Author Archive

Natalie Alms

Staff Reporter, Nextgov/FCW

Natalie Alms
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. If you have a tip you'd like to share, Natalie can be securely contacted at nalms.41 on Signal.
Digital Government

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.

Digital Government

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.

Exclusive Artificial Intelligence

Senate Democrats want more information on SSA’s use of AI on its phone lines

A new letter sent to the SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano follows Nextgov/FCW reporting that an anti-fraud check installed on the agency’s phone lines found very little likely fraud.

Digital Government

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.

Digital Government

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.

Digital Government

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.

Modernization

Workforce cuts could complicate IRS goal to modernize in the next two years

Agency leaders say they want to complete the “vast majority” of its modernization efforts within the next couple of years.

Digital Government

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.

Cybersecurity

CISA’s executive director is leaving the agency

Bridget Bean had been with CISA for over three years, during which time she also briefly served as the acting director of the cyber agency.

Digital Government

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 Digital Government

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.”

Modernization

Trump administration debuts permitting modernization plan, even as staff cuts could jeopardize it

The new plan builds on Biden-era work, but how implementation goes during Trump-era workforce reductions remains to be seen.

Modernization

Trump budget wants agencies to contribute unobligated funds to TMF

Here is what the budget request includes for the Technology Modernization Fund, Federal Citizen Services Fund and more.

Policy

White House budget request includes $45 million in additional DOGE funding

The request would support an estimated 150 full time employees, 80% of whom would be paid out of agency reimbursements, rather than DOGE-specific funds.

People

Fired GSA 18F employees appeal to have jobs reinstated

The Trump administration has endeavored to streamline the agency’s contracting and procurement processes while putting in mechanisms to shed its workforce.

People

VA-based DOGE associate gets ‘the boot’ after publicly discussing his work

Sahil Lavingia detailed in a personal blog how the reality of hunting inefficiencies at the Department of Veterans Affairs was not what he had expected.

Modernization

Labor cancels unemployment modernization grants for states

The grant dollars — which the agency has been doling out since Congress allocated funding for fraud and access work in 2021 — don’t align with department priorities anymore, Labor says.

People

New SSA chief praises DOGE for ‘making things better’

Frank Bisignano said he has no current plans to institute further reductions in force and hopes to use AI to make the historically sluggish Social Security disability determination processes move faster.

People

More than 2,100 GSA employees have accepted deferred resignations

Combined with those employees that have been impacted by reductions in force, the losses amount to nearly a quarter of what the agency’s workforce totals were last fall.