Last week's dozens of USDS cuts hit teams in product management, design and sourcing. Kamens and other sources told Wired that he was the only person on the USDS engineering team to be fired. He and others speculate that he was targeted as he was publicly critical of Doge a few weeks before the USDS cuts. Doge did not return a request for comment on his removal.
All large IT systems need to be protected from hacking threats, but Kamens said that the most urgent project he was working with VA containing sensitive personal data from veterans was the most vigilant of the system. It states that it can only be stored and expanded in the part where it is. More powerful controls to limit who has access to which information. Understanding how data flows through systems, limiting access to reduce risk from network intrusions, and insider threats have emerged as a critical security priority for any organization.
“My biggest concern, trying to deal with time at VA related to personal health data and personal information, PHI and PII, ended where they weren't supposed to be,” Kamens said. I say it. “And in my opinion, our access control was OK, but it wasn't as strong as it should be. That means there's enough granularity to control who has access to which data. It means not to think about it.'' He was at the forefront of addressing these concerns. At present, there is a high risk of stalling.
The USDS cut, which affects VA cuts and veteran agents, are still in sight. However, in addition to potentially hampering initiatives to improve digital security, this reduction could affect the effectiveness and reliability of digital protections currently in place.
Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat and vice-chairman of the Senate Approximate Budget Committee, held a virtual press conference Wednesday with her recently concluded former federal workers in the state. One Rafael Garcia is a veteran of the Disabled Army who worked as a VA's management analyst.
“We have coordinated IT system access to ensure that all team members have the right tools,” Garcia said during the event. “I managed critical compliance and operational management while maintaining constant communication with stakeholders across the country,” he said, “We are It also serves as a strict reminder that the federal government is dismantling its central support system for veterans and vulnerable communities.”
On his part, Kamen, who spent his career in the private sector before USDS, says he has come to love government jobs, making it difficult to find another job as rewarding.
“The day after I took office, there were these interviews where we all had an affair with the people at Doge,” he says. “One of me, one of them asked me to explain what I'm doing in the VA, and then “If you're doing all that work, why do you two?” You don't work in the private sector that you can make a lot of money?” And I said, “Because I don't care about money. I care about serving veterans. ”
“I think it really tells the fact that someone asked me that question at all.”
