Walkinshaw Calls for FITARA Scorecards to Track AI, Cybersecurity and Modernization

Rep. James Walkinshaw, a Democratic representative from Virginia, is calling for Congress to bring back annual federal IT oversight scorecards modeled on the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA). Speaking at GovExec’s After the Midterms event, Walkinshaw argued that congressional oversight should extend beyond passing legislation to tracking whether agencies implement it. He described the goal as a “modernized modernization scorecard,” reflecting changes in federal technology priorities since the original scorecards were developed. The incoming Congress is scheduled to convene on January 3, 2027; the proposal has not yet been enacted or translated into an agency requirement.

Walkinshaw said the earlier FITARA scorecards helped focus attention on agency implementation, legacy-system retirement and taxpayer savings. He recalled that Congress followed passage of the law with annual assessments, saying, “Congress didn't just pass the bill and say mission accomplished. Congress said we passed the bill and now every year we're going to follow up and make sure agencies are implementing it.” In his view, that approach “bore real fruit,” saved taxpayers billions of dollars and helped retire legacy systems that might otherwise have remained in use. Those statements describe his rationale for renewed oversight; the source does not provide a new savings estimate or specific modernization target.

The proposed expansion reflects concerns that the original measures did not fully capture current technology and security priorities. Walkinshaw said, “When we developed the FITARA scorecards, we weren’t talking about AI adoption in the federal government, and I don’t think we ever quite got to where we wanted to capture cybersecurity metrics and judging agencies against a cybersecurity metric.” A future scorecard could therefore put greater emphasis on measurable AI adoption, cybersecurity performance and modernization progress. For contractors supporting agency IT programs, that possibility points to the value of maintaining clear evidence of outcomes, while not treating the proposal as a new compliance obligation or an announced procurement.

Walkinshaw also connected digital service performance to constituent experience. He said people encounter problems when online services fail to resolve an issue and they cannot reach a person by phone. He cited the Social Security Administration and the Office of Personnel Management as agencies that have largely shifted customer service to digital channels amid workforce reductions, and said that experience makes people “really, really angry.” The comments suggest that customer service could become another area of congressional scrutiny alongside technology implementation. The source does not identify a proposed scoring methodology, implementation timeline, contract vehicle or funding amount. Agencies and industry should view this as an emerging oversight signal, not a binding policy.

• Policy status: Walkinshaw is advocating for renewed annual FITARA-style oversight; no scorecard reboot has been announced as a mandate.
• Potential measures: The proposed approach could add AI adoption and cybersecurity metrics to assessments of IT modernization.
• Modernization focus: Walkinshaw points to the earlier scorecards’ role in encouraging agencies to retire legacy systems and follow through on implementation.
• Digital services: Customer experience and the ability to resolve issues through digital channels may receive more attention in future oversight.
• Agencies cited: The Social Security Administration and Office of Personnel Management were cited in connection with digital customer service.
• Congressional context: The new Congress is scheduled to convene January 3, 2027; the source also notes that the lame-duck session must address a budget bill.
• Contractor action: Federal IT providers can organize evidence of modernization results, cybersecurity performance and service outcomes, without assuming new reporting rules are in force.
• No procurement details: The signal specifies no contract opportunity, funding amount, implementation deadline or scoring framework.
• Historical precedent: FITARA and annual scorecards were developed by Gerry Connolly and Darrell Issa, with FITARA passed as part of the FY2015 National Defense Authorization Act.