The federal government continues to face challenges in recruiting a skilled cybersecurity workforce, amid heavy private sector demand and obstacles built into the hiring process, but there are some recent signs that longstanding efforts to improve the situation are starting to pay off. At a Thursday hearing of the Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Innovation subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee, panel chairwoman Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) called attention to recent cybersecurity workforce "sprint" at the Department of Homeland Security. "I want to commend Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas for making enhancing the cyber workforce the second of DHS's 60-days cyber sprint," she said. "By prioritizing this aggressive approach, Secretary Mayorkas has made meaningful progress in reducing significant cyber vacancies at the department while taking additional steps to address the shortage of cyber professionals nationally."