Digital Government
Legislative watchdog rebuffs DOGE efforts to install on-site team
“DOGE’s attempted intrusion into an independent, nonpartisan legislative branch agency is a direct assault on our nation’s sacred separation of powers,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee.
SSA changes phone fraud policies after finding very little fraud
The change follows reporting by Nextgov/FCW about the policy and its contributions to a slowdown in retirement claims processing.
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DOGE went looking for phone fraud at SSA — and found almost none
Since SSA installed new anti-fraud checks on claims made over the phone, only two claims out of over 110,000 were found to likely be fraudulent, according to internal documents obtained by Nextgov/FCW.
Republicans want Treasury to study free tax filing options — again
The reconciliation text being considered by the House Ways and Means Committee includes $15 million for the IRS to study how to give Americans free ways to file their taxes that would replace both the Free File and Direct File programs.
Federal retirement applications to go fully electronic next month
DOGE has touted the announcement as a win, but development and testing for the new Online Retirement Application began under the previous administration, per past budget requests.
Senate Dems press HHS over cuts to suicide lifeline’s LGBTQ+ youth program
A leaked HHS FY26 budget proposal includes a measure to defund the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services pilot program.
Here are the tech takeaways from Trump’s budget proposal
The White House has suggested sweeping reductions to many civilian agencies, though it promises to maintain investments in emerging technologies.
Transportation consolidates IT personnel and decision-making
Two memos document a new organizational structure that establishes the CIO as the point person for all IT activity across the agency’s various subcomponents.
DOGE is building a ‘master database’ of sensitive information, top Oversight Democrat says
Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., is calling on the Social Security Administration’s watchdog to investigate whistleblower claims that the efficiency team is compiling potentially sensitive data across several government agencies.
Trump ‘anti-fraud’ memo could allow SSA to stop paying some Americans’ earned benefits
The document’s publication comes just days after reports that DOGE operatives overruled career workers to falsely label thousands of immigrants as dead.
State-level DOGE work gathers speed
Oklahoma’s new government efficiency unit issued a report on what it has found to cut, while Iowa’s first-in-the-nation effort held its inaugural meeting. But experts say efficiency isn’t just about cutting spending.
Trump builds on Biden efforts to modernize permitting technology
While many praised the effort as common-sense, workforce cuts across government, as well as the administration’s deregulatory efforts, have raised questions about implementation.
How cyber vulnerabilities and workforce cuts threaten the crisis lifeline program
A bipartisan, bicameral measure is hoping to prevent cyber incidents from limiting access to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline after a 2022 attack on a system operator disrupted calls to the hotline.
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Trump likely to propose pay freeze for federal workers in 2026
In OMB’s response to agency budget submissions, the White House budget office told officials to prepare for a freeze on federal civilian pay next year.
GSA preps for layoffs at TTS
The coming reductions in force are the latest in a series of workforce cuts within the Technology Transformation Services.
Experts suggest AI could address FOIA backlogs, even as public records staff are terminated
The number of FOIA requests filed in fiscal year 2024 surpassed 1.5 million, which represented a 25% increase from FY 2023.
Democrats confront SSA about disruptions to constituent SSI accounts
This is the first oversight effort of Senate Democrats’ new Social Security War Room.
DHS cancels S&T grants under a new mission focus for the directorate
The Department of Homeland Security’s national security research subdivision, the Science and Technology Directorate, will stop current grants and refocus its mission priorities.
SSA reorg plan contemplates field office closures, contradicting public statements
A March draft of the Social Security Administration's reorganization plan proposes "consolidating" field offices while shuttling customer service to AI and other automated platforms.
Spending and workforce cuts will harm VA’s modernization work, Democrats say
Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., said cuts across VA are forcing the department “to decide between keeping staff on the floor, and investing in expensive equipment that may sit idle without enough personnel to operate it.”
MIT’s App Inventor can help feds quickly create Android and iOS mobile apps
After struggling for almost six months to become somewhat proficient at Python, I was extremely impressed with how much I could do using the MIT App Inventor platform.
