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House Relief Bill Offers $2B to Upgrade State UI Systems; Vote Seen Late Friday

The House version of the American Rescue Act - born from President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal unveiled in January - now features a provision that would provide $2 billion for the Department of Labor (DoL) to use to help states upgrade their unemployment insurance (UI) systems.

  • cybersecurity Experts Call for Increased Cyber Info Sharing in Wake of SolarWinds Breach

    The House Homeland Security and Oversight and Reform committees held a joint public hearing today to discuss the Russia-based hack of government and private sector networks via SolarWinds Orion products. During the hearing, both the private sector witnesses and members of Congress called for better cybersecurity practices, legislation, and increased information sharing.

  • NSA Issues Zero Trust Guidance

    The National Security Agency (NSA) has released Zero Trust security model guidance for organizations to boost security of sensitive data, systems, and services.

  • FCC FCC Establishes Federally Funded Broadband Discount Program

    The Federal Communications Commission has voted to formally adopt a Report and Order that establishes the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. The program uses $3.2 billion in Federal funding to provide qualifying households discounts on their internet service bills and an opportunity to receive a discount on a computer or tablet.

Recent News
  1. telework Fed Leaders Want Culture Change to Allow Telework Beyond the Pandemic

    Federal leaders agreed during a Feb. 25 virtual conference organized by GovExec that the Federal government needs to change its mindset and culture to allow for more telework in the future, even after the COVID-19 pandemic.

  2. Senate Bill Eyes $15 Billion in Grants for Rural Broadband Buildouts

    Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., are introducing legislation that will provide up to $15 billion in matching grants to increase access to broadband services in areas of the United States that are unserved by broadband meeting the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) minimum definition of that service.

  3. Cyber Diplomacy Act Reintroduced in the House

    The bipartisan Cyber Diplomacy Act was reintroduced in the house this week. The legislation, cosponsored by Reps. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., Michael McCaul, R-Texas, Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., and Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., and Bill Keating, D-Mass., will require the State Department to open the Bureau of International Cyberspace Policy.

  1. Rep. Connolly Eyes March-April Timeframe for Next FITARA Scorecard Hearing

    Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Gerry Connolly, D-Va., indicated today that his office is considering the March-April timeframe for a hearing on the most recent FITARA Scorecard that was issued by the House Oversight and Reform Committee in late December 2020.

  2. Admiral Norton Handing Over DISA Command Feb. 26

    Vice Admiral Nancy Norton will hand over command of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and Joint Force Headquarters Department of Defense Information Network (DODIN) on Feb. 26, the admiral said today.

  3. ransomware DHS’ Mayorkas Announces $25 Million Increase to FEMA Cybersecurity Grants and Future Cyber Plans

    Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced today that DHS will increase the required minimum spend on cybersecurity through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant awards from 5 percent to 7.5 percent - approximately a $25 million increase across the country.

  4. Budget Federal spending Rules Committee Taking Up American Rescue Act; House Vote Unlikely This Week

    The House Rules Committee will take its turn with the American Rescue Act on Feb. 26 at 9:30 a.m., bringing the COVID-19 relief bill one step closer to a full House vote.

  1. IG Report Reveals Labor Department Slowly Chipping Away at Billions in Fraudulent UI Payments

    The Department of Labor’s (DoL) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report stating the agency is making progress on improving the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program, which has faced billions of dollars in widespread unemployment compensation fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  2. Matt Hartman Named Deputy Executive Assistant Director of Cybersecurity at CISA

    The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) named Matt Hartman the deputy executive assistant director of cybersecurity at the agency this month, confirmed by Hartman’s LinkedIn profile.

  3. DHS, Commerce Chiefs Tasked With ICT Sector Supply Chain Review

    The secretaries of Homeland Security and Commerce will work together on the one-year review of information and communications technology (ICT) industrial base supply chains ordered by President Biden earlier this week.

  4. Krebs Lays Out CISA Bite-Back at Health-Sector Hackers

    While it’s no secret that the healthcare sector became a major target for ransomware attacks during the COVID-19 pandemic, former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Chris Krebs is shedding new light on the tone of CISA’s efforts to bite back against health-sector threats.

  5. ICAM is Key to Federal Government Digital Transformation, Fed Leaders Say

    Federal leaders agreed on Feb. 24 at a virtual conference organized by FCW that while implementing the Federal government’s Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM) framework can be difficult, ICAM is the key to the government’s digital transformation.

  6. Senate Panels Postpone Votes on Neera Tanden to Head OMB

    The Senate Budget Committee and the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee postponed scheduled Wednesday votes on the nomination of Neera Tanden to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

  7. Microsoft President Advocates for Reexamining Bid Protest Process

    Microsoft President Brad Smith – whose company is no stranger to high-profile Federal contract award protests – urged steps to reexamine the bid protest process during testimony at a Feb. 23 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on emerging technologies and national security.

  8. Telework Has Increased Risk of Credential-Theft Mobile Attacks for Fed, SLG Employees

    Amid the shift to widescale telework to stem the spread of COVID-19, Federal, state, and local government (SLG) employees are dealing with an increase in credential-theft mobile attacks.

  9. U.S. Marine Corps Needs Cloud-Based Reservation Tool

    The U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) is looking to streamline desk and conference room reservations through a cloud-based solution.

  10. Schumer to Introduce Bill for US to ‘Out-Compete China’ as Global Tech Leader

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., plans to introduce a bill to ensure the United States will “out-compete China” as a global tech leader and create new American jobs in the tech industry.