House subcommittee hears sharply divided views on federal IT modernization and USDS changes

The House Oversight and Reform Committee's Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation met to review federal IT modernization efforts and the administration's reorganization of the U.S. Digital Service into an entity repeatedly called DOGE during the hearing. Chairwoman Mace opened the panel by saying an "important role of this subcommittee is to ensure proper management of federal technology," and urged discussion of what has worked and what still needs fixing.

Why it matters: Modernizing federal IT affects how benefits, national security and day-to-day government services are delivered and secured. Witnesses and members agreed on the need for sustained funding and technical expertise, but testimony diverged sharply over whether recent agency reorganizations and staffing changes have advanced modernization or damaged critical systems and data protections.

The witnesses included three former federal CIO leaders and a former agency technologist. Maria Roat, identified at the hearing as a former U.S. deputy federal chief information officer, described modernization as an enterprise problem that requires multi-year funding, mission alignment, and portfolio governance. Margie Graves, former deputy federal CIO, told the panel the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) has produced concrete upgrades across…