IT Expected to Take a Hit in Sequestration

All federal government hiring stops as sequestration goes into effect, with new training and bonuses also requiring “increased scrutiny” under guidance from the Office of Management and Budget.

Though federal agencies have been preparing for months for this game of chicken between the president and Congress to materialize, many thought it wouldn’t really happen, and figuring out what it all means isn’t that easy.

Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel told Federal News Radio that the effects of sequestration will be felt across government and it will probably bring any technology upgrades to a halt. Said VanRoekel:

“IT is a part of almost everything we do nowadays and from a cut perspective, if you are looking at across-the-board cuts, there isn’t just a category that says IT. It’s ingrained in our mission….”

“It’s ingrained in the way we interface with citizens and how we do the work inside of government. It’s thinking about cuts as programs get cut as other things get cut, IT will definitely be swept in that to some degree. …”

“IT is definitely part of almost all of those things, on the people side, the contracting side, the implementation side, the mission side and everything else.”

The cuts will position the Defense Department’s Cyber Command to fail, according to Nextgov. Though the salaries of uniformed personnel will be retained, their civilian peers will be furloughed for one day a week starting in April.

Those who remain will be more focused on dealing with the cuts, the story says. Defense must cut every program’s budget by about 8 percent.

Jim Lewis, a researcher with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, however, said last fall that the impression that our guard is down could be more of a threat than the reality.

The effects of sequestration are expected to also filter down to affect contractors and subcontractors, especially small businesses that do business with the government, reports Federal Computer Week.