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Federal News Countdown: Digital strategy, IT reform progress

Trey Hodgkins, the senior vice president for national security and procurement policy, and "In Depth" host Francis Rose count down the top federal news stories ...

Francis Rose

May 25, 2012 5:19 pm

< a min read

Today’s guests on the Federal News Countdown:
– Trey Hodgkins, senior vice president for national security and procurement policy
– Francis Rose, “In Depth” host

Trey Hodgkin’s
#3 Senate cybersecurity bills snagged on ‘fundamental’ differences
From Nextgov:

The chances for bipartisan agreement on sweeping cybersecurity legislation appeared slim on Tuesday, as top Republicans in the Senate said that fundamental differences remain. The Cybersecurity Act of 2012, which is backed by the White House and Senate Democratic leaders, has been stalled by opposition from a group of Republican committee leaders who say that the bill gives Homeland Security officials too much authority over certain private networks.

#2 Chinese Counterfeit Electronics ‘Flood’ U.S. Military Aircraft: Senate Report
From Defense News:

More than a million Chinese counterfeit electronic parts are estimated to be in use in U.S. military aircraft, according to a U.S. Senate report released May 21 saying the discovery jeopardizes safety and national security. The Senate Armed Services Committee said its year-long investigation launched by Democratic chairman Carl Levin and ranking Republican John McCain uncovered 1,800 cases of bogus parts, including on the U.S. Air Force’s largest cargo plane, special operations helicopters and Navy surveillance planes.

#1 GAO: Fed IT reform plan is incomplete
From Politico Pro (subscription required))

The Obama administration has prematurely declared victory on several key elements of its flagship strategy to reduce waste and streamline IT, says a federal technology watchdog.David Powner, the director of IT management issues for the Government Accountability Office, is planning to tell a Senate panel Thursday that more needs to be done to fully implement different aspects of the White House’s 25-point IT Reform Plan – despite word from OMB that targets have already been met.

Francis Rose’s stories
#3 White House looking for a few ‘bad asses’ to kick-start 5 projects
From Federal News Radio:

The White House is trying to bring a start-up mentality to the government by recruiting coders, programmers and other experts to work on five projects for six to 12 months as part of the new Presidential Innovation Fellows program.

#2 OMB unveils ambitious digital, mobile strategy
From Federal News Radio:

The Office of Management and Budget laid out an ambitious plan to institutionalize and standardize the mobile evolution. In its Digital Management Strategy released today, the administration set 29 different goals for agencies with deadlines for each over the next 12 months, including the creation of a FedRAMP for mobile effort and a new innovation center run by the General Services Administration.

#1 OMB directs agencies to cut 5 percent from 2014 budgets
From Federal News Radio:

The Office of Management and Budget released two memoranda late Friday providing guidance to agencies on their fiscal 2014 budgets. OMB Acting Director Jeffrey Zients advised agencies that the Budget Control Act of 2011 will continue to “constrain discretionary spending.” Agencies will need to cut their budgets even more than the guidance provided in the 2013 budget.