Fiscal 2009 IT budgets overview
Although most agencies don't know how much money they'll have to spend on IT projects in fiscal 2009, the Veterans Affairs, Defense and Homeland Security departments could receive billions for their projects.
On Sept. 24, the House passed legislation to fund the Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs and Defense departments for fiscal 2009, which looked poised to make its way through the Senate and become law.
According to the fiscal 2009 budgets in the legislation, VA would get a total of $47.6 billion in discretionary funding, DOD would get $487.7 billion in discretionary money, and $40 billion would go to DHS for discretionary spending. In lieu of other appropriations bills being passed, the legislation also would keep the rest of government funded at fiscal 2008 levels until early March.
In sum, the measure would provide billions of dollars for IT-related projects across the government and fiscal 2009 IT projects at DHS, VA and DOD. Some IT-related highlights from the DHS, VA and DOD budget portions include:
- $272 million for DHS’ chief information officer office and departmentwide technology projects.
- $313.5 million for DHS’ National Cyber Security Division; including $254.9 million for DHS’ share in the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI).
- $2.5 billion total for VA IT.
- $48 million for VA’s Financial and Logistics Integrated Technology Enterprise program, the department’s modernized financial and accounting system.
- $750 million in additional DOD money for high-priority intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance activities.