Quick Hits: April 15
*** The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs favorably reported the nomination of Jason Miller, President Joe Biden's nominee for the Office of Management and Budget's deputy director for management, to the Senate Floor on Wednesday. Miller worked as an economic advisor during the Obama administration.
"Mr. Miller has an extensive track record of tackling difficult, management challenges and driving innovation both in government and in the private sector," HSGAC chairman Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) said during the markup. The committee also voted to advance Biden's nominee for the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell.
If confirmed, Miller will play a critical role in the president's management agenda, an priority-setting document for government-wide modernization.
*** A group of senators reintroduced a bill on Tuesday that they say will help grow the federal cybersecurity workforce, a segment of employees the government has chronically struggled to recruit and retain.
The bill, which passed the Senate unanimously in the last Congress, would create a civilian rotational program for cyber workers at federal agencies. Proponents say that this type of opportunity would help the government compete in a tight market with industry alternatives that can often provide higher salaries and more benefits.
Homeland Security and Government Affairs Chairman Peters introduced the bill along with Sens. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.).
“Recent breaches of our federal cyber infrastructure, which compromised national security, show that our government needs an integrated federal cyber workforce that has the knowledge and skills to counter increasingly sophisticated threats,” Peters said of the bill.
*** Artificial intelligence leaders from the Defense Innovation Unit, General Services Administration, National Institute of Standards and Technology and Department of Agriculture will present at FCW's April 21 AI Workshop. See the full agenda and register here.