You can have badges for agencies if you need to go there regularly. The badges are administered by their respective agency. There is a paperwork process for security.

They were probably not considered visitors by GSA at that point. Does your FOIA cover the employee badge data as well? They were signed-in at the desk for the first few weeks, then they got badges.

Opinion | Why This Tax Day Is Even Harder and More Annoying Than Usual Tax preparation companies and Republicans are pursuing their shared interest in torturing taxpayers

“This tax season, as you wade through the absurdly expensive and complicated process of filing income taxes, remember to thank the Trump administration” for killing the Direct File program, Binyamin Appelbaum writes.

Merici Vinton led the team who created Direct File: a free, easy-to-use service that let you file your taxes without being upsold or having your data sent to Facebook. So who wanted it gone? full episode in the profile.

Motion Filed – #01208836172, Att. #1 in National Treasury Employees Union v. Russell Vought (D.C. Cir., 25-5091) – CourtListener.com MOTION [2166449] to modify stay, to remand record, to hold case in abeyance filed by CFPB and Russell T. Vought (Service Date: 03/31/2026 by CM/ECF NDA) Length Certification: 3,486 words. [25-5091] (J...

Court filing shows that CFPB leadership has filed a RIF plan to reduce agency staff from 1174 to 576. I hate all these monsters so much www.courtlistener.com/docket/69821...

I think it's important to fight on all fronts, big and small. I think that is how we get though this, we band together and we do what we can.

Over the past year, it's been a privilege to work on legal briefs, make declarations and piece together the evidence of the administration's illegal decisions and actions.

I still believe the civil service should serve the people and not be reduced to a political tool for enabling corruption.

It's been a year and I am still fighting. I think dismantling 18F was a small, petty part of a large, systematic injustice. And since that day, we have only seen more and more of the administration's cruelty and capriciousness.

Democrats to introduce bill aimed at resurrecting IRS Direct File Democrats want to bring back Direct File.

You can kill the product but not the idea - today, 160 Congressional co-sponsors introduced a bill to bring back the IRS’ much beloved free tax filing product, Direct File.

www.theverge.com/policy/88522...

Cover page of a report. Text reads, "Breaking Government: How DOGE and Trump Cost Taxpayers, Federal Workers, and Public Services. Interim Staff Analysis. Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. U.S. House of Representatives. February 12, 2026. oversightdemocrats.house.gov"

Though this hasn't received much news coverage, we're sharing in case our community is interested in reading the report in full. Link in 🧵.

As we hit the one year anniversary of DOGE's start (and the subsequent disruption that followed), there still is a lot we don't know about its activities across the government.

I have been tracking what I can here dogetrack.info and will continue to update editorial content and data this year too

This is why you start a project by listening to users and the people who have been doing the work. If you’re too arrogant to listen, you will miss the point and solve the wrong problem. Thanks again Matt!

The WIRED Guide to Digital Opsec for Teens Practicing good “operations security” is essential to staying safe online. Here's a complete guide for teenagers (and anyone else) who wants to button up their digital lives.

ICYMI: This weekend, we published the @wired.com guide to digital opsec for teens (tho it applies to pretty much everyone!) We hope you and the kids in your life will read it and stay safe out there. No paywall! @lhn.bsky.social and JP Aumasson report: www.wired.com/story/digita...

DOGE no longer has ‘centralized leadership’ under White House tech team, personnel head says The team that was altered to house DOGE — formerly the U.S. Digital Service — is also still doing its own technology work across agencies.

The "DOGE is gone" articles are clickbait but this one gets it closer to the truth: DOGE is not gone, it just claims to have "no centralized leadership" anymore -- in other words, its leadership is hiding in an attempt to avoid blame.

Thank you for putting in your skill and attention into making digital experiences better for the whole public. I also hold out hope for a future where the government wants to build quality services.

Thanks for carrying on and not giving up!

Direct File won’t happen in 2026, IRS tells states The free service that allowed taxpayers to file online directly with the IRS was used by hundreds of thousands of taxpayers in 2024 and 2025, who gave it high marks — although tax prep companies and R...

The administration has pulled the plug on IRS Direct File, a tool that helped eligible taxpayers file for free. This decision comes despite Direct File’s immense popularity with its users.

Our friends at @usdigitalresponse.org are hosting the 2025 Digital Service Champions Awards to recognize folks doing great work in #civictech. Nominations close this Friday, October 10. ⏳

Government awards: usdr.link/champions-government
Individual awards: usdr.link/champions-individual

"The inspector general’s office for the General Services Administration ... said it will look at the impact of several DOGE-backed projects at GSA—including its mass termination of government leases and its decision to shutter its tech office 18F."

Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for posting!

New legislative branch data map courtesy of the Congressional Data Task Force & Congressional Data Coalition: github.com/LibraryOfCon... kudos Steve Dwyer + @americalabs.org

#opengov #opendata

Federal Courts Slow to Fix Vulnerable System After Repeated Hacking

Shot: "The last [18F] report urged the courts to 'start small.'"

Chaser: "In mid-2022, the administrative office awarded a five-year, $298 million contract to General Dynamics Information Technology."

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/u...

Many of us did work for him before. Either on 18F special projects, or for COE. 18F was fully prepared to work with the administration again— for the good of the American public— until we were illegally fired.

Chuck Borges resignation letter

The resignation letter that the government does not want you to see

How Healthcare.gov’s botched rollout led to a digital services revolution in government The botched rollout of a federal website 12 years ago became a turning point for digital services across government.

"Young stressed that those working on digital tools within the federal government 'have a responsibility to the security and privacy of the public.'" @not-young.bsky.social

Flags representing international countries

The expanding universe fountain in the State Dept courtyard

Diplomacy conference room

Defense of Human Freedoms mural in the State Dept building

This week, I’m honoring the State Dept foreign and civil servants whose service was cut short. No one can take away their impact.. in every flag they stood beside, the rooms where diplomacy took shape, and the global ties they built. We will feel this loss for years. Images from my last visit.

The Ku Klux Klan Acts (passed in 1870 & 1871 to protect 14th amend rights) were particularly focused on masked gunmen who violated the civil rights of Black people. We should remember this history when masked law enforcement ofcrs are deployed in our communities.
open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...