I think it's important to fight on all fronts, big and small. I think that is how we get though this, we band together and we do what we can.
Over the past year, it's been a privilege to work on legal briefs, make declarations and piece together the evidence of the administration's illegal decisions and actions.
I still believe the civil service should serve the people and not be reduced to a political tool for enabling corruption.
It's been a year and I am still fighting. I think dismantling 18F was a small, petty part of a large, systematic injustice. And since that day, we have only seen more and more of the administration's cruelty and capriciousness.
You can kill the product but not the idea - today, 160 Congressional co-sponsors introduced a bill to bring back the IRS’ much beloved free tax filing product, Direct File.
www.theverge.com/policy/88522...
Though this hasn't received much news coverage, we're sharing in case our community is interested in reading the report in full. Link in 🧵.
As we hit the one year anniversary of DOGE's start (and the subsequent disruption that followed), there still is a lot we don't know about its activities across the government.
I have been tracking what I can here dogetrack.info and will continue to update editorial content and data this year too
This is why you start a project by listening to users and the people who have been doing the work. If you’re too arrogant to listen, you will miss the point and solve the wrong problem. Thanks again Matt!
ICYMI: This weekend, we published the @wired.com guide to digital opsec for teens (tho it applies to pretty much everyone!) We hope you and the kids in your life will read it and stay safe out there. No paywall! @lhn.bsky.social and JP Aumasson report: www.wired.com/story/digita...
The "DOGE is gone" articles are clickbait but this one gets it closer to the truth: DOGE is not gone, it just claims to have "no centralized leadership" anymore -- in other words, its leadership is hiding in an attempt to avoid blame.
Thank you for putting in your skill and attention into making digital experiences better for the whole public. I also hold out hope for a future where the government wants to build quality services.
Thanks for carrying on and not giving up!
The administration has pulled the plug on IRS Direct File, a tool that helped eligible taxpayers file for free. This decision comes despite Direct File’s immense popularity with its users.
Our friends at @usdigitalresponse.org are hosting the 2025 Digital Service Champions Awards to recognize folks doing great work in #civictech. Nominations close this Friday, October 10. ⏳
Government awards: usdr.link/champions-government
Individual awards: usdr.link/champions-individual
"The inspector general’s office for the General Services Administration ... said it will look at the impact of several DOGE-backed projects at GSA—including its mass termination of government leases and its decision to shutter its tech office 18F."
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for posting!
New legislative branch data map courtesy of the Congressional Data Task Force & Congressional Data Coalition: github.com/LibraryOfCon... kudos Steve Dwyer + @americalabs.org
#opengov #opendata
Shot: "The last [18F] report urged the courts to 'start small.'"
Chaser: "In mid-2022, the administrative office awarded a five-year, $298 million contract to General Dynamics Information Technology."
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/u...
Many of us did work for him before. Either on 18F special projects, or for COE. 18F was fully prepared to work with the administration again— for the good of the American public— until we were illegally fired.
The resignation letter that the government does not want you to see
"Young stressed that those working on digital tools within the federal government 'have a responsibility to the security and privacy of the public.'" @not-young.bsky.social
This week, I’m honoring the State Dept foreign and civil servants whose service was cut short. No one can take away their impact.. in every flag they stood beside, the rooms where diplomacy took shape, and the global ties they built. We will feel this loss for years. Images from my last visit.
The Ku Klux Klan Acts (passed in 1870 & 1871 to protect 14th amend rights) were particularly focused on masked gunmen who violated the civil rights of Black people. We should remember this history when masked law enforcement ofcrs are deployed in our communities.
open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...
Does it come with steel toe boots? All I can think of is this landing on my toe.
A top House Democrat is asking Microsoft for information about a DOGE staffer's GitHub account connected to whistleblower allegations of sensitive data leaving the National Labor Relations Board.
“Systems break and it takes days to fix them because no one is left who knows how,” they said. It’s making modernization projects take longer because of time dedicated to “putting out fires” where “the guy who knows how to fix it is gone.”
www.nextgov.com/modernizatio...
When it comes to handling sensitive systems and data, we believe government officials should follow best practice and the law—and we said so. (Text in🧵)
I talked to Fedscoop about how 18F is fighting back against DOGE’s dangerously naive approach to efficiency and security.
fedscoop.com/radio/lindsa...
