CBP wants to breathe new life into its 30-year-old Automated Commercial System, a mainframe platform that runs on 3.9 million lines of COBOL code to track, control, and process everything imported into the U.S.

They argue the "robust funding" is vital in enabling "federal agencies to better respond to the coronavirus pandemic and future national emergencies as well as meet the urgent economic needs of American families."

Agencies could apply to use part of the $3 billion through fiscal 2022 specifically for "technology-related modernization activities to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus."

GAO has doubts about whether the TMF will be able to recover operating expenses; OMB says don't worry.

The House version of the bill, which passed in June, includes $35 million for the revolving fund.

If the past year is any indication, there are a few items the federal IT community should be closely watching when the budget request drops.