Tasked by Congress with devising an approach to defend the nation in cyberspace, the Cyberspace Solarium Commission submitted its report in March, but Solarium staff said today that the plan for a crucial component of defending the nation in cyberspace is not yet complete. […]
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is investing in introducing quantum information science (QIS) into K-12 schools, awarding a $750,000 award to an Illinois-based organization that is looking to spread quantum-related curricula. […]
The Trump Administration has released guidance on implementing an executive order (EO) for agencies that emphasizes hiring based on skills rather than whether the potential hire has a college degree. […]
Switching to telework for half of the workweek after the pandemic ends would save Federal employees up to $4,000 each year and the Federal government up to $11 billion annually, per a Global Workplace Analytics calculation discussed at the July 29 Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing on remote work. […]
A group of six Democratic senators led by Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, introduced legislation on July 29 to establish labor task forces that would provide Federal workers with an outlet to express needs for personal protective equipment (PPE) and establish health precautions for returning to the workplace. […]
Top officials with the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence on July 29 detailed their recommendation that Congress create a Digital Service Academy to increase the government’s overall technological capabilities. […]
House Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., is helping to lead the charge for a 3 percent Federal pay raise in Fiscal Year 2021 budget legislation. […]
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) identified cybersecurity as one of the high-risk mission critical occupations that the Federal government lacks, and is helping agencies create action plans to bolster cyber workforces, according to its July 2020 President’s Management Agenda (PMA) update. […]
The General Services Administration (GSA) attributes the FedRAMP program’s success to building a culture that prioritizes continuous improvement, and aims to continue program growth through its recently launched FedRAMP Agency Liaison Program. […]
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has had to move quickly to support American staff abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic. […]
Across the board, Federal agencies have made a massive shift to telework in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, agencies are beginning to look at how to safely bring employees back to worksites. While the Department of Defense (DoD) is taking a slow, phased approach, leadership is grappling with whether the culture of increased telework is here to stay. […]
While the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recently outlined key considerations for Federal agencies returning to work following the coronavirus pandemic, a GAO official said this week that the agency hasn’t yet seen a comprehensive and detailed plan from government that is comparable to some industry reopening plans. […]
While schools transitioned to online learning during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, over half of educators said, in a recent nationwide survey, that their students are not learning about cybersecurity. […]
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is tentatively scheduling a phase one reopening of its offices in the National Capital Region to start June 22, per a short video presentation for employees obtained by MeriTalk. […]
The Department of Defense (DoD) is beginning Phase One of reopening of the Pentagon today, under the Pentagon Reservation Plan for Resilience. […]
On June 10, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced five Defense Production Act Title 3 actions to help sustain workforce capabilities that were disrupted by COVID-19. The actions will include funding totaling $135 million. In a statement, Lt. Col. Mike Andrews said that the actions by DoD would “help sustain defense-critical workforce capabilities in body […]
The U.S. Army announced that it would be dividing the CIO/G-6 position into two separate positions: the CIO and the Deputy Chief of Staff (DCS) of the G-6. […]
Nearly three months since Federal agencies were directed to maximize telework, Federal CIOs at a June 11 ATARC virtual conference talked about what the telework experience may mean for the IT workforce of the future – and how agencies may balance newfound efficiencies with the need for human interaction in the workplace. […]
A May 2020 report from the Federal CIO Council on the future of the government IT workforce makes 10 new recommendations to improve the 21st century work environment, including better recognition for employees doing a good job and revamping the hiring process. […]
Just over two months after the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, officials at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) credit the legislation with expediating the acquisition process to ease the telework transition. […]
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) entered phase one of its reopening plans on June 1 for its offices in the National Capital Region – D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia – a spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk. […]
Keith Bluestein is set to be appointed CIO at the Small Business Administration (SBA), knowledgeable sources confirmed today. […]
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is looking to hire its next chief statistician – a position that has been vacant since January. […]
Federal CIO Suzette Kent said today the rapid IT transformations that have taken place over the last two months of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic should serve as a proof point for what the Federal government is capable of going forward. […]
The CIOs of the Agriculture (USDA) and Transportation (DoT) Departments said today that workforce productivity trends have been stable or improved since both agencies turned to large-scale telework in March to combat spread of COVID-19. […]
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, was joined by a bipartisan group of senators to introduce legislation that would expedite staffing for the special pandemic recovery watchdog that oversees trillions in taxpayer funded pandemic relief. […]
The Professional Services Council (PSC) said in a press release that it applauds the inclusion of contractor-focused provisions with the House’s latest coronavirus response bill released yesterday. […]
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is advancing Federally-funded research on COVID-19 including research using supercomputers to run simulations. […]
General Services Administration (GSA) Deputy CIO Beth Killoran said at a May 7 GSA webinar that the agency is looking ahead to the “potential opportunity” to boost the Federal government’s IT workforce after the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. […]
Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton, D-Va., introduced legislation on May 5 to protect annual leave for Federal employees who have been working to aid the Federal response to COVID-19. […]