House Committee on Oversight and Accountability leaders from both sides of the aisle introduced new legislation today to expand and strengthen the Federal Acquisition Security Council (FASC) and give it more authority to keep adversarial technology out of Federal government tech supply chains.
The FASC was established under the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act of 2018 and is an executive branch interagency council chaired by a senior-level official from the Office of Management and Budget.
It includes representatives from the General Services Administration; Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and the departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Defense, and Commerce.
The FASC is currently authorized to perform a variety of functions, including making recommendations for orders that would require the removal of covered articles from Federal information systems and the exclusion of covered articles from Federal procurement actions.
The FASC Improvement Act of 2024 – introduced today by House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill. – aims to improve the council’s ability to protect the Federal supply chain from nefarious entities owned by foreign adversaries by excluding such entities from procurement processes or removing them from Federal information systems.
“This bipartisan bill provides the Federal Acquisition Security Council with the teeth and resources it needs to protect the federal supply chain from technology companies and products owned or controlled by a foreign adversary. We look forward to moving this bill through the Oversight Committee this week to ensure protections for the federal supply chain and agency information systems,” said Rep. Comer.
Specifically, the bill would create a standardized process for Congress to direct the exclusion or removal of sources of concern from the Federal procurement system by authorizing the FASC to issue binding orders.
It would also expand the FASC’s focus to include acquisition security more broadly and require the FASC to proactively monitor and evaluate certain covered articles for ongoing risk.
“We have bipartisan consensus that protecting our nation’s supply chains is key to national security. This legislation takes an important step to protecting the federal government against the purchase of products and services from our foreign adversaries. It will help address any vulnerabilities in our technology infrastructure and guard against national security threats,” said Rep. Raskin.
The FASC Improvement Act also would strengthen the governing structure of the council by moving it into the Executive Office of the President and elevating FASC membership requirements. The legislation would reallocate currently authorized appropriations to establish a FASC program office within the Office of the National Cyber Director which will provide operational, legal, and policy support.
“Building supply chain resilience is an essential step in strengthening both our economy and our national security. Our bipartisan legislation will enable the Federal Acquisition Security Council to protect the federal supply chain from foreign adversaries and help mitigate supply chain disruptions in the future,” said Rep. Krishnamoorthi.
