Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee took aim during a Tuesday hearing at cuts to federal grant and scholarship programs under the Administration’s and House of Representative’s proposed budgets, which they say would negatively impact the already insufficient cyber workforce in the U.S.

“We cannot pretend to be serious about right size in the cyber workforce while at the same time entertaining the administration’s request for massive cuts to programs like the National Science Foundation’s Scholarship for Service,” said Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La. He also questioned the loss of protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients already pursuing technical degrees.

“The administration’s budget request proposed to cut funding for the Cyber Corps for Service scholarship program by a whopping 27 percent from its FY17 levels,” added Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif.

Witnesses before the committee encouraged creative routes to increasing the quality and quantity of cyber education in the country, such as using cyber as a foreign language in high school or encouraging apprenticeship programs with private companies.

“Apprenticeships, not easy,” said Scott Ralls, president of Northern Virginia Community College, explaining that it takes a lot to convince a company to invest time and money into a program that is relatively new for the IT community. “We do have to do more than just talk about apprenticeship, we have to have meaningful programs for apprenticeship.”

According to Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., the House-proposed budget bill would cut funding to Department of Labor apprenticeship grants, though the Senate version of the bill fully funds them.

“Those funds, in Connecticut I can just tell you, have been a really good enticement to get companies that never really thought about getting involved in apprenticeships into doing it,” said Courtney.

Ralls also encouraged the expansion of existing scholarship programs to include two-year colleges, giving students the opportunity to serve the federal government in a cyber capacity without the need to get a full degree. The Cyber Scholarship Opportunities Act of 2017, versions of which have been introduced in the House and Senate, would require that a portion of NSF scholarships-for-service go to students pursuing an associate’s degree.

“Demonstrating cyber knowhow no longer comes in discrete forms such as having a bachelor’s degree or not, or obtaining a cyber certification. Cyber competitions, bug bounty programs, and coding camps are all new forms of workforce development,” said Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas.

“When we think about solutions to workforce and how we learn, we need to be creative and disruptive if necessary,” said Douglas Rapp, president of Rofori Corporation-DEFCON Cyber, who added that the government should reexamine decades-old General Schedule requirements to include new skill sets and training.

Witnesses also applauded government efforts to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act through the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act to give states more flexibility in awarding resources for areas like cybersecurity training.

“The House unanimously passed the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, which allows states to dedicate additional resources towards high-demand fields such as cybersecurity based on changing economic, educational, or national security needs,” said Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky.

59 Senators signed a letter of support for renewing the Perkins Act on October 12, 2017, which provides the bill with a strong likelihood of positive Senate action.


About Jessie Bur

Jessie Bur covers federal IT and management.

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