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Alt18F

@alt18f.bsky.social

60K followers 120 following 150 posts

Delivered effective, efficient, and secure digital services for the American people until we were forced to stop on March 1, 2025. Not an official government account. Reposts are not endorsements. Our new website: https://18f.org/ #AltGov

18f.org

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · Aug 26

Folks in our community have asked us to comment on “America by Design”—but a site like this largely speaks for itself.

America by Design

A National Design Studio Initiative

americabydesign.gov

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · 17h

🗣️ We're hosting an archival version of "plainlanguage.gov" to help make sure this trusted resource remains available to folks who need it.

plainlanguage.gov | Home

Plain language makes it easier for the public to read, understand, and use government communications.

plainlanguage.18f.org

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · 8d

"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."

Agency watchdog will see if DOGE-led projects improved efficiency

DOGE officials no longer take up residence in GSA’s headquarters. But its legacy on government operations will be a priority for its IG office in FY 2026.

federalnewsnetwork.com

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · 9d

"Bringing new tech into the government requires a deep understanding of how it works at every level, from hiring to budgeting and procurement policy. But ... the DOGE team did not try to understand how the government worked."

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 10d

One in eight federal workers, or some 300,000, will have left the government by the end of the year, and it’s possible even more could be pushed out if the government shuts down next week. In interviews, some former federal workers shared what they left behind and what they face next.

Former Federal Workers on the Cost of Trump's Cuts

The New York Times photographed and interviewed two dozen former federal workers from across the country to get a sense of what they left behind and what they face next.

nyti.ms

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Reposted by Alt18F

Jacob Harris @jacobharr.is · 16d

Hey all, I'm trying a new layout for some tables in DOGE track to hopefully make things a little easier to follow. I'm really liking it, but let me know feedback!

dogetrack.info/agencies/gsa/

General Services Administration

The DOGE staff and activities at the US General Services Administration (GSA).

dogetrack.info

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Reposted by Alt18F

Design Observer @designobserver.com · 25d

When bad design isn’t a mistake, it’s the strategy. The “America by Design” initiative isn’t just a messy website. It redefines design itself, away from accessibility and toward exclusion, erasure, and control. Latest essay by @emcg.bsky.social

Authoritarian by design - DesignObserver

The "America by Design" initiative, issued by the Trump administration, pushes a harmful narrative with questionable visuals

designobserver.com

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · 20d

“I hope that [future administrations] pick the tax work back up where it was, which was a lot of momentum. And I hope they take that same energy across the rest of the government. I’m a firm believer, government can be a force for good in people’s lives."

Direct File died under Trump. Meet the creators planning for its second life

After building the IRS’s free electronic filing tool, the Economic Security Project’s Future of Tax Filing fellows are writing a playbook for it to “come back someday” — and pushing for more.

fedscoop.com

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Reposted by Alt18F

Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · 28d

Are you a civil servant looking for resources? Protect Democracy put together this curated list to help you navigate attacks on the federal workforce. Read, bookmark and share: https://protectdemocracy.org/work/resources-for-civil-servants/

new toolkit
Resources for civil servants
Navigating attacks on the federal workforce

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Reposted by Alt18F

Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 27d

@Erie.bsky.social accepting the EFF Award: “Speaking up is hard and it's scary. But it will only get harder and scarier from here. The best time to do it was yesterday. The second-best time is today. These are not choices we will always have.”

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · 28d

"The shock troops of DOGE, at the Social Security Administration and myriad other federal agencies, were the advance guard ... . And despite the highly public departure of DOGE’s leader, Elon Musk, that campaign continues today."

The Untold Saga of What Happened When DOGE Stormed Social Security

DOGE has ignored urgently needed reforms and upgrades at the Social Security Administration, according to dozens of insiders and 15 hours of candid interviews with the former acting chief of the agenc...

www.propublica.org

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · Sep 3

"In three reports released between 2021 and 2022, the [18F] consultants recommended that the courts immediately build a new case-management system, one that would address not only security, but broader issues like user experience and the complexity of software changes made by individual courts."

Federal Courts Slow to Fix Vulnerable System After Repeated Hacking

www.nytimes.com

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · Aug 29

Whistleblower reports, letters of dissent, appeals, refusals, resignations—this week saw many civil servants taking personal risks to honor their oath and serve the public interest the best they can. We recognize your courage. 🇺🇸

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · Aug 28

Meet the Trump appointee apparently maintaining 'unheard of' ties to Tesla

Thomas Shedd, who heads the Technology Transformation Services at the General Services Administration, reported on his public financial disclosures that he is “on a leave of absence” from Tesla in a r...

www.nextgov.com

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Reposted by Alt18F

The New York Times @nytimes.com · Aug 26

Breaking News: DOGE put the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans at risk by uploading Social Security data to a vulnerable cloud server, a whistle-blower complaint said.

DOGE Put Critical Social Security Data at Risk, Whistle-Blower Says

DOGE team members uploaded a database with the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans to a vulnerable cloud server, according to the agency’s chief data officer.

nyti.ms

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Reposted by Alt18F

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · Aug 26

This WaPo piece about the Airbnb/DOGE guy who is now the head of design in government ignores that:
*DOGE fired the actual talented design people in government, including Social Security!
*IRS had a beautifully designed tax filing system that DOGE killed
*USDS already did online passport renewals

The daily digital interactions its web designers are tasked with improving include paying a student loan, renewing a passport, planning trips to national monuments, managing social security payments and filing taxes.

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · Aug 26

Learn about some of our past work here: 18f.org/our-work/pas...

Our past projects have…

For over 11 years, non-partisan civil servants at 18F proudly served the American people to make government technology work better.

18f.org

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · Aug 26

Our democracy is not a brand. Our country is not a retail store. At 18F, our inspiration was (and is) the American people.

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · Aug 26

To restate: DOGE eliminated designers at 18F, the U.S. Digital Service, and across many federal agencies. We were already doing this work, and following best practices for accessibility, privacy, and security as we did so.

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · Aug 26

Folks in our community have asked us to comment on “America by Design”—but a site like this largely speaks for itself.

America by Design

A National Design Studio Initiative

americabydesign.gov

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · Aug 25

😬

Waldo Jaquith @waldo.net · Aug 25

"Website design is my passion." americabydesign.gov

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · Aug 24

"Great design in government isn’t about fonts and colors. It’s about whether a small business owner can get help without waiting months; whether a senior can see their doctor without wondering who will be peering through her files ... ." —@erie.bsky.social

Design without privacy is just a cover-up: USDS co-founder's take on Trump's EO

A former government technologist lays out a blueprint for how the White House’s federal web design order could actually work.

fedscoop.com

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · Aug 23

“Abolishing” roles at 18F, the U.S. Digital Service, and across our partner agencies—only to replicate them months later—doesn’t serve the American people. That’s why we’re continuing to fight our terminations in court.

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · Aug 23

“Improving our nation through better design” is certainly important work: we know this, because it’s exactly what we were doing when DOGE eliminated 18F entirely.

Improving Our Nation Through Better Design

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose and

www.whitehouse.gov

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Reposted by Alt18F

Randy Hart @randyhart.bsky.social · Aug 22

I’m old enough to remember when personnel moves like this would be called “inefficient”.

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · Aug 21

Trump fired all of the designers in 18F, the US Digital Service, and elsewhere in government.
Now he is calling for improved government design.
www.nextgov.com/digital-gove...

Trump signs order calling for improved government design

The new “America by Design” effort includes a recruiting push for relevant talent — though the administration has shed many government designers since Trump took office.

www.nextgov.com

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · Aug 22

🤷

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · Aug 21

Trump fired all of the designers in 18F, the US Digital Service, and elsewhere in government.
Now he is calling for improved government design.
www.nextgov.com/digital-gove...

Trump signs order calling for improved government design

The new “America by Design” effort includes a recruiting push for relevant talent — though the administration has shed many government designers since Trump took office.

www.nextgov.com

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Alt18F @alt18f.bsky.social · Aug 21

"'That’s the equivalent of basically taking out a credit card with a $20,000 credit limit, canceling it and then saying, 'I’ve just saved $20,000.' Anything that’s been said publicly about [DOGE’s] savings is meaningless.'”

Just how much has DOGE exaggerated its numbers? Now we have receipts.

A POLITICO analysis of DOGE data reveals the organization saved less than 5 percent of its claimed savings from nearly 10,100 contract terminations.

www.politico.com

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