Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act of 2021

Floor Speech

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.

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Ms. MACE. 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.

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