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Federal IT spending in 2024 request up by 13% in part thanks to cyber, CX plans

March 14, 2023 spending, federal, part, request, plans, Cyber, Thanks, 20240 comment

The White House plans to ask Congress for $ 74 billion in federal technology spending for civilian agencies in fiscal 2024. What is significant about that number isn’t the fact it’s a 13% increase over the 2023 request, rather it’s the specific detail the Office of Management and Budget lays out for what that increase will go toward. The most obvious breakdown is in cybersecurity spending. The Biden administration wants to increase spending to secure federal networks, applications and data to $ 12.7 billion, a 13% increase over the prior…

Revived bills would alter feds’ payment obligations during shutdowns, federal first responders’ pensions

March 6, 2023 Revived, bills, Shutdown's, Feds, pensions, obligations, Alter, first, payment, would, responders’, federal, during0 comment

Lawmakers revived a host of bills this week that would impact the federal workforce, through changes to payments, retirement benefits and more. The Federal Employee Civil Relief Act, for one, would let federal employees and contractors postpone certain types of payments during government shutdowns, or if the government defaults on its debt. Specifically, feds would get a 30-day cushion, after a government shutdown ends, before they would have to make payments on loans and other types of financial obligations. Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), who reintroduced the…

White House $1.6B COVID fraud plan gives federal watchdogs increased staffing

March 2, 2023 federal, increased, Covid, $1.6B, watchdogs, staffing, Fraud, House, gives, White, plan0 comment

The Biden administration is asking Congress to give federal watchdogs and prosecutors more funding — and more time — to go after billions of dollars in COVID-19 spending lost to fraudsters. The White House is seeking $ 1.6 billion to help federal law enforcement and agency inspectors general handle a growing caseload of pandemic-related fraud claims. The spending request issued Thursday previews some of what the Biden administration will include in its fiscal 2024 budget proposal, which it expects to release next week. It also includes many of the recommendations…

This group says the federal government, for all the auctions, is still a spectrum hog

February 22, 2023 government, This, group, Spectrum, auctions, says, still, federal0 comment

A technology trade association is urging Congress to update the law that lets the [Federal Communications Commission (FCC)] auction off radio spectrum held by the government. In fact, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation basically said the government continues to hog much spectrum that could be more efficiently used by industry. For details, Federal Drive with Tom Temin spoke with Joe Kane, ITIF’s Director of broadband and spectrum policy, Joe Kane. Interview transcript: Tom Temin It seems like we’ve been talking about spectrum for 25 years now. Joe Kane Yeah,…

What the FAA messaging system debacle said to all federal contractors

February 2, 2023 System, Said, federal, Contractors, 'Messaging', debacle0 comment

Few people heard of the FAA’s NOTAM system until it crashed and brought aviation to a standstill earlier this month. The FAA blamed a contractor for accidentally deleting files, such that the system failed to synchronize. The Federal Drive with Tom Temin next guest says the incident speaks to all contractors about the need to supervise their people. Federal sales and marketing consultant Larry Allen joins me now. Interview transcript: Tom Temin Somebody wasn’t watching the watcher or something broke down here in a procedure, Larry, the files were deleted.…

Omnibus silently endorses 4.6% pay raise for federal employees in 2023

December 20, 2022 endorses, raise, federal, employees, 2023, Omnibus, silently, 4.6%0 comment

For federal employees, the most significant part of the $ 1.7 trillion omnibus spending package that Congress unveiled this week may not be contained in the text of the legislation itself, but rather found in what’s not said. The 4,155-page bill, which House and Senate lawmakers released in the early morning hours of Dec. 20, doesn’t make any reference to the 4.6% across-the-board federal pay raise, in effect silently endorsing the Biden administration’s proposal for 2023. The bill additionally supports a 4.6% pay raise for military members in 2023. But…