According to a recent U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission report, women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) account for only 29 percent of the STEM Federal workforce. Christine Finnelle and Nicole Willis are a part of that one-third. […]

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has denied scholarships provided by the agency to well over half of the veterans who applied for them to help complete bachelor’s degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fields. […]

Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-NV, U.S. Senate

As the Federal government strives to grow the U.S. science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce to improve citizen service and strengthen the economy, Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., is ensuring Congress is also doing its part by working on legislation to boost America’s IT education and workforce. […]

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said in a new report that women make up only 29.3 percent of the Federal government’s employees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) roles, and that the government has a lot of work in front of it to begin narrowing that gap.  […]

The Department of Energy (DoE) plans to issue $40 million in funding for research and training in science, technology, education, and math (STEM) areas for historically underrepresented groups, the agency announced on May 25. […]

A group of senators led by Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., have introduced legislation that would make it easier for international students with advanced STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) degrees to work in the United States upon after their schooling is completed. […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has added 22 new fields of study to the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Optional Practical Training (OPT) program for enhancing contributions of nonimmigrant students studying STEM subjects. […]

Space NASA Satellites

The newly established U.S. Space Force is building its workforce and develop its people, while primarily looking for people that have science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) backgrounds, Chief of Space Operations for the Space Force Gen. John Raymond today. […]

Astrophysicist Jedidah Isler has been named the new assistant director of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Opportunity and Engagement at the Science & Society Division within the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). […]

President Biden’s American Families Plan announced today proposes providing two years of subsidized tuition and expansion of programs in high-demand fields— such as science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)— at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs). […]

In a proposed rule change, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is seeking to allow agencies to create term appointments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations to allow for greater flexibility to staff long-term, non-permanent STEM projects. […]

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, introduced two bills to the Senate on Sept. 26, that address underrepresented demographic groups in the science, technology, education, and industry (STEM) field and full talent-pool engagement. […]

Budget Federal spending

The House Appropriations Committee released a second of five appropriations minibus FY2020 spending bills for Commerce-Justice-Science, Agriculture-Rural Development-FDA, Interior-Environment, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development. […]

Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced the Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act of 2019 to authorize $17.4 million per year in funding to address the causes and consequences of sexual harassment in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. […]

workforce database

With new guidance released Thursday offering more direct hire authority to agencies, including in cybersecurity and IT areas, the Office of Personnel and Management (OPM) is aiming to fill positions that are critical to meeting the missions of agencies, said OPM Deputy Director Michael Rigas during a Thursday interview with Government Matters. […]

DoD Pentagon Military

A report issued late last month by the Defense Department (DoD) finds that the U.S. defense industrial base (DIB) is facing an “unprecedented set of challenges” that are eroding the nation’s DIB and manufacturing sectors and threatening DoD’s “ability to be ready for the ‘fight tonight’ and to retool for great power competition.” […]

White House

To attract girls and women to computer science and retain their interest in the field, Girls Who Code, a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology, said this week it is advocating for a policy agenda that includes expanded computer science classes, increased exposure to women and minorities in tech, and more professional development funding. […]

Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, on Wednesday voiced strong criticism of the Federal government’s spending to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education in the United States, saying that some of the Federal investment is duplicative and inefficient.  […]

The Startup Act reintroduced in the Senate would grant more visas to immigrants in the STEM field. Among other things, it would create a new limited STEM visa so that 50,000 U.S.-educated foreign students who graduate with a master’s or Ph.D. in science, technology, engineering or mathematics can receive a green card and stay in the United States. […]

President Donald Trump will sign a memorandum today to strengthen computer science education in schools, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced during a press briefing on Sept. 25. The memorandum will mandate that Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos provide $200 million per year in grants for science and technology education to strengthen STEM programs in schools, and to add computer science to the curriculum in K-12 schools. […]

In a virtually unnoticed message to Congress this month, President Donald Trump outlined his new guiding principles for reforming the Selective Service process, as called for by the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. And the Trump approach calls for a renewed focus on “critical skills.” […]

President Donald Trump was supposed to sign a sweeping cybersecurity executive order last month, but delayed its release shortly after meeting with senior national security leaders and industry experts. But the timing of the final order is far less important than the changes that are likely being made to the content of the order. […]

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