House Reintroduces Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Expansion Act

The public sector is facing a dire and well-documented shortage of cyber talent.

In 2023, experts called for adopting a more skills-based hiring approach as a way to help fill the gaps in the government’s cybersecurity workforce.

During testimony at a June 22 House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection hearing, Will Markow, vice president of applied research at Lightcast, compared shortfalls in the cybersecurity workforce to “missing one-third of an army.”

“We are stepping onto the digital battlefield missing nearly a third of our cyber army,” Markow told the committee, noting that 460,000 new skilled cybersecurity workers are needed to meet employer demand.

The U.S. House of Representatives recently reintroduced a bill designed to help workers develop those skills.

Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) and Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.) introduced the Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Expansion Act, a piece of legislation that “would strengthen the U.S.’ cyber defenses and cybersecurity workforce” by creating two new training programs within the federal government, according to a statement from Houlahan’s office.

One of those training programs would establish a cybersecurity registered apprenticeship program in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). The other would create a pilot program housed in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide cybersecurity training to veterans.

“Reports of cyber attacks continue to rise, and we must respond accordingly to protect businesses, sensitive personal data and ultimately our national security,” Rep. Houlahan said in a statement, noting that security breaches have far-reaching implications such as identity theft and disruptions to business operations, for instance.

“Thankfully, our bipartisan, bicameral bill will help train veterans and other Americans to be the next generation of cyber defense professionals.”

(U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced the Senate companion bill earlier this year.)

As Rep. Houlahan’s statement pointed out, she served on the Future of Defense Task Force, which issued a 2020 report that stressed the need to “develop a 21^st century workforce with the requisite skills and talent to maintain our strategic advantage,” adding that attracting and retaining a diverse group of technical talent “is key to maintaining that advantage and the U.S. remaining competitive in evolving defense apparatuses.”

The “crippling shortage” of cybersecurity is leaving private companies and the government increasingly open to cyber threats, added Rep. Gallagher, in a statement.

“By creating programs that provide veterans with the skills they need to help protect this country in the cyber domain, this bill is an innovative way to bolster our nation’s cyber defenses and strengthen the federal cyber workforce while giving veterans an opportunity to continue serving their country.”