Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act of 2021

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1097) to establish a Federal rotational cyber workforce program for the Federal cyber workforce.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1097, the Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act. The bill was introduced by Senator Peters with bipartisan support here in the House

with the companion legislation introduced by Representatives Ro Khanna and Nancy Mace.

The Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act enables cybersecurity professionals in the Federal Government to rotate through assignments outside of their regular position or agency on a voluntary basis.

The Office of Personnel Management would establish guidelines for the implementation of the program. The program would be authorized for 5 years, and after 3 years, the Government Accountability Office would assess its operation and effectiveness.

Achieving cybersecurity in response to the threats the Nation faces was identified in GAO's latest ``High Risk List'' as an area where the government is actually regressing. GAO reported that Federal agencies are struggling to ensure that staff have the skills required to address the critical cybersecurity risks that continue to intensify.

The program this bill creates allows the government to have its security employees to further develop their skills and agencies across the government to benefit from the employees' expertise.

Recent cyberattacks in both the private and public sectors have demonstrated the dire consequences of failing to improve the Federal Government's cybersecurity operations.

We know that adversaries in Russia, China, and other malign actors, state and nonstate, are consistently working to breach the U.S. Government's communications and data. Unfortunately, at times, they have been all too successful. In the 2020 SolarWinds breach, for example, Russian hackers infiltrated the networks of nine Federal agencies and went undetected for months.

This bill goes a long way toward improving Federal agencies' capacity to strengthen cybersecurity operations, help them retain top talent in that field, and facilitate the exchange of expertise in this critical area.

The security of Federal information technology systems and data is a national security priority, and it ought to be. It is essential to preserving public trust in government institutions and ensuring that agencies are better equipped to meet their missions in serving the American people.

I strongly support the bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I inform the House I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague from South Carolina for her leadership on a very important matter, and I urge passage of this important piece of legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Government is under constant attack. We watch news story after news story of private companies being attacked by hackers across the country and, quite frankly, across the world. But our Federal agencies are also vulnerable.

Malicious hackers try to steal sensitive public information and disrupt the missions of our Federal agencies. In fact, in 2020, there were 11 Federal agencies that were hacked by actors aligned with countries like China and--you guessed it--Russia. And all too often, these malicious actors are successful.

My colleague, Representative Ro Khanna, and I recognized this reality and crafted the House companion bill legislation to the Senate bill we are considering today. That companion bill is H.R. 3599.

The Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act continues the Trump administration's efforts as laid out in the ``America's Cybersecurity Workforce'' executive order. This executive order promoted cyber rotational details at the Department of Homeland Security. Such programs help Federal cyber experts gain more diverse professional experiences and continue to sharpen their skills.

Our Nation's cyber readiness depends on maintaining a skilled Federal workforce to defend against constant attacks. Specifically, this bill establishes an additional governmentwide rotational opportunity for cyber-focused professionals.

The bill has necessary congressional oversight mechanisms, such as a requirement for a detailed operational plan and a future Government Accountability Office review. This will help Congress understand if the program is running as intended. Additionally, a 5-year sunset will provide Congress an opportunity to evaluate the program and decide whether to renew it for future years.

I thank my House and Senate colleagues for their work on this bipartisan bill, which builds upon the cyber workforce efforts of the prior administration, and I encourage my colleagues to support S. 1097 and send this necessary bill to the President's desk.

To any teenager who loves to code out there today, I encourage all of you to look at cybersecurity jobs and opportunities in your near future because we will need you in our workforce.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, now more than ever, the cyber workforce of our Federal agencies needs to be well equipped to address the constant threats we face.

By expanding cyber rotation programs under this bill, we will help Federal agencies gain valuable experience and share best practices across the government.

I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I wish to submit to the Senate a budget scorekeeping report. The report, which covers fiscal year 2022, was prepared by my staff on the Budget Committee and the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 308(b) and in aid of section 311 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, as amended. This information allows the Senate Budget Committee to determine if budgetary points of order lie against pending legislation.

The report shows the effect on spending and revenues of congressional action through September 15, 2022, as compared to the levels the Senate agreed to in the budget resolution for fiscal year 2022, S. Con. Res. 14. Since my last scorekeeping report on April 28, seven laws with significant budgetary effects have been signed by the President, and I have revised the levels in the budget resolution two times for legislation.

The Democratic staff of the Budget Committee prepared tables 1 and 2. Table 1 compares the mandatory spending of each authorizing committee against the enforceable allocations under section 302 of the Congressional Budget Act. It shows 10 of the 16 authorizing committees are in compliance with their allocations, either because no legislation with significant budgetary costs was enacted or the legislation qualified under the budget resolution for an allocation adjustment. Most of the spending above allowable levels is attributed to either the CHIPS Act of 2022 or the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022.

Table 2 shows the Senate pay-as-you-go--PAYGO--scorecard tallying enacted legislation with significant effects on mandatory spending and revenues. The scorecard shows a savings of $4.7 billion in 2022, a deficit of $174 billion over the 2022-2026 period, and a deficit of $528 billion over the 2022-2031 period. When compared to the allowable amounts on the PAYGO scorecard last adjusted on September 12, there is a deficit of $1.3 billion on the scorecard for 2022, $185 billion over the 2022-2026 period, and $667 billion over the 2022-2031 period.

In addition to these tables, I am submitting a letter from the Congressional Budget Office with further detail. For fiscal year 2022, current budgetary levels are within allowed amounts. Current law budget authority is $2.6 billion below the maximum allowed in the revised budget resolution, outlays are $17 billion below the allowed maximum, and revenues are $68 million above the allowed minimum. The tables also show that there has been no net change for Social Security.

I ask unanimous consent that the letter and accompanying tables from CBO be printed in the Congressional Record.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 177, S. 1097.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.