U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) led a bipartisan call last week for action on a bill to modernize the federal government’s information technology (IT) capabilities while curbing wasteful spending and improving cybersecurity.
The government spends $80 billion on IT per year, and more than three-quarters of that amount is spent on maintaining outdated, vulnerable systems, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports. The Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act, S. 990 and H.R. 2227, would reinvest savings from updating outdated “legacy” systems into further modernizing federal IT infrastructure and cybersecurity.
The House version of the bill, introduced by U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX), was approved on a voice vote on May 17. In a letter to leaders of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Moran called for swift action on the Senate version of the measure.
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), a supporter of the bill who signed the letter, said the 12 years he spent working in the tech industry has given him firsthand knowledge of cyber threats and the need to modernize IT.
“We have seen in recent years attacks on private business and governments that have crippling effects,” Daines said. “It is more important now than ever to pass this important bipartisan legislation and bring the government into the modern era.”
Moran noted even more recent attacks and that threats of hacking, espionage and cybercrime have escalated since the bills were first introduced.
“This month we saw a worldwide ransomware attack that impacted hundreds of thousands of computers in more than 150 countries,” Moran said. “Protecting our data has never been more important. By bringing government IT systems into the 21st century, not only can we strengthen the security of our data, we can save billions of taxpayer dollars by reducing long-term wasteful spending.”
The MGT Act would authorize working capital funds within federal agencies. Savings that agencies realize from streamlining IT systems, replacing outdated systems and transitioning to cloud-based computing would be placed into these funds to support further modernization efforts within the agency.
The measure would also establish a centralized modernization fund within the Treasury Department. A board of IT experts would administer the funds across the federal government.
Also signing the letter were U.S. Sens. Tom Udall (D-NM) and Mark Warner (D-VA).