Author Archive
Natalie Alms
Staff Reporter, Nextgov/FCW
Natalie Alms is a staff reporter at Nextgov/FCW covering federal technology policy, service delivery, customer experience and the government's tech workforce. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University and has written for the Salisbury (N.C.) Post. Connect with Natalie on Twitter at @AlmsNatalie.
Acquisition
Connolly presses EPA on air quality IT with new bill
Legislation the Virginia Democrat introduced Tuesday would codify watchdog recommendations to assess decades-old systems at the EPA.
- By Natalie Alms
Exclusive
Emerging Tech
Mace sponsors bill to push CBP to use blockchain at the border
Customs and Border Protection has already been doing research into how the tech could be used for its mission.
- By Natalie Alms
Digital Government
House passes GSA transparency bill to track tech projects
Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said he introduced the bill to respond to the agency's misrepresentations about the capabilities of the government-run digital identity service Login.gov.
- By Natalie Alms
Cybersecurity
US advances on cyber goals amid rapidly changing threat environment, White House says
Cyber challenges in U.S. crosshairs include ransomware, AI, supply chain attacks and commercial spyware. A new version of an implementation plan might help address them.
- By Natalie Alms and David DiMolfetta
Digital Government
States get streamlined access to Treasury’s Do Not Pay system for unemployment
The move comes as federal agencies have worked with states to combat the rise in jobless aid fraud following the pandemic.
- By Natalie Alms
Artificial Intelligence
Here’s how the government’s AI and tech hiring surge is going so far
Federal civilian agencies are aiming to hire 500 feds with AI expertise in fiscal year 2025.
- By Natalie Alms
People
Goodbye degree requirements? Biden administration pushes skills-based hiring for tech talent
The Office of Personnel Management announced on Monday that it will be reworking the policies around the 2210 job series — which covers most government tech employees — to be more skills-based.
- By Natalie Alms
Digital Government
IRS considers future of Direct File pilot
The agency hasn’t decided if it’ll field the program long term but does say that user feedback of the tool has largely been positive.
- By Natalie Alms
People
Login-dot-gov gets new leadership
Dan Lopez, Login’s director since 2022, will be taking on an advisory role inside the Technology Transformation Services at GSA.
- By Natalie Alms
Acquisition
House panel advances bill to make federal contracting easier to understand
The Plain Language in Contracting Act would require agencies to use easy-to-understand language for certain procurement notices pertaining to small businesses.
- By Natalie Alms
Policy
Bipartisan group looks to push IRS towards simpler math error notices
The IRS MATH Act would require the tax agency to send more specific, straightforward notices when it corrects simple math errors on tax returns.
- By Natalie Alms
Featured eBooks
Acquisition
New rule cements sustainability mandate for federal buyers
A new update to the Federal Acquisition Regulation is meant to help the government meet goals for net-zero procurement by 2050.
- By Natalie Alms
Exclusive
Digital Government
30,000 died in fiscal 2023 waiting for disability decisions from Social Security
SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley sat down with Nextgov/FCW recently to talk through the agency’s biggest challenges, including how it delivers disability assistance.
- By Natalie Alms
Digital Government
100,000 have used IRS Direct File to submit their tax returns
The agency has not yet determined whether the pilot program for the tool will be extended into a permanent offering.
- By Natalie Alms
Cybersecurity
HHS removed Login from its grantee payment system after funding theft
Hackers used data from a federal contracting hub to steal funding from seven grantee organizations in an HHS breach that occurred last year. Both HHS and GSA say that Login.gov was not compromised or connected to the theft.
- By David DiMolfetta and Natalie Alms
Digital Government
GSA to pilot face matching technology this summer for Login
The agency is also rolling out a new pricing model for agencies that want to use in-house single sign-on.
- By Natalie Alms
Digital Government
White House, Senate Democrats tout new $1.4B anti-fraud proposal
Among the efforts that would see funding under the sweeping proposal are a new “early warning system” for fraud in government benefits.
- By Natalie Alms
Exclusive
Acquisition
Mace sponsors bill to ban educational requirements for government contractors
The bill tracks with ongoing bipartisan efforts to push the government towards skills-based hiring.
- By Natalie Alms
Digital Government
The Labor Department wants Congress to help to fix unemployment insurance tech, delivery
Among the asks: fund the program adequately, the Labor Department says.
- By Natalie Alms
People
DHS names a new CISO
Hemant Baidwan will be in charge of securing DHS information technology systems.
- By Natalie Alms