On March 10, 2021, Jeremy Grant was quoted in the Washington Post on the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, which includes nearly $2 billion in funding to secure and improve aging government technology that has crippled efforts to disperse relief to struggling Americans.
According to the article, the legislation includes $650 million for the Department of Homeland Security's cybersecurity agency for its operations to defend the United States against cybersecurity risks. It also includes $1 billion for the General Services Administration's Technology Modernization Fund, which awards funding to federal agencies seeking to update and secure their technology systems. The bill also boosts U.S. Digital Service by $200 million and the Federal Citizens Service Fund by $150 million, two other government organizations that support the modernization of government systems.
Experts say that the challenges met in implementing the stimulus emphasize that an overhaul of government technology is long overdue. “If you’re trying to deliver services digitally and securely you need secure infrastructure to do that,” says Grant. “The idea in 2021 that when most in-person transactions have basically become impossible, that you can adequately respond to a pandemic without secure digital infrastructure is a fallacy," he added.
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