Transcripts For CSPAN3 Hearing On Modernizing Government Inf

Transcripts For CSPAN3 Hearing On Modernizing Government Information Technology - Part 1 20240712

Cspanstore. Org. Next, a look at efforts to modernize Information Technology across government agencies. The House Oversight subcommittee hearing includes the chief Information Officers from the governmental accountability office, the office of Personnel Management, the white house budget office, and the education department. This is about 2 1 2 hours. Begin in 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. Welcome, everybody, to the subcommittee on government operations. And our 10th hearing on fitara. Before we begin, pursuant to house rules, most members today will appear by webx remotely. Since some members are appearing in person, or at least this member is, let me remind everyone that pursuant to the latest guidance, all individuals attending this hearing in person must wear a face mask. Im dropping mine only to speak. Members who are not wearing a face mask will not be recognized. Let me also make a few reminders for those members appearing in person. Youll only see witnesses appearing remotely on the monitor in front of you. When they are speaking in what is known as webx active speaker view. A timer is visible in the room directly in front of you. For members appearing remotely, i know youre familiar with webx by now, but let me remind everybody about a few points. First you will be able to see each person speaking during a hearing whether theyre in person or remote as long as you have your webx set to active speaker view. If you have any questions, Contact Committee staff, and they will try to be helpful. Second, we have a timer that should be visible on your screen when youre in the active speaker with thumbnail view. Members who wish to pin the timer to their screens should Contact Committee staff for assistance. Third, the house rules require that we see you, so please have your cameras turned on if youre on remotely on webx during this hearing. Fourth, members appearing remotely who are not recognized should remain muted to minimize background noise and feedback. Fifth, ill recognize members verbally, but retain the right to seek recognition verbally in regular order. Members will be recognized otherwise in seniority order for questions. Lastly, if you want to be recognizedout outside of regular order, you can be identified in several ways. You can use the chat function. You can send email to majority staff. Or you can unmute yourself to seek recognition verbally, though thats the least preferable way to do it. Obviously we dont want people talking over each other. I will begin with my Opening Statement. Mr. Hice, you are on remotely. Yes, sir, im here. Okay. Were glad youre there. I know youre in selfquarantine, and i i know youd prefer to be here physically, but i am really glad we have the hybrid remote option so that you can participate fully in todays hearing and hope everythings going to be okay. And ill call upon you as soon as i finish my Opening Statement for any remarks you may have. Today marks the 10th hearing examining agencies of the federal reformat known as f fitara. Im happy to announce that this steady oversight has produced the first scorecard in which all agencies received a passing grade. This achievement is a testament to the hard work of federal agencies chief Information Officers and also a testament to, i think, this committee and subcommittees steady and bipartisan oversight of fitara since we enacted it in 2014. This isnt just about passing grades. These grades represent taxpayer dollars saved, better Mission Delivery and serving the nation more effectively and efficiently. And during this pandemic, weve come to realize how vital good i. T. And strong i. T. Governance are to federal government and the people we serve. And we certainly have seen limitations because of lack of i. T. Investment, whether it be with the Small Business administration or the struggles of the irs to provide personal checks to all citizens and dependents in america. Weve also seen limitations in the unemployment systems in the 50 respective states. So, it underscores how important these investments and this kind of improvement really are. In november 2014 when we first introduced the fitara scorecard rkts i said i hoped this would be a second in the series of Committee Hearings our agency hopes to gauge the transformative nature of fitaras reforms. Five years later, the benefits of continued oversight are clear and one would be hard pressed to find sustained bipartisan Congressional Oversight Initiative on its 10th installation. These 24 agencies have made real improvements on the scorecard, and i think were putting it up over there on that screen. Over a period of time. In the november 2015, the average fitara grade was a d across all participating agencies. This year, for the first time, no agency received a d, and no agency, of course, received an f. As i said before, these improvements represent Vital Services delivered and dollars saved. Among the fitara scorecard categories with the greatest impact is the i. T. Portfolio review process known as portfolio stat. This process enables agencies to reduce commodity i. T. Depending and demonstrate how i. T. Agencies align with the business function. Portfolio stat went from helping federal agencies save 3 billion in fiscal 2015 to 20 billion this fiscal year. When the software was added to the list, 21 out of 24 agencies received an f grade for that metric. Now 23 out of 24 agencies have as and have an inventory of Software Licenses and use that inventory to make costeffective decisions and avoid duplications. Federal agencies are also closing and consolidating more data centers, resulting in significant cost agencies. 4. 7 billion in cost savings from fis sal years 2012 through 2019. Those agencies have also reported plans to save more than 264 million in this fiscal year alone. At the very first fitara hearing, a witness stated that i. T. Is no longer just the business of the cio. Rather i. The is everybodys business. Never has this been clearer than in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic where i. T. Has saved thousands of lives by enabling people to telework and keep the government and economy running while preserving their own health and safety. Weve seen first hand how the agencies that continued to use outdated i. T. During the pandemic prevented the delivery of Government Services when the public needed them most. Back in 2015, i caution that the fitara scorecard was not to be considered a Scarlet Letter but a point in time snapshot to be able to measure progress and incentivize it. Five years and tense scorecards later, were now at a point in time where all agencies have received passing grades. The first time ever. Fitara 10. 0 marks the point at which we can reflect on five years worth of progress. Initially the fitara scorecard consisted of four metrics including data center consolidation, i. T. Portfolio review saving, incremental project development delivery, and Risk Assessment transparency. Since then, the scorecards success has led this subcommittee to incorporate other aspects of federal i. T. Into the grades. Our framework is not rigid, but like the best of i. T. , it evolves. We augmented and changed the scorecard to examine other key components such as Cyber Security and incorporated constructed feedback from agencies and cios. Today the scorecards grades adapt frd three additional pieces of legislation including the megabyte act, the modern sizing Government Technology act and the federal Agency Security management act. The bottom line is that the fitara scorecard continues to hold agencies accountable and show the American People that they deserve the best i. T. Has to offer. Yet all agencies still have work to do. Today, 2 3 of graded agencies of cios report directly to the head or deputy of the agency. Its true that more cios are finally getting a seat at the table with other c suite positions. But well hear today none of the 24 graded agencies have established policies that fully address the role of the cio as called for my federal law and guidance. We must continue to work to ensure that all cios excuse me have the authority and policies in place to be able to properly do their jobs. This hearing will discuss which existing metrics have achieved their goals and which might need to be considered for retirement. Well also start a careful discussion about what metrics might be incorporated in future scorecards to continue to improve i. T. Across the government. In other words were going to continue this scorecard. Today, i hope to hear from our witnesses in gao about what it takes to continuously improve and use i. T. Acquisition and Management Practices to do that. What powers and authorities might cios in government need to improve government i. T. . And in return what transparency will be provided to congress and the public to ensure the new powers are effective. We must consider to see the dividends for resources toward modernizing legacy systems, migrating to the crowd and strong posture. With the coronavirus, the states for effectively implementing fitara are perhaps higher than ever. When executed well, government i. T. Modernization can ensure the efficient delivery of critical services, improve the governments knowledge and Decision Making and save lives. When executed poorly, it can unfortunate unfortunately lead to outright failures in serving the American People when they need the government the most. Simply put, the fate of the Worlds Largest economy, its no exaggeration to say, rises and falls with the ability of government i. T. Systems to deliver in an emergency. The importance of federal agencys effective use of i. T. Is too great to ignore, and this subcommittee will continue its oversight of agencys i. T. Acquisition and management as we move forward. With that, i call upon the Ranking Member for his Opening Statement. Thank you, chairman conley, and thank you for holding this hearing today on the 10th fitara scorecard. As you well know, this is literally been a bright spot of bipartisan work for this committee. And i look forward personally to continuing to see the development of the scorecards usefulness as it relates to federal i. T. Reform. I also would like to take just a moment and give a shoutout of thanks to the outgoing federal chief Information Officer suzette kent. Shes been extremely dedicated in her service is deeply appreciated. As you well know, enhanced cio authority is one of the pillars, literally, of the fitara, the whole system. And ms. Kent has just done an outstanding job with her leadership and enthusiasm to really help drive some of the i. T. Modernization efforts that have been outlined in the president s management agenda. So, were grateful for her leadership and service and hope to continue to build upon the initiatives that she has championed. But as you shared, chairman, we are here today to discuss the 10th fitara scorecard. Agencies have really made tremendous progress, as you well mentioned, over the past five years, and i wantfive years. I want to congratulate them on their dedication to improve the i. T. Procurement and management processes. A job well done. Some of the things we have seen and accomplished over the last several years include, as you mentioned mister chairman, savings of literally billions of dollars. We have increased transparency for risky i. T. Investments. And of course, the elevation of the sea i owe position and authority within the agency. For all these successes, we are very grateful for what has been done. Obviously, there is more yet that needs to be accomplished. I would suggest some of those things we need to continue to update the metrics so that they better and more effectively match the i. T. Management and implementation practices that are actually being used today. I also think it is imperative that we, as a committee, put in place the right kind of incentives to bring about i. T. Modernization and scale as it relates to the pandemic. I think this is really highlighted to us and exposed the heavy reliance that we have on some legacy systems and some longstanding technology problems. We need to find ways to get agencies to move the needle on some of these crucial issues. I think lastly, we need some forward looking metrics to help modernize government as a whole. I think some of those things would include, moving forward as it relates to citizen experience. I think you actually referred that mister chairman and i think its important we move in that direction. Enhancing the skills of the federal i. T. Workforce. I think we need to continue looking towards, and also just overall, moving towards a more agile and secure Cloud Computing environment. All these things i think are extremely important, that we keep moving towards them. So i look forward to hearing from our witnesses today. I want to thank them all for being here today. We appreciate your time and expertise that you will bring to the table. With that mister chairman, i will yield back. Thank you, sir. Thank you mister hice. I also want to thank you personally. You and i have talked about this, this subcommittee has always had a strong bipartisan thrust, especially on this subject. I worked closely in writing fitara and expanding on it will and having these hearings on the scorecard as well as with mr. Meadows, now chief of staff to the president of the United States. Youve pledged to do the same and i very much appreciate that and look forward to continue going to work with you i hope youre okay and healthy in georgia. Thank you for your remarks. Miss harris, if you would unmute yourself in order to be sworn in. It fired three witnesses who are here in person would rise and raise the right hands. Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god . Let the record show that all of our witnesses answered in the affirmative. Without objection, your written statements will be part of the record. I now call on carol harris, director of i. T. Management issues at the Government Accountability office to give us her summary testimony. Welcome miss harris. Thank you chairman connolly. Ranking member hice and members of the subcommittee. I would like to thank you and your excellent staff for your continued oversight of federal ip management in cybersecurity with this tent set of greats. It hasnt been nearly five and a half years since fitaras enactment and your scorecard has served as a good barometer to measure progress of its implementation. During this time period, the agencies have made significant progress. In this latest scorecard there is one a, nineties and 14 seas. As you mentioned, this is the first scorecard in which all 24 agencies received a passing grade. This is huge considering only seven agencies at passing grades in the first scorecard. In addition, the agency with the greatest transformation has been the department of education. Moving from in f to a b . I will focus my remarks on a look back on the progress made since scorecard one. Where things stand now and where we need to go. First, Agency Progress made. I will start with Incremental Development. A number of major i. T. Projects utilizing Incremental Development has increased from 58 to 76 . In addition, the level of transparency on the dashboard has improved with 61 of Major Projects being reported as red or yellow as compared to 24 with the first scorecard weve also seen dramatic improvements in the agencies management of Software Licenses, going from two a to 23. To date, the agencies have also closed more than 630 data centers and saved just shy of 20 billion dollars through portfolios that initiative. The progress made in all of these areas would not have happened to this extent without your score card and oversight. While these accomplishments are indeed noteworthy, significant actions remain to be completed to bailed on this progress. This brings me to my new point my next point where we are at. One third of the agencies cio still are not reporting to the agency head cio of told us this reporting structure is critical in carrying out the responsibilities. It gives cios a seat at the management table and will help attract more qualified individuals to these positions overtime. In addition, about half of the agencies have not established working Capital Funds for use in transitioning from legacy i. T. Systems roughly 80 of the over 90 billion dollars spent annually on federal i. T. Is on operations and maintenance including aging legacy systems. Establishing these funds are so critical so that the savings from Software Licenses, data optimization and portfolios that can be reinvested in agency i. T. Modernization priorities. If each of these agencies did these two things, the grades will be for a, b and five c. These grades are achievable by the next score card we remain concerned by obese current guidance which revised the classification of data centers and Data Center Optimization metrics. For example, onbs new data Center Definition excludes more than 2000 facilities that agencies previously reported on many of these excluded facilities represent what onb itself has identified as possible Security Risks. The changes will likely slow down or even halt important progress agencies should be making to consolidate, optimize and sec

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