancing access, collaboration, and security?
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USAID Solicits Data Center, Disaster Recovery Support in Afghanistan
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) released a solicitation request for IT support for an existing data center and a new disaster recovery center.
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FCC’s Starks Calls on Congress to Help With Broadband Affordability
FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said today he believes Congress should take action to make broadband service affordable for tens of millions of Americans with low incomes and those who have been left unemployed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
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House Panel Approves VA FY21 Funding With 12% Boost to IT
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies approved its Fiscal Year 2021 funding legislation for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by voice vote today. The bill features a 12.4 percent increase in IT modernization funding for the agency. The legislation budgets $104.8 billion in discretionary funding for VA – a $12.3 billion boost from FY2020’s enacted level, but $35 million under the President’s request. Despite the slight difference between the executive and legislative totals, the House subcommittee did match the White House request for $4.9 billion toward IT modernization projects. “In the midst of a global pandemic, we are making unprecedented investments in our veterans through our VA medical system to ensure that every veteran has access to the top-notch health care that they deserve,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., chairwoman of the subcommittee, said. “The MilCon/VA bill includes historic spending for women veterans, mental health, suicide prevention, medical research, and homeless prevention, while closely monitoring VA claims processing and system modernizations.” House appropriators want to funnel $2.6 billion – $1.1 billion more than the President requested – into VA’s electronic health record systems to continue implementation and provide Government Accountability Office (GAO) oversight of the program. Legislators have been critical of funding the program in the past because of continuing schedule delays. On top of FY2021 funding, the legislation also provides VA with $12.5 billion in emergency spending to supplement the agency’s response to COVID-19, with provisions to direct the funds toward electronic health records, IT, medical care, and other services. Next, the legislation heads to the full Appropriations Committee for another markup.
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Federal Agencies’ Spending on COVID-19 Contracts Cools
Federal agencies’ total spend for COVID-19-related purchases has cooled in the past month, decreasing by over $1 billion due to changed contract awards, according to data obtained from the Federal Procurement Data System.
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House Bill Would Boost Local School Systems’ Cybersecurity
A California congressman has introduced a bill in the House to strengthen school districts’ cybersecurity by providing $25 million in grant funding over the next five years for that purpose.
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NIST Opens Comments on Controlled Unclassified Information Security
NIST is seeking comments on draft Special Publication (SP) 800-172, Enhanced Security Requirements for Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information: A Supplement to NIST SP 800-171.
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Bipartisan Bill Introduced to Modernize Federal IT Adoption
On July 2, Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., introduced bipartisan legislation to accelerate emerging technology adoption by Federal agencies and expand upon the AI in Government Act which codifies an AI Center of Excellence (CoE) within the General Services Administration (GSA).
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House Homeland Subcommittee Approves FY21 DHS Budget Bill
After acknowledging that Democratic and Republican members of the subcommittee have different viewpoints on funding immigration-related agencies, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security approved Fiscal Year 2021 funding legislation for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by voice vote today.
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Sen. Johnson Hitches CISA’s Subpoena Power to NDAA
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., tacked on an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would allow the cyber agency of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to subpoena internet service providers for information relating to vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure.
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House Approps Proposes FY2021 Funding Bumps for DHS, CISA
The House Appropriations Committee released draft Fiscal Year 2021 funding legislation for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today that proposes a modest 0.5 percent total funding increase for DHS, and a 10 percent budget boost for its Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) component.
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House Appropriations Wants to Boost Energy Cyber, Save ARPA-E in FY21
In draft Fiscal Year 2021 funding legislation for the Department of Energy (DOE) released today, the House Appropriations Committee increased cybersecurity funding and vowed to save the Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy (ARPA-E).
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GSA Issues 8(a) STARS III GWAC Solicitation
The General Services Administration (GSA) has issued the solicitation for the 8(a) STARS III Governmentwide Acquisition Contract (GWAC), which is part of its process for making it easier for small businesses from different socioeconomic categories to work with the Federal government on IT acquisition projects.
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Senate Sets July 20 Vote for Vought Nomination to Head OMB
The Senate is scheduled to vote July 20 on the nomination of Russell Vought to become the next director of the Office of Management and Budget. The July 20 date was set by the Senate after a 47-44 vote on July 2 to invoke cloture on the nomination.
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GSA to Revamp Small Business GWAC Acquisition
The General Services Administration (GSA) is planning to revamp its Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWAC) to make it easier for small businesses from several socioeconomic categories to work with the Federal government on IT acquisition projects.