“Federal agencies got a huge influx of cash through pandemic-related stimulus bills, much of which was either disbursed through government IT systems or used to enhance agency technology capabilities. But, as with all federal IT delivery, this has not always gone smoothly.”
“The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act approved spending $2.4 trillion to help the nation through the COVID-19 pandemic, almost all of which was disbursed through federal programs, or used directly to support agency operations.”
“The federal oversight community is tracking this spending, and the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency—made up of inspectors general from across government—released an initial report identifying unique and common challenges agencies have faced managing this huge pot of money.”
“’Given the amount of money at issue, the need to distribute aid quickly, and the use of grants and loans to disburse funds, effectively managing the programs funded by these bills presents a significant challenge to many executive branch agencies,’ the report states. ‘Moreover, these same factors increase the risk of fraud and misuse of these funds.’”
“IGs from 37 agencies contributed to the final report from the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, which broke the common challenges into four ‘key areas of concern,’ including IT security and management.”
“’CIGIE previously has identified information technology security and management as a long-standing, serious, and ubiquitous challenge that impacts agencies across the government, highlighting agencies’ dependence on reliable and secure IT systems to perform their mission-critical functions,’ the IGs wrote.”
“’These concerns remain a significant challenge, but are impacted by (1) widespread reliance on maximum telework to continue agency operations during the pandemic, which has strained agency networks and shifted IT resources, and (2) additional opportunities and targets for cyberattacks created by remote access to networks and increases in online financial activity…’” Read the full article here.
Source: 37 IGs Report on Agency Tech Challenges Related to $2.4 Trillion COVID Relief Package – By Aaron Boyd, June 19, 2020. Nextgov.
