Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va., is calling for Congress to revive and modernize the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) scorecard, while also prioritizing federal cybersecurity, cloud security, and technology modernization programs when Democrats take control of both chambers in January.
In an statement to MeriTalk following the Nov. 3 midterm elections, Walkinshaw said Congress needs to restore agency accountability through a revamped scorecard that reflects emerging technology priorities, including artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity.
“For nearly a decade, the FITARA scorecard held agencies accountable for modernizing their technology and saved taxpayers billions of dollars. Since the last scorecard in 2024, agencies have lost a powerful incentive to improve,” Walkinshaw told MeriTalk.
“Moving forward, Congress should develop a modernized modernization scorecard that incorporates emerging priorities such as AI adoption and heightened priorities such as cybersecurity,” he said.
Walkinshaw won reelection to Virginia’s 11th Congressional District on Nov. 3, as Democrats secured control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections.
Enacted in 2014, FITARA was designed to improve federal IT acquisition and management by increasing transparency into technology spending, strengthening agency chief information officers’ (CIOs) authority, and holding agencies accountable for modernizing outdated systems.
The FITARA Scorecard grades the 24 largest federal agencies on their progress across a range of IT-related categories. The House Oversight Committee traditionally held semiannual hearings to review agencies’ grades, which were compiled with input from the Government Accountability Office.
That oversight process broke down in 2023 when the Republican majority on the House Oversight Committee decided not to continue the scorecard hearings.
In response, the late Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., a co-author of FITARA and former ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, independently released scorecards and hosted roundtable discussions with agency representatives to review the results.
However, no FITARA Scorecard has been released since September 2024.
Walkinshaw, who previously served as Connolly’s chief of staff, is advocating an updated approach rather than simply reinstating the previous grading system.
A modernized scorecard could assess agency AI adoption, cybersecurity performance, legacy IT modernization, and technology spending, while renewing congressional attention to CIO authority and accountability.
Beyond the FITARA scorecard, Walkinshaw identified three additional priorities for the incoming Congress: revisiting the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), investing in the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF), and rebuilding the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
FedRAMP, which Congress codified into law in 2022, provides a governmentwide approach to assessing and authorizing the security of cloud services used by federal agencies. The General Service’s Administration is modernizing FedRAMP through its FedRAMP 20x initiative, which uses automation to streamline cloud security authorizations.
The TMF funds agency technology modernization projects. However, the program faces an uncertain future, with its authorization extended through Dec. 11 and approximately $240 million in unawarded funding as of an earlier 2026 estimate.
Meanwhile, CISA has lost roughly 1,000 employees – about one-third of its workforce – since early 2025, raising concerns about its ability to fulfill its cybersecurity mission.