WASHINGTON — Firebrand Rep. Lauren Boebert is pushing legislation to bar federal agencies from outsourcing some software services to foreign companies — over concerns about access to sensitive data, The Post has learned.
Boebert’s (R-Col.) bill — dubbed the “Contracting with America First Act” — would apply when 500 or more government employees’ sensitive data is stored on the platform.
“For me, America first, just absolutely means putting American workers first and American companies first, and securing our government systems so that we’re not just reliant on other nations to do core functions,” Boebert told The Post during an interview.
“I think for too long that Washington has really outsourced critical government systems to foreign companies that have cost the American taxpayer billions of dollars and really put our nation at risk.”
Motivating the bill is Boebert’s concerns about the Pentagon’s business dealings with the German-based SAP cloud giant, including a $1 billion Army contract last year.
SAP is one of the most valuable tech firms in Europe and bills itself as “the world’s largest provider of enterprise software.”
However, in addition to being foreign-owned, Boebert charges that the software titan has failed to “deliver basic functions.”
“Foreign organizations like SAP have violated that law and charged our agencies billions of dollars in overages while failing to deliver basic functions,” the lawmaker said in a statement. “American companies can, and will, do better than criminal international companies like SAP.”
SAP and the Department of War declined to comment when contacted by The Post.
Boebert’s bill, which she is set to formally introduce on Friday, bars federal agencies from awarding new contracts, renewing existing ones, or undertaking major upgrades in systems whose majority ownership is outside the US.
The legislation includes a waiver that would allow agency heads to grant exceptions on a “case-by-case basis” if they submit a justification for that exemption to the appropriate congressional committee within 30 days.
“For too long, Washington has outsourced critical government systems to foreign companies that have cost taxpayers billions and put our data at risk,” Boebert said in a statement.
“This bill makes clear federal contracts, especially those that include the storage of sensitive government employee information, should be done by and for the American people,” she added.
“Buy American, hire American, and secure American systems. That’s America First.”
To enforce the measure, agency heads would be required to have the top brass of their vendors certify under threat of perjury that their firm is not an internationally owned software company.
Sensitive personal information covered by the bill includes Social Security numbers, health records, personal identifiable information, and other compromising data on federal workers.
It also encompasses material with potential national security implications.
Boebert said the full extent of Uncle Sam is contracting with foreign software firms for sensitive information is unclear, but stressed that under the Trump administration, “we’ve uncovered a lot of activities with foreign companies.”
The congresswoman also rejected concerns that the measure could increase government bureaucracy and red tape.
“I’m not afraid of having bureaucrats work a little harder, especially to ensure the security of our nation,” she said.
“There’s a lot of rhetoric that, frankly, sounds a lot like indentured servitude. ‘Well, let’s save a few dollars by outsourcing.’ But then we’re also taken advantage of.
“My bill is just really simple: buy American, hire American, and secure American systems. That is America first.”