Author Archive
Workforce
SCOTUS stays out of contractor mandate case, for now
A special expedited hearing on the authority of two federal agencies to issue nationwide vaccine mandates covering nearly 100 million Americans does not touch on the authority to modify federal contracts to require vaccines for contract employees.
Cybersecurity
White House embeds cyber EO in FISMA reporting
Federal agencies will be reporting on zero-trust adoption and automation efforts in their annual cybersecurity reports to the Office of Management and Budget.
IT Modernization
Build Back Better passes House
The $2 trillion bill includes $550 million in governmentwide technology modernization plus billions targeted for agency tech programs as well as new investments in sustainable tech and electric vehicles.
Acquisition
Speed bumps for VA's new scheduling system
A watchdog report identified gaps in training and oversight for the new scheduling system being implemented at VA medical facilities.
Cybersecurity
$500 million for TMF, other tech added to Build Back Better
Governmentwide technology modernization appropriations are back in the Biden administration's signature Build Back Better legislation, but the timing of a vote remains unclear.
Cybersecurity
DOD revamps controversial CMMC program
After a nine-month review, the Defense Department is replacing its original cyber compliance program for the industrial base with CMMC 2.0, putting more emphasis on self-assessment.
Cybersecurity
Former Microsoft exec DelBene tapped for top tech job at VA
Kurt DelBene, a former senior executive at Microsoft and husband of a Democratic congresswoman, is being tapped by the Biden administration to serve as CIO of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Acquisition
Morale plunges at site of VA's new electronic health record
A survey conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs found plummeting morale at the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center arising from the adoption of a new electronic health record system.
Acquisition
GAO backs Microsoft's protest of $10 billion NSA cloud award to AWS
The Government Accountability Office agreed that aspects of the National Security Agency's evaluation of a major cloud award were "unreasonable."
Acquisition
IRS tech, CISA funding in Build Back Better
An effort to put $3.5 billion into key governmentwide tech modernization accounts appears to have come up short in the Build Back Better bill, but there's still a lot of technology spending on the table.
Workforce
Blinken announces new cyber bureau at State
The secretary of State named cybersecurity and emerging tech as critical areas for capacity building at State, alongside climate, global health and multilateral technology.
Workforce
Biden nominates FCC, NTIA chiefs
President Joe Biden filled out his technology and telecom team with three key nominations on Tuesday.
Workforce
TMF hiring new technical leads
The board of the $1 billion IT modernization fund was slogging through detailed project proposals in their spare time – now TMF is looking for help.
Digital Government
Civic tech vendor recognizes employee union
Code for America recognized a new employee union, a first in the civic tech sector.
Acquisition
VA seeks full 2022 funding for health record project, despite six-month pause
House appropriators are concerned that the Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking to fully fund its program to switch from its homegrown Vista system to Cerner's commercial electronic health record in 2022, despite having unspent funds from fiscal year 2021.
Acquisition
Senate funding bill zeros out TMF
It's a familiar story: The House looks to add to the Technology Modernization Fund while the Senate taps the brakes
Cybersecurity
CISA seeks 24-hour timeline for cyber incident reporting
Two separate Senate bills set different deadlines for federal contractors, critical infrastructure providers and other covered companies to report cyber incidents to the federal government.
Cybersecurity
CMMC's Arrington sues DOD to clear her name
Katie Arrington, who has been off the job since May, is suing the Department of Defense to get resolution on her personnel case.
Cybersecurity
White House looks to step up endpoint monitoring
The Biden administration is requiring agencies to provide visibility into their endpoint detection and response efforts as part of the cybersecurity executive order.
Cybersecurity