The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a report on Thursday highlighting the progress made by the Office of the Federal Chief Information Officer (OFCIO) in cybersecurity, technology modernization, digital service delivery, and artificial intelligence during the Biden-Harris administration.
The 28-page impact report offers a glimpse into the work OMB has accomplished over the past four years to help bring Federal technology into the 21st century.
In the report, Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) Clare Martorana – who is stepping down from her post prior to the Trump administration taking over on Jan. 20 – referred to technology modernization as a “bipartisan issue.”
“Modernizing government technology is a marathon, not a sprint, and millions are counting on the next leg of the race to be even stronger,” Martorana said. “As I pass the baton to a new team, I do it with great admiration for the many partners and technologists who gave it their all over the past four years, and with great confidence that the next team will run even faster in delivering the government we all know is possible.”
As she wraps up her time as Federal CIO, Martorana said that Americans “rightly expect and deserve a secure digital experience that is easy, trustworthy, and accessible.”
Under the Biden-Harris administration, OMB has accelerated IT modernization through innovative initiatives like the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF). The TMF is an investment program that helps Federal civilian agencies undertake tech modernization projects.
Congress provided the TMF with a historic infusion of $1 billion in funding under the 2021 American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. According to the report, 52 of the TMF’s 69 investments were made with ARP funds.
To date, OMB notes that the TMF has allocated over $1 billion for 69 investments across 34 Federal agencies. Over 90 percent of that funding was invested during the Biden-Harris administration.
Notably, 88 percent of TMF investments aim to help bolster the nation’s cybersecurity. “The TMF has advanced cybersecurity in a few years what would have taken a decade,” Steven Hernandez, the chief information security officer at the Department of Education, said in the report.
The impact report also notes that President Biden’s May 2021 cybersecurity executive order directed Federal agencies to strengthen their cybersecurity postures and move to zero trust security architectures. The executive order came on the heels of the 2020 SolarWinds hack, and it helped Federal agencies make “tangible security gains,” according to the report.
Another executive order highlighted in the report is President Biden’s October 2023 AI executive order, which OMB called “the most significant action any government in the world has ever taken on AI.” OMB also issued a policy document in March for the use of AI within Federal agencies.
“As the United States takes action to realize the tremendous promise of AI while managing its risks, the Federal government will lead by example and provide a model for the responsible use of AI,” the report says.
OMB said it invested $30 billion in the Federal use of AI, including $70 million for the implementation of the AI EO and $32 million for building Federal AI talent.
Additionally, OMB touts President Biden’s December 2021 customer experience (CX) executive order (EO) that tasked Federal agencies to make CX improvements in areas ranging from accessing retirement benefits to renewing passports.
OMB said “agencies are making tangible progress” in CX, noting that more than 3,500 Federal government websites have improved within the last year in areas such as mobile-friendliness, accessibility, search optimization, design consistency, and security.
“Because of the work under this administration, now you can better know when you’re interacting with an official Federal government website, quickly get answers to your top questions in a language you understand, access government services online regardless of ability, use government websites that work on mobile devices, and interact with government in a way that works best for you, whether online or in person,” Martorana said in a Dec. 12 blog post on the report.
“While the journey to secure and modernize our government’s technology is continuous, I am proud of the foundation we’ve put in place to bolster our systems and networks, build key partnerships, and design products and services focused on the people we serve,” she added.
President-elect Donald Trump has yet to lay out concrete technology modernization plans, but his new term could include the repeal of President Biden’s AI EO.
Federal tech experts have also told MeriTalk that the incoming administration is likely to shift its stance toward a more muscular and perhaps less cautious adoption of AI technology, especially in the context of bolstering national security.
Nevertheless, Vivek Ramaswamy – who is co-lead of President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) advisory group – said on Dec. 4 that DOGE’s success hinges on the need to modernize technology across the Federal government.
