Aguilar Secures $10 Million for Key Cyber Initiative
The House of Representatives passed H.R. 2740, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Defense, State, Foreign Operations, and Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2020. The bill includes Rep. Pete Aguilar’s provision to appropriate an additional $3 million in funding for the Department of Defense (DoD) Cyber Scholarship Program, bringing funding for the program for the upcoming fiscal year to $10 million. The increase in funding will allow more students to participate in the program, which granted 40 scholarships to students in 2018, including to two students at California State University, San Bernardino.
“Our national defense is increasingly in need of a strong cyber workforce, and the DoD Cyber Scholarship Program is an important tool to help us build that workforce in communities like the Inland Empire. I’m proud that we’ve been able to grow this program over the past few years, and to continue giving more students the opportunity to contribute to our national security and gain the skills that will help them remain competitive in the 21st century economy,” said Aguilar.
“These programs are critical to defending our nation in cyberspace. These resources are critical for not only our nation but our region,” said Dr. Tony Coulson, Director of the Cyber Security Center at California State University, San Bernardino.
As Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Aguilar has consistently advocated for the Cyber Scholarship Program, passing increases for the program in 2018 after successfully passing an amendment to restart the scholarship program in 2017. In 2018 the OPPORTUNITY ACT, Aguilar’s legislation to connect students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) with the Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship Program, was signed into law by President Trump.
