“The White House tech team that was formed to save HealthCare.gov in 2014 is returning to its roots as a 911 squad for government tech. That’s the message coming out of a planned cut of about $6.75 million to the U.S. Digital Service funding level for fiscal year 2020 — part of an overall $13.5 million reduction to the Information Technology Oversight and Reform budget sought by the administration…”
“‘We’re not trying to sell services. We are not a consulting model,’ Weichert told FCW in an interview. ‘We are a capability that should catalyze new behaviors that ultimately need to take root in the agencies themselves.’”
“That means that USDS, home to a cadre of short-term hires from the tech world serving a maximum of four years, will still be there to put out fires at agencies with pressing problems. But agencies looking to onboard digital services specialists for the long term need to budget for that capability themselves…”
“… The White House requested $8 million for the program, but that could wind up getting reduced slightly in the final 2020 appropriations package, should one pass. Currently, USDS employs close to 180 people, encompassing those based at OMB as well as the Veterans Affairs Digital Service and the Defense Digital Service.”
“The hope is that by putting a price tag on some of USDS services, that will encourage agencies to develop their own native digital service teams, as the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have already done. That in turn will free up capacity so that more agencies can tap USDS personnel for their own needs…” Read the full article here.
Source: USDS budget cut forces focus on core capabilities – By Adam Mazmanian, June 17, 2019. FCW.
