FCW Insider: Oct. 7

Lawsuit upends $4B DHS software buy

A push to buy a modernized DHS financial management system is being held up by another court battle, one that threatens to again upend a project that already suffers from a long history of failure.

Trump pulls the plug on COVID stimulus

The news comes as cities and states continue to shed public-sector jobs and the chief of the Federal Reserve called for a new round of stimulus.

Coast Guard's vice commandant tests positive for COVID-19

The vice commandant for the U.S. Coast Guard, Adm. Charles Ray, has tested positive for COVID-19, setting off a wave of self-quarantine procedures for many senior defense officials.

D.C.-area lawmakers slam 'out of control' COVID outbreak at White House

National Capital Region members of Congress want administration officials to get control of the coronavirus transmissions at the White House complex that is putting residence staff, Secret Service agents, staffers and reporters at risk.

Quick Hits

*** The Department of Veterans Affairs says its 10-year electronic health record replacement project will cost $16 billion -- $10 billion in a contract with Cerner and $6 billion in associated infrastructure upgrades and management costs. But that number could wind up much higher – upwards of $20 billion. Recently a lawmaker with oversight of the project went public with his doubts of the VA's price tag.

"The 10-year cost estimate no longer withstands scrutiny," Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization of the House Veterans Affairs Committee said at a hearing last week. "I have expressed skepticism before about the numbers VA puts forward, but this cost estimate has become downright implausible."

*** Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.), the newly named chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Innovation for the House Committee on Homeland Security, sent letters to the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to ask about the use of the platforms "to spread disinformation targeting Black voters, or to otherwise suppress, intimidate, and interfere with Black voter turnout in 2020.'