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.
Digital Government
Digital park passes could become reality under a new legislative proposal
The new, bipartisan recreation-focused package is aimed at cutting red tape around national parks and public land, its backers say.
- By Natalie Alms
Modernization
SSA restructures tech shop to center on the CIO
Be on the lookout for a vacancy announcement for the SSA CIO position.
- By Natalie Alms
Acquisition
Reorganizing government acquisition for the digital age
The General Services Administration recently reorganized its Federal Acquisition Service, eliminating its regional structure, a move its commissioner Sonny Hashmi says is already yielding positive results.
- By Natalie Alms
People
DHS aims to cut another 10M hours of paperwork
Within the newly formalized DHS Customer Experience Office, “our biggest challenge is that the demand far outstrips the supply,” said its leader, Dana Chisnell.
- By Natalie Alms
Artificial Intelligence
The people problem behind the government’s AI ambitions
As agencies move to fulfill requirements laid out in Biden’s AI executive order, workforce gaps remain “one of the biggest barriers” according to a White House official.
- By Natalie Alms
People
White House announces new acting cyber director, as nominee awaits Senate vote
Drenan Dudley, the deputy national cyber director for strategy and budget, will helm the ONCD until the Senate confirms a permanent leader.
- By Natalie Alms
People
Biden’s cyber director nominee clears Senate committee
As Biden’s pick for national cyber director — Harry Coker — makes his way through the Senate, the current acting director nears her last day.
- By Natalie Alms
Digital Government
Login-dot-gov is 'fraudulent,' says House Republican gunning to defund 18F
Texas Republican Pete Sessions said 18F “misled and lied to the government” about the credentialing service’s capabilities .
- By Natalie Alms
Digital Government
Labor Department calls on states to reevaluate unemployment benefit accessibility
Access to unemployment has been declining and differs drastically across demographic groups. The Labor Department is urging states and territories to do something about it in new guidance.
- By Natalie Alms
Digital Government
Labor Department to use TMF to build a retirement ‘lost and found’
The registry will enable people to search for private employment retirement, group health and other welfare benefit plans that still owe them benefits.
- By Natalie Alms
Breaking News
People
IRS taps new CIO
The current acting CIO of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Rajiv Uppal, has been selected to take the top tech post post at the IRS — the latest in a series of leadership changes in the CIO shop at the tax agency in recent months.
- By Natalie Alms
Featured eBooks
Digital Government
OMB previews tech accessibility guidance
Federal Chief Information Officer Clare Martorana said coming guidance will focus both on external- and internal-facing government tech.
- By Natalie Alms
Digital Government
IRS hits key digitization goal months ahead of schedule
Although Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen plugged progress in IRS efforts to tame paper in the agency, she also emphasized that “playing politics with IRS funding is unacceptable.”
- By Natalie Alms
Digital Government
USDA hopes more data access will improve states’ SNAP delivery
The Agriculture Department is also working to help states address card skimming and other persistent problems in the SNAP program.
- By Natalie Alms
Cybersecurity
ICE’s ‘outdated and overly permissive’ device policy left the agency vulnerable, watchdog warns
A spring audit of agency mobile devices found several banned and outdated applications installed on personnel and contractor smartphones.
- By Natalie Alms
Artificial Intelligence
On the heels of Biden's executive order, agencies get White House directive on implementing AI
Agencies will be on the hook for tapping chief AI officers, adding risk management practices to AI like independent evaluations and more.
- By Natalie Alms
People
OPM head previews coming cyber and IT hiring flexibilities
The personnel agency is also gearing up to recruit AI workers into the government as part of a talent surge called for in the recent AI executive order.
- By Natalie Alms
Cybersecurity
The cyber workforce gap is growing
Despite a significant increase in the number of people entering the cyber field in 2023, demand is still far outpacing that supply.
- By Natalie Alms
Digital Government
CX proposal clears Senate committee
The legislation targets “high-impact” government services for streamlining and improvement.
- By Natalie Alms
Acquisition
White House looks to ramp up contract spending with small disadvantaged businesses
Last year, the federal government awarded small disadvantaged businesses over 11% of contracting dollars. Now, it’s aiming for 13%.
- By Natalie Alms