FCW Insider: May 7, 2021
The latest news and analysis from FCW's reporters and editors.
Impeachment witnesses talk public service
Four former government officials who played key roles in the first impeachment of former president Donald Trump discussed their experiences during a Public Service Recognition Week event.
Lawmakers press for IDEA Act adoption
A group of House Democrats want the Biden administration to pick up the pace on implementation of the Integrated Digital Experience Act.
DHS kicks off workforce sprint with push to hire 200 cyber pros
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas characterized the new effort to hire cybersecurity personnel as the largest of its kind in the agency's history.
ICYMI: Lawmakers look to revive collusion case against Amazon in JEDI
Two GOP members of Congress are pressing the Justice Department and the Pentagon to reopen a probe into conflicts of interest between Amazon ex-employees and consultants and the government architects of a $10 billion cloud computing program.
Quick Hits
*** Washington Technology reports that some awards appear to be on the horizon in the General Services Administration's $50 billion STARS III contract. The governmentwide contract is used for agencies to buy a IT products and services from qualified small businesses.
*** New York Attorney General Letitia James released a report on Thursday detailing efforts to use fake comments to influence a proceeding about network neutrality at the Federal Communications Commission. The report found that almost 18 million of 22 million submitted comments were fraudulent. James also announced settlements with three companies fingered in the scam totaling $4.4 million in penalties and restitution.
*** The internal watchdog at the Department of Justice reported ongoing issues with the migration to a new, consolidated grants system called JustGrants which was put into place about six months ago. In a May 6 issue alert, the DOJ's Office of Inspector General detailed some of the issues that are hindering data migration but noted that help desk efforts, training and an extension for some transition deadlines have so far served to keep grant funds flowing and to keep grant application processes moving.