Jason Miller covers civilian agencies in the federal government with a focus on technology and acquisition. He is also an executive editor at Federal News Radio. Jason's reports can be heard Monday - Friday on the Federal Drive and In Depth.

White House employs cross-agency goals to broaden oversight of cyber

Cyber coordinator Michael Daniel released updated goals for TIC, HSPD-12 and continuous monitoring on Performance.gov. He said by adding new goals to the portal, performance improvement officers will pay more attention and influence how agencies meet the targets.

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House committee takes third whack at cyber enhancement bill

The House Science, Space and Technology Committee approved two cybersecurity bills this week. Both bills were approved by the House last term, but never came up for a vote in the Senate. That chamber is considering a comprehensive approach to cyber legislation.

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DHS cyber executive Weatherford leaving

Mark Weatherford, the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) deputy undersecretary for cybersecurity, will leave the agency on April 12 after accepting a job in the private sector.

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DoD defeating IEDs through innovative IT, acquisition approaches

Jim Craft, the CIO of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO), said the culture of taking appropriate risk to get technology to soldiers is making a huge difference in saving lives.
March 14, 2013 (Part two of interview airs March 21, 2013)

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Agencies suffering reductions in services even before furloughs occur

Employees at TSA, CBP and Bureau of Prisons will no longer be able to work overtime. SSA offers its employees a new round of early retirements to deal with budget shortfalls. AFGE continues to press Congress, White House to stop sequestration.

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DoD constructing offensive, defensive cyber teams

U.S. Cyber Command is putting together dozens of groups to defend the military's network, to work with combatant commanders on offensive tactics and to respond to attacks against the nation. Gen. Keith Alexander, however, said budget cuts will delay DoD's ability to recruit and train team members.

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MSPB exonerates Prouty for role in GSA's Western Regions Conference

Paul Prouty, the former GSA Region 8 commissioner, won his appeal of the agency's decision to fire him in the wake of the Western Regions Conference scandal last April. The Merit Systems Protection Board's administrative judge found "no evidence" of wrongdoing by Prouty.

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OFPP tells agencies to get serious about tracking contractor performance

Agencies must meet annual goals between 2013 and 2015 to enter data into the Past Performance Information Retrieval System. Joe Jordan, the administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, said inputting and referring to vendor performance information can reduce risks for agencies.

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Inside the Reporter's Notebook: Barry West returns, two CIOs leaving, Einstein cyber initiative faces delay

Barry West is returning for his fourth gig as a CIO, and three other key technology officials are leaving. Two congressmen want to pressure contractors to pay back taxes.

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Agency cybersecurity deficiencies remain as attacks reach all-time high

Federal agencies reported more than 48,000 cyber attacks in 2012 and continue to struggle to defend their networks, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. Senators are now renewing their push for comprehensive cyber legislation, which would include an update to FISMA.

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House puts damper on USPS plan for 5-day delivery

The fiscal 2013 spending bill doesn't remove the requirement for the Postal Service to deliver first-class mail six days a week. Other provisions in the bill povide a boost in funding DHS cyber, DoD acquisition and VA IT spending.

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Farenthold bill offers way to stop sequestration-related furloughs

The Protecting America's Civilian Employees Act would require the Office of Management and Budget to submit a plan to Congress on how they would cut spending without harming the federal workforce.

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Baker leaving VA a transformed IT organization

Roger Baker's last day as the Veterans Affairs Department's assistant secretary for information and technology and chief information officer is March 8. He said the agency manages and oversees IT much differently than it did four years ago.
March 7, 2013

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CIO Council harnessing growing list of 'world class' IT programs

The CIO Council will add 25 more examples of IT project management excellence to its best practice database. DHS CIO Richard Spires said at the Excellence.gov awards Tuesday the goal of all of these success stories is to share what worked and leave a broader legacy across all of Federal IT.

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Issa asks agencies for alternative sequestration cuts

The chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee wrote to 17 agencies requesting short-term ways to achieve savings instead of the across-the-board cuts expected to start today.

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Graduate School USA bringing EA back into vogue

Brian Moran, a lecturer at the Graduate School USA, is leading an effort to reinvigorate the enterprise architecture curriculum.
February 28, 2013

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OMB directs agencies to stop most discretionary bonuses under sequestration

The administration issued new guidance late Wednesday detailing specific steps agencies should take as sequestration now is one-day away. Danny Werfel, OMB's controller, told agency leaders to place "increased scrutiny" around several personnel issues, including new hires, training, travel and conferences.

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IT reform bill needs to 'beef up' people section, experts say

Rep. Darrell Issa plans to formally introduce the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act before the end of March. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held its second hearing on the draft bill. Current and former federal officials say the bill should place a stronger emphasis on project management and workforce issues.

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Before furloughs, agencies must negotiate terms with unions

Customs and Border Protection became one of the first civilian agencies to notify the union that represents their employees that they want to begin discussing the implementation of furloughs under sequestration. NTEU and AFGE expect to hear from more agencies in the next two weeks if cuts from sequestration go into effect March 1.

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Coburn calls for partial federal job freeze as sequestration nears

The Republican senator from Oklahoma is asking the Office of Management and Budget to require agencies to stop hiring for certain positions. Instead, he would like that funding put towards mission critical jobs that could be affected by sequestration cuts. Coburn, the ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, found 10 jobs listed on USAJobs.gov that he believes could be frozen. He says this would give agencies $1.4 million to spend on positions like border security officers and TSA screeners.

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