White House Seeks New Tech Exec

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The White House is looking for a new chief information officer, but it's not the job you think of. The Presidential Administration hires a new technical director. This CIO serves as a primary advisor and consultant to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and senior management on all agency IT programs, strategies, and operations. Applications for this senior management position are due February 2.
Later this month, the Federal Aviation Administration will bring its employees to the office more frequently. The FAA has reconsidered its plans to return to its offices after facing resistance from unions. The agency says teleworkers must report to official work an average of four days per two-week pay period. This policy goes into effect on January 28. The FAA gives managers some leeway regarding the exact office requirements of their employees. Last year, the agency planned for its employees to return to the office for at least six days each pay period.
Union leaders refer the issue of salary incentives to the Ministry of Justice. Starting in the new year, retention bonuses were eliminated for about 500 correctional officers at the Federal Bureau of Prisons. But the American Federation of Government Employees and the AFL-CIO are demanding that the 25% wage incentive be reinstated. Union leaders are now calling on the Justice Department to take up the issue. In a letter to the Justice Department's attorney general, the unions warned that eliminating benefits starting in 2021 would lead to significant staff cuts at the federal prison in Thompson, Illinois. A third of Thomson executives have already said they intend to resign if bonuses are not reinstated.
It didn't take long for the former GSA chief to find a new job. Sonny Hashmi, who retired as commissioner of the General Services Administration's Federal Acquisition Service on Dec. 29, has moved into the private sector. He is the head of public sector at Unqork, a software development platform provider. Most of the company's work was done in the private sector, but last year it began working with the Department of Health and Human Services to digitize the office's payroll. Hashmi arrives in Uncork after three years at the helm of FAS. He previously worked in the industry at Box, Xerox and IBM.
Agencies struggle to meet digital accessibility standards. More than three-quarters of agencies that responded to the government's Section 508 assessment struggle to meet technology accessibility requirements. The 2023 assessment results released by the General Services Administration show that less than 30% of major federal and national websites are fully compliant with Section 508 and are more proactive in meeting digital accessibility requirements.
Investors who followed frugal savings plans saw promising returns through the end of 2023. December marked the second consecutive month in which all TSP funds posted positive returns. The S fund, in particular, is up more than 10% over the past month and has returned more than 23% for the year. Fund C, based on the S&P 500 index, had a current return of more than 26% for the year, the highest return for a TSP fund in 2023.
The Marine Corps wants to attract more cybersecurity professionals to its ranks and is offering a new master's program to achieve that goal. It is open only to senior Marines who already have degrees or other certifications in computer science and related fields. Participants selected for the program will be sent to the Naval Postgraduate School to receive training in applied cyber operations for 18 months. Applications are accepted until February 23.
A former IRS watchdog has died. Since 2004, J. Russell George has been Comptroller General of Internal Revenue at the United States Department of the Treasury. During his tenure, TIGTA has helped recover, protect or identify up to $325 billion in savings. George has the honor of being one of the longest-serving inspectors general in the federal government. He oversaw the IRS and served on boards that oversaw emergency spending to combat COVID-19 as well as stimulus spending during the 2008 financial crisis.
Starting in the middle of the year, small companies will be able to consult the past performance of their subsidiaries when participating in tenders for the execution of orders from the Ministry of Defense. The Secretary of Defense has until July 1 to amend the Federal Defense Acquisition Supplement to require agencies to review the industry's past performance. Starting this year, small companies will be able to present their industrial projects that meet the requirements. Currently, purchasing organizations can, but are not required to, evaluate branch performance when working with small businesses.
Researchers call for a more holistic approach to managing cybersecurity and supply chain risks. A report commissioned by the Air Force found that cybersecurity and supply chain risk management are often at odds, and combining the two can only increase cybersecurity risks. There are tradeoffs, researchers say, and understanding them will help the Department of Defense better secure supplies for the defense industry. The report also suggests that private sector cybersecurity management efforts may not be sufficient to meet national security needs.
A major software industry group recommends that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency make significant changes to the way secure software is developed. The BSA Software Alliance said CISA should remove the requirement for CEOs to sign the form. The group also asked CISA to clarify that the form should not be required for software developed under the direction of a federal agency. In December, CISA published a new version of the certification form. Once completed, agencies will use the form to hold software companies accountable for meeting secure development standards.

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