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.
People
Dozens of employees at U.S. DOGE Service dismissed
Personnel from Elon Musk's efficiency service were the latest to be dismissed.
- By Natalie Alms
People
GSA to cut at least 100 employees, feds inside the agency say
Employees within the agency’s Technology Transformation Services received calls from supervisors Wednesday informing them of their impending dismissals.
- By Natalie Alms
People
OPM reveals new details about its CIO
Greg Hogan joined the agency a day into the Trump administration, replacing a career official that had been named to the position a week prior.
- By Natalie Alms
People
Trump orders agencies to plan for widespread layoffs and attrition-based hiring
The order tasks agencies to work in conjunction with Elon Musk’s DOGE to dramatically reduce government capacity.
- By Eric Katz and Natalie Alms
Digital Government
OPM skirted agency norms in assessing the privacy of its new email system
Anonymous federal employees filed a lawsuit alleging that the new email system could be placing their sensitive personal information at risk.
- By Natalie Alms
Digital Government
Senate Democrats call for DOGE to halt until details are provided
The letter to the White House chief of staff and counsel notes that some of billionaire Elon Musk’s actions via DOGE “may be illegal or unconstitutional.”
- By Natalie Alms
People
Musk’s DOGE efforts pose a ‘constitutional crisis,’ experts warn
Elon Musk has spent the first two weeks of the Trump administration parachuting into government offices, leaving extensive — and some say legally prohibited — changes in his wake.
- By Natalie Alms
Digital Government
Musk's role as ‘special government employee’ raises ethics questions
The SpaceX founder and CEO's moves across federal agencies break with tradition and could result in legal action.
- By Natalie Alms and Nick Wakeman
People
Trump administration opens the door to politicize government tech executives
“This sounds like another method of censorship and control of the federal career workforce,” one former government tech executive said of a Tuesday memo issued by the Office of Personnel Management.
- By Natalie Alms
Digital Government
Musk takes aim at GSA tech shop
Elon Musk posted on X that the 18F team behind the IRS Direct File program has been “deleted,” though one staffer told Nextgov/FCW they were still able to work at the time of publication.
- By Natalie Alms
Exclusive
People
As the Trump administration gathers names of recent hires, some are being asked to justify their jobs
New federal workers are the easiest to fire and the administration is gathering information on their names, backgrounds, roles and performance.
- By Eric Katz and Natalie Alms
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Musk visits and asserts growing influence at GSA
Musk has former employees installed at the government’s HR shop, and several have appeared at its acquisition, tech and real estate agency as well.
- By Natalie Alms
People
Musk visits OPM following workforce assignments for DOGE
Amanda Scales, a former employee of Elon Musk’s AI company, was recently tapped to be the chief of staff at OPM.
- By Natalie Alms
People
Gregory Barbaccia named federal CIO
The Palantir alum has also served in the Army and as an intelligence analyst.
- By Natalie Alms
People
GSA announces new FAS, TTS leadership
The new leaders are interested in working with Elon Musk’s DOGE.
- By Natalie Alms
Artificial Intelligence
Trump signs AI executive order
The order calls for the development of an AI action plan and sets up a process for revoking actions taken under President Biden’s previous AI executive order signed in October 2023.
- By Alexandra Kelley, Frank Konkel and Natalie Alms
Exclusive
People
U.S. Digital Service employees are being re-interviewed under DOGE transition
Some employees who were in the U.S. Digital Service already when it became part of the DOGE fear the interviews are an assessment of their loyalty.
- By Natalie Alms
People
OPM’s new CIO replaced on second day of Trump administration
Greg Hogan will serve as the new CIO for the personnel agency, following Melvin Brown II’s one-week stint in the role.
- By Natalie Alms
Digital Government
Trump signs order setting up DOGE with a focus on government tech
Trump is wielding — and renaming — the US Digital Service in service of the DOGE.
- By Natalie Alms
Artificial Intelligence
Trump axes Biden’s AI executive order
President Donald Trump vowed to repeal the order during campaigning and in his presidential platform.
- By Natalie Alms