Crenshaw highlights Office of Personnel Management infrastructure concerns in subcommittee hearing

U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) cited concerns with the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) technology infrastructure improvements during a recent subcommittee hearing.

Crenshaw, the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, convened the hearing to explore OPM’s budget request for fiscal year 2017.

OPM acting Director Beth Cobert testified before the committee on OPM’s $321 million budget request.

“The last time (Cobert) appeared before this committee, (she was) on the job for approximately three weeks after OPM was in the headlines for months for a pair of data breaches that compromised the privacy and security of over 21 million people,” Crenshaw said. “These breaches have been described as the largest cybersecurity attacks against the U.S. Government. Now that (Cobert has) been at OPM for more than eight months, I look forward to hearing how the agency proposes to use its funds to strengthen cybersecurity and assist data breach victims.

Crenshaw noted that an OPM Inspector General (IG) report cited “serious concerns” with OPM infrastructure improvements in the wake of the data breach.

“The IG has stated in the 2015 Audit that OPM failed to complete OPM’s major business case plans for capital acquisition, failed to provide the full scope and cost of the project, and failed to explain how legacy applications that are critical to the OPM’s operations will be updated and migrated to the new IT environment,” Crenshaw said. “The committee hopes OPM will adhere to (the Office of Management and Budget’) guidance on planning and budgeting for large IT projects, and we look forward to hearing how (Cobert has) addressed the IG’s concerns to reduce the risk of project failure. We expect OPM to also demonstrate measureable outcomes throughout the lifecycle of the security upgrade.”

Earlier this year, the Obama administration announced that the National Background Investigations Bureau, a new government-wide service provider for background investigations, would be housed within the OPM.

In order to accomplish that, OPM has to shut down its Federal Investigative Services office that currently provides background checks and report to the committee on its progress.

“I’m disappointed that it took numerous requests to provide the committee with a one hour briefing on the bureau only last week and that we have yet to receive the letter,” Crenshaw said. “As such, this subcommittee and the defense subcommittee, with which I am also a member, have many questions about the out year funding for this proposal, lines of authority between OPM and DOD and their IGs, and the potential for fee increases for background investigations which will be borne by the agencies. I hope that you can shed some light on these concerns today.”