FCW Insider: May 6, 2021
The latest news and analysis from FCW's reporters and editors.
Lawmakers grow impatient with delayed Biden budget
House appropriators worry about Army modernization cuts as White House finalizes fiscal 2022 request.
Comment: Government needs a massive investment in FedRAMP
A well-funded shared service could relieve an authorization bottleneck and bring essential cloud services to the government market.
House Dems, unions pitch plan to reclassify TSA screeners
So far, Republicans haven't signed on to a plan to alter the agency's unique personnel situation. Some experts caution that there are untended consequences from a move to put TSA officers under Title 5.
ICYMI: TMF payback rules relaxed for cyber upgrades, pandemic response
Biden administration officials announced on Tuesday that payback requirements will be relaxed for some projects funded by the recent $1 billion addition to the Technology Modernization Fund. Administrators want urgently needed upgrades that help respond to the pandemic or improve the cybersecurity of federal agencies.
Quick Hits
*** President Joe Biden praised civil servants on Wednesday during a virtual event hosted by the Partnership for Public Service to recognize finalists for the "Sammies" – the annual Samuel J. Heyman Service to America medal given in recognition of exceptional civil servants and their accomplishments.
"Every day, hundreds of thousands of public servants and their families are reminding us that our government isn't some foreign force in the distant capital," Biden said. "These awards aren't just the 'Oscars of public service,' they're a reminder that public service is a noble, impactful profession. And I hope that it’ll encourage more young people to consider careers in public service."
*** A new bill would require U.S. financial regulation agencies to adopt common data standards for financial information collection reporting. The Financial Transparency Act is sponsored by Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.)
*** Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) urged the Biden administration to get the project of replacing the FBI's downtown Washington, D.C. headquarters with a suburban campus back on track. The Trump administration had shelved the project.
*** The MITRE Corporation has named Wen Masters as vice president for cyber technologies. Masters comes to MITRE from the Georgia Institute of Technology where she served in multiple roles as a research scientist and administrator.