Federal tech modernization gains $50M in Consolidated Appropriations Act

President Joe Biden has approved the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which allocates $50 million for the Technology Modernization Fund aimed at supporting IT modernization efforts in federal agencies, reports FedScoop. Such an allocation for the fund represents a steep decline from the Biden administration's initial request of $300 million and the Alliance for Digital Innovation's call for at least $100 million in funding. The TMF has been leveraged by various federal agencies since it was given a $1 billion infusion under the American Rescue Plan. Numerous other software and technology modernization efforts have also been funded under the enacted omnibus legislation, which will provide $138 million to the Justice Department for information-sharing technology development and deployment, as well as $11.1 million to the Treasury Department for data processing equipment, software, and service development and acquisition initiatives. The U.S. comptroller will also be required by the law to report on cybersecurity challenges impacting government devices.