Quick Hits

*** Xavier Becerra, formerly a U.S. Representative from California and his state's attorney general, was confirmed on a 50-49 vote to become secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) was the only Republican vote for Becerra. The sprawling agency is a key part of the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. HHS employs more than 76,000 federal workers and spends $6.6 billion annually on IT.

*** The Senate confirmed Ambassador William Burns to serve as director of the Central Intelligence Agency on Thursday on a voice vote. Burns said the widespread hack linked to flaws in SolarWinds software was a "very harsh wake-up call…for all of us about vulnerability of supply chains and critical infrastructure in both the private sector and the public sector in this country" during his confirmation hearing in February.

*** Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced three new research programs from the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) designed to help protect the energy grid. Programs focus on supply chain analytics, workforce development and protecting against electromagnetic pulse attacks and geomagnetic interference events.