Digital Government

Inside efforts to capture federal data after ‘the big takedown’

America’s Data Index aims to serve as a “weather forecast” on the state of government data.

Trump’s 'big, beautiful bill' directs Treasury to find a replacement for Direct File

The IRS debuted Direct File — which enabled taxpayers to file online with the agency for free — as a pilot in 2024 and it received largely positive reviews from those that used it.

VA is overlooking accessibility requirements when procuring IT, watchdog says 

VA’s Office of Inspector General said the agency “did not establish a control environment that makes accessibility a priority” when it acquires new systems.

Portal of federal employment metrics to get a facelift, OPM announces

The announcement comes months after the removal of race and ethnicity data from the statistics about federal employees.

Mass layoffs likely to remain blocked, for now, thanks to a Supreme Court footnote

The Trump administration is cheering a SCOTUS ruling and its impact on the federal workforce, but attorneys on a key reduction-in-force case say its impact on feds is currently limited.

SSA head wants to beef up agency tech as it sheds thousands of staff

Some experts are skeptical that technology can make up for staffing losses in critical parts of the agency.

Lawmakers spar over DOGE as Republicans look to lock in cuts

Republicans again blocked an attempt to subpoena billionaire and former DOGE leader Elon Musk.

Lawmakers propose digital delivery option for GI Bill documents

Bipartisan legislation seeks to provide veterans and their beneficiaries with the ability to receive electronic correspondence about their GI Bill education benefits. 

IRS isn’t sufficiently checking the performance of its identity proofing vendor

The identity validation service, ID.me, is the only option for taxpayers looking to access the more sensitive online services offered by the IRS.

Civic tech leaders worry DOGE is ‘tarnishing’ its tools to improve government

USDS, the White House team DOGE took over in January, was a flagship civic tech organization. Six months later, civic tech is figuring out what’s next.

Trump guts Biden-era digital identity policies, citing false claims about immigrants

The rollback of policies that were intended to help counter fraud comes even as the Trump administration says that fighting fraud is a top priority.

Exclusive

Direct File is 'beloved by its users,' internal IRS report says

The IRS is reportedly ending the Direct File, but a report obtained via the Freedom of Information Act says that 94% of users rated their experience as “excellent” or “above average.”

VA now has ‘100% visibility’ into its software license inventory, official says

Jeff VanBemmel, director of end user operations at VA’s Office of Information and Technology, told lawmakers that the department’s total inventory of software licenses includes 4,433 commercial off-the-shelf products and another 224 software-as-a-service offerings.

GSA, Salesforce agree to major Slack discounts for government

The General Service Administration announced another cost-savings offering through its OneGov effort.

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.