DDM nominee looks to transition, IT modernization
Andrew Mayock, the president's nominee for deputy director of OMB, said his priorities would be modernizing IT, cutting costs and ensuring a seamless transition to the next administration.
During his confirmation hearing on June 28, Andrew Mayock urged lawmakers to continue funding IT investments and the U.S. Digital Service and to pass the Cybersecurity National Action Plan.
President Barack Obama's pick to serve as deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget told a Senate panel that if confirmed, he would continue to push IT cost savings and efficiency while laying the groundwork for a smooth transition to the next administration.
Andrew Mayock, currently a senior adviser at OMB, was nominated in December 2015 to replace David Mader, who is serving in an acting capacity.
In a June 28 confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Mayock said he planned to build on the lessons learned during the Obama administration regarding best practices for IT, hiring and management so the next administration -- regardless of political party -- would not have to start from the beginning.
He also said OMB officials play a significant role in improving management of IT investments, on which the federal government is projected to spend $80 billion. Mayock said the consolidation of data centers -- flagged as "high risk" by the Government Accountability Office -- and the delivery of smarter IT could save billions and are top priorities in the president’s management agenda.
"To date, we’ve delivered $3.8 billion in savings" thanks to GAO and congressional support, he said. "And about half of that savings is through the data center consolidation."
When asked what Congress could do to fuel progress on IT modernization and cybersecurity, Mayock cited continued funding of IT investments and the U.S. Digital Service team and passing the Cybersecurity National Action Plan.
Furthermore, approving the proposed $3.1 billion IT Modernization Fund would "attack the really horrible problem of legacy systems in the federal government, which are both a cyberthreat and a huge hurdle for government modernizing and providing modern services to our citizens and our businesses," Mayock said.