“The Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) would get a $1 billion funding increase in President Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Act, according to a preliminary draft of the Senate version of the legislation obtained from sources by MeriTalk. The Senate will debate its version of the legislation this week.”
“In addition to the sharp rise in TMF funding, the bill would provide another $1 billion of funding for cybersecurity and IT-related spending for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the U.S. Digital Service, and the General Services Administration (GSA).”
TMF Funding Gets New Life
“According to the Senate legislative draft, the $1 billion of new funding for TMF – which exists to fund Federal agency IT modernization projects and requires repayment of awards – would remain available until September 2025. The draft language mentions no possible changes to the fund’s existing repayment structure.”
“The $1 billion of TMF funding offered in the Senate draft is a far cry from the $9 billion proposed by President Biden in January but would still represent a historic increase for the fund, which debuted with $150 million of funding but has since received $25 million in new funding in each of the past three fiscal years…”
Cyber, IT Improvement Funding
“The preliminary Senate legislative draft for the American Rescue Act hews much more closely to President Biden’s original proposal to increase funding for the following Federal cybersecurity and IT-related programs:
- The draft offers $650 million to CISA for “cybersecurity risk mitigation,” with that funding to remain available through September 2023;
- It provides $200 million for the U.S. Digital Service – a technology unit with the Executive Office of the President that provides IT consultation services to Federal agencies – with that money to remain available through September 2024; and
- The draft offers $150 million to GSA for the Federal Citizen Services Fund, with that funding to remain available through September 2024…” Read the full article here.
Source: TMF Gets $1 Billion Funding Bump in Senate Relief Bill Draft – By John Curran, March 1, 2021. MeriTalk.
