FCW Insider: September 28, 2021

The latest news and analysis from FCW's reporters and editors.

Funding bill fails in Senate

The federal government is up against approaching deadlines for avoiding a partial government shutdown and hitting its debt ceiling.

How feds can access TSP loans during shutdowns

During the 35-day shutdown in 2018, the government's retirement savings system saw a spike in withdrawals from federal employees looking to make ends meet without regular paychecks.

HUD makes nearly $100M in EIS task orders

The Department of Housing and Urban Development issued three substantial task orders on the governmentwide Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract.

Comment: Spending the federal cybersecurity budget

A lot of new money is in the pipeline to help the federal government confront cybersecurity problems -- but what's the best way to allocate those resources?

Quick Hits

*** This afternoon, Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), the chair of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight will gavel in a hearing on IT modernization, featuring federal CIO Claire Martorana, U.S. Digital Service Administrator Mina Hsiang and Technology Transformation Services Director David Zvenyach as witnesses.

Hassan's take, according to a preview of her opening remarks: "We know that outdated technology fails to serve the American people and is insecure against sophisticated cyberattacks. It also wastes billions in taxpayer dollars every year due to poor procurement actions, improper payments, and expensive contractors needed to operate and maintain aging systems."

*** According to emails released by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, three wealthy friends of former President Donald Trump who had a hand in operations at the Department of Veterans Affairs were looking to monetize the health records of U.S. veterans. The group, Ike Perlmutter, Marc Sherman and Dr. Bruce Moskowitz -- known at the "Mar-a-Lago Trio" -- envisioned licensing VA patient data to companies like Johnson & Johnson, Apple and CVS Health.

*** The Department of Homeland Security is pushing back on an oversight report from the agency's Office of Inspector General which alleges that the acquisition of computed tomography equipment to screen baggage at airports, part of a $1.2 billion program, by the Transportation Security Agency was not subject to proper departmental oversight.

"The OIG's findings in the draft report demonstrate a lack of understanding of the DHS acquisition and oversight process," a DHS official wrote in reply to the critical report, adding that, "DHS approved TSA's strategy at every step of the acquisition." DHS did concur with the three recommendations made in the OIG report.