#usds — Public Fediverse posts

When I was working at #USDS and had #GEHA health insurance, I used a telehealth service they offered called #MDLive.
It was a dumpster fire, which I've posted about before.
Here's something I haven't posted about: since I stopped using MDLive, they have without explanation sent me several refund checks.
Most recently, yesterday they sent me two $100 checks. With those, they've now refunded every dollar I ever paid them.
I don't know why, I just shake my head and cash the checks.

I've been here since the 2022 Great Twitter Exodus, and I've apparently never posted an #introduction, so…
I'm a #GenX techie who's lived in #Boston since the late 80's.
My 15 minutes of fame were being fired by #DOGE from #USDS early in 2025 and sounding the alarm in every media outlet that'd listen since nobody else was doing it. I'm not a fan of limelight, so I stopped when others took up the baton.
My politics are aggressively progressive and antifascist, and I post about them a lot.
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Former #USDS Leaders Launch Tech Reform Project to Fix What #DOGE Broke
The plan, which is still in its early stages, is spearheaded by former USDS administrator #MikeyDickerson.
Called #TechViaduct its goal is to create complete reboot how #US delivers services to citizens. Viaduct cadre of experienced federal tech officials is in process of cooking up specifics on how to remake government, aiming to produce initial recommendations by the spring.
https://www.wired.com/story/former-usds-leaders-launch-tech-reform-project-doge/
https://archive.ph/aUptk

"The value of tech expertise in #government is real. That’s why #USDS and #18F existed and succeeded for over a decade.
This isn’t that…They gutted the #institutionalknowledge, fired the people who knew how to do this right, and replaced it with a system where people from private companies get guaranteed access to government data and decision-making through employees who are explicitly planning to return to those same companies." @mmasnick.bsky.social
https://www.techdirt.com/2025/12/23/trump-admin-reinvents-us-digital-services-program-after-elon-musk-fired-all-their-actual-tech-experts/

Trump Admin Reinvents US Digital Services Program After Elon Musk Fired All Their Actual Tech Experts

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.techdirt.com/2025/12/23/trump-admin-reinvents-us-digital-services-program-after-elon-musk-fired-all-their-actual-tech-experts/

#US government launches 'Tech Force' to replace #IT staff #DOGE fired
Washington rediscovers that modern IT doesn’t run itself
https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/15/us_government_tech_force/

If ONLY we had something like a US Digital Service... we could call it #USDS and they could help modernize IT across #FederalGovernment.... why has NO ONE thought of this?!?!? </s>

Also, some #MSPB actions currently in process are frozen. For example, the #USDS employees illegally fired on February 14 reached a settlement with the government immediately before the shutdown, and that settlement has a specific timeline for payout, but the clock is frozen until the shutdown ends.
That's small potatoes for me since I found a new job pretty quickly, but a big deal for my colleagues who didn't or who may even be still unemployed nine months later.
2/2
#politics #USPol #shutdown

TLDR The former U.S. Digital Service (USDS) employees who were improperly fired by DOGE on February 14 have been certified as a class by the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and have reached a settlement with the government over their firing. I am a member of the class and stand to benefit from this settlement. Read the whole thread for additional details. Feel free to reply with any questions you have after reading the thread.
#politics #USPol #USDS #DOGE #MSPB
🧵1/9

Sitting in the shade, wearing my favorite #USDS T shirt, waiting for the #AllstonBrightonParade to pass by. Hoping for a selfie with #MichelleWu.
#Allston #Brighton #Boston #BostonMA #BrightonMA #parade

Why Is Spark (SPK) Crypto Price Pumping Today? - TLDR:

Spark price surged 284% after breaking key resistance and triggering high-v... - https://blockonomi.com/why-is-spark-spk-crypto-price-pumping-today/ #analysis #crypto #spark #usds #spk #tvl

"I wondered why there wasn't a centralized DOGE software engineering playbook with all of our learnings; overall, I was surprised by the lack of knowledge-sharing within DOGE. It seemed like every engineer started from scratch."

This playbook did exist at #18F and #usds. #DOGE deleted it and fired us.

"I went and talked to a bunch of experts and some former USDS/ GSA government people, who could explain the importance of why US Digital Service, now the US DOGE service, was such a legally ingenious way for them to establish DOGE. Because before then everyone had thought it would be a Federal Advisory Committee, of which there thousands, and they're important, but they're not particularly powerful."

#VittoriaElliot, Wired, 2025

https://www.techpolicy.press/part-1-technology-democracy-and-powerjournalisms-role-in-a-time-of-crisis/

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#podcasts #TechPolicy #USDS #DOGE

Brief mention in “Yomiuri Shimbun” article in Japanese

I imagine most of my readers are not going to make much of this, but since I’m trying to capture everything here for posterity, note that I was mentioned briefly in an article in the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun last Saturday.

Notice my photo there in the lower right corner of the page. On the off chance that you read Japanese, you can click on the image above to see a high-resolution version on the off chance that you read Japanese.

Here’s a (machine) translation of the section of the article that mentions me:

In an executive order issued on January 20, the first day of his inauguration, Trump reorganized a White House department called the “US Digital Service,” which was responsible for managing the federal government’s IT systems, to create DOGE.

The true nature of this organization remains shrouded in secrecy. When the staff were hired, they were exempted by the President from background checks and drug tests that intelligence agencies use to check whether they are foreign spies. Details of the staff are not made public, which has been criticized as a lack of accountability to the public and Congress.

“DOGE staff were given special badges that allowed them to enter any government building. They were based in a room in a building adjacent to the White House, but no one knew what they were doing.” Jonathan Kamens (55) (pictured), who was fired from US Digital Services in February, reveals the strangeness of the organization.

When US media tracked them down, they found that most DOGE staff are in their teens to 30s. Some are said to have a history of being inclined toward white supremacy. “They were exempt from background checks because they are the kind of people who would not pass a rigorous test. It is very worrying that such people have access to a highly confidential system,” Kamens points out.

The article is online here, but it’s behind a paywall.

#DOGE #USDS #YomiuriShimbun

Featured guest on “WatchCats” podcast March 25

Experienced ex-govies Julian Sanchez and Noah Kunin, started the WatchCats podcast a couple of months ago to report on DOGE and its doings throughout the federal government. I am the featured guest on the March 25 episode. Listen for the inside story of what went down at USDS between the election and when 44 USDSers (including me) were fired by DOGE on February 14.
#politics #USPol #DOGE #USDS #WatchCats
https://blog.kamens.us/2025/03/27/featured-guests-on-watchcats-podcast-march-25/

Featured guest on “WatchCats” podcast March 25

Experienced ex-govies Julian Sanchez and Noah Kunin, started the WatchCats podcast a couple of months ago to report on DOGE and its doings throughout the federal government. I am the featured guest on the March 25 episode. Listen for the inside story of what went down at USDS between the election and when 44 USDSers (including me) were fired by DOGE on February 14.

This is the first long-form interview I’ve given about what went down at USDS, and I think it’s the first long-form interview from anyone who was involved (though I’m not certain, so if I’m wrong please let me know so I can correct the record).

Thanks also to John Proffitt for his insightful blog posting about this.

Relatedly, here is my op-ed in The Hill referenced in the podcast episode.

#DOGE #USDS #WatchCats

Elon Musk’s DOGE is gutting the US Digital Service and its citizen-focused approach to tech development is going with it.

On #TechWontSaveUs, I was honored to speak with Kate Green and Milo from We The Builders to discuss understand how government can build technology differently and what’s wrong with how DOGE thinks of efficiency.

Listen to the full episode: https://techwontsave.us/episode/269_doge_is_gutting_the_us_digital_service_w_kate_green_and_milo

#tech #elonmusk #govtech #politics #doge #usds

Here's how (in)competent #DOGE is.
They fired me and my #USDS colleagues February 14. They subsequently emailed us UPS labels for equipment return. The emails said if the UPS Store would provide a box and packing materials.
I waited 24 days for my separation packet to finally arrive before trying to return the equipment.
When I then took the equipment to the UPS Store, it turned out DOGE hadn't provided me with the information needed for UPS to be able to pack it up for me. 😡
#politics #USPol

Since #ElonMusk’s so-called #DOGE took over important govt #technology teams within the #GSA & what was formally known as the #USDS, around 200 technologists have either resigned or been fired, jeopardizing around a decade’s worth of work dedicated to everything from #PublicHealth to #passport applications.

#18F #law #regulation #Musk #Trump #PublicDisservice #Technocracy #broligarchy #plutocracy #NeoReactionary #NRx #Technofeudalism #USpol

Live Thu, Mar 6 on “America Unhinged”, plus Stand Up For Science, other recent updates

Hello, democracy lovers! Please join me on America Unhinged at 8pm Eastern on Thursday, March 6, where I will be talking with hosts Francesca Fiorentini and Wajahat Ali about DOGE’s slash-and-burn march through the federal government, what it means for the American people if we don’t stop it, and how we can do that.

I also encourage you to attend a local Stand Up for Science rally at noon Friday local time, either the main rally in Washington DC or one of the 31 other local rallies being held throughout the country. If there’s no SUFS rally near you but you’re on a college campus, there may be someone organizing a SUFS walkout. Ask around or look for flyers, or even organize one yourself!

In other news:

• Please read and share my op-ed published yesterday by The Hill, “I was fired by DOGE, but I am not a victim”.
• I enjoyed talking with hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan yesterday on WGBH News’s show Boston Public Radio, broadcast live from the beautiful glass atrium of the Boston Public Library’s central branch (video stream link, audio stream link). If you’re in the Boston area, I encourage you to visit the library to watch one of their broadcasts live, 11am–2pm every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. It’s a fun experience. No tickets required!
• Not terribly exciting, but for the record, my story was reported on CNN’s Outfront show with Erin Burnett on February 21 (transcript), and here’s the published transcript of my appearance on CNN News Central February 26.

#AmericaUnhinged #BostonPublicRadio #CNN #DOGE #StandUpForScience #USDS #VA #WGBH

Amy Paris worked for the Department of Health and Human Services, and formerly worked for the U.S. Digital Service. She helped make the federal government more efficient and responsive to the needs of its citizens.

In her words, “They’re trying to actually not make the government more efficient, but disrupt the government and disrupt citizen services that the American people need in order to conduct their daily lives. They are trying to sow discord and disrupt confidence in the workings of the federal government.”

https://19thnews.org/2025/02/amy-paris-fired-trump-administration/

There are thousands of government employees who have worked for years to make our lives easier and safer.

https://www.wethebuilders.org/

#TransRights #LGBTQ #USDS

In 1968, IBM fired Lynn Conway for being #transgender. She went on to invent the foundations of modern computer chips.

On February 14, 2025, the US government fired Amy Paris for being transgender. What might she have been able to do?

We have always been here. We will always be here.

#trans #TransRights #LGBTQ #USDS

https://19thnews.org/2025/02/amy-paris-fired-trump-administration/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Conway

@gbhnews Here's my appearance on WGBH News's "Boston Public Radio" broadcast + live stream earlier today:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRTMv4804nA&t=1h28m21s
I think it went pretty well. It was certainly a receptive audience.
#politics #USPol #DOGE #VA #Trump #USDS #resist

Musk Fires The People Actually Doing What DOGE Pretends To Do

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.techdirt.com/2025/03/03/musk-fires-the-people-actually-doing-what-doge-pretends-to-do/

A resignation letter from some of the #USDS employees https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25544180/usds-resignation-letter.pdf #USA

They would call it the US #DOGE Service, & they would not even have to change the initials.

They began their move on the #USDS earlier than has previously been reported, The NYT found, while Pres #Biden was STILL IN OFFICE — giving them the ability to operate on #Trump’s first day.

#coup #law #regulation #Technocracy #broligarchy #kleptocracy #plutocracy #NeoReactionary #NRx #Technofeudalism #USpol

Here's how the US Digital Service responds to the vile article about some of our best people which ran in the #DailyWire, which I won't link to because they don't deserve the clicks, they deserve to rot in a hole. We are fundraising for #LambdaLegal and the #SylviaRiveraLawProject and proudly owning the "queer" label, even those of us who aren't queer. 😉 Please join us in supporting these worthy organizations! :boostRequest:
#politics #USPol #USDS #LegionOfQueerActivists
https://www.customink.com/fundraising/LQA

We have a #dictator. It just isn't the one we expected.

#NYTimes reported that #ElonMusk an #unelected, non-Senate confirmed foreign national anointed to head the U.S. #DOGE Service (#USDS), has been granted access to the “sensitive payments systems” of the #Treasury Department.

https://open.substack.com/pub/asharangappa/p/the-x-factor

#Trump2.0 #Oligarghy #CyberBarons #BlackMastodon #YBIYBI

We have a #dictator. It just isn't the one we expected.

#NYTimes reported that #ElonMusk an #unelected, non-Senate confirmed foreign national anointed to head the U.S. #DOGE Service (#USDS), has been granted access to the “sensitive payments systems” of the #Treasury Department.

https://open.substack.com/pub/asharangappa/p/the-x-factor

#Trump2.0 #Oligarghy #CyberBarons #BlackMastodon #YBIYBI

We have a #dictator. It just isn't the one we expected.

#NYTimes reported that #ElonMusk an #unelected, non-Senate confirmed foreign national anointed to head the U.S. #DOGE Service (#USDS), has been granted access to the “sensitive payments systems” of the #Treasury Department.

https://open.substack.com/pub/asharangappa/p/the-x-factor

#Trump2.0 #Oligarghy #CyberBarons #BlackMastodon #YBIYBI

We have a #dictator. It just isn't the one we expected.

#NYTimes reported that #ElonMusk an #unelected, non-Senate confirmed foreign national anointed to head the U.S. #DOGE Service (#USDS), has been granted access to the “sensitive payments systems” of the #Treasury Department.

https://open.substack.com/pub/asharangappa/p/the-x-factor

#Trump2.0 #Oligarghy #CyberBarons #BlackMastodon #YBIYBI

We have a #dictator. It just isn't the one we expected.

#NYTimes reported that #ElonMusk an #unelected, non-Senate confirmed foreign national anointed to head the U.S. #DOGE Service (#USDS), has been granted access to the “sensitive payments systems” of the #Treasury Department.

https://open.substack.com/pub/asharangappa/p/the-x-factor

#Trump2.0 #Oligarghy #CyberBarons #BlackMastodon #YBIYBI

Ethena’s USDe beats DAI to become 3rd-largest stablecoin - The CeDeFi stablecoin has attracted billions of inflows due to double-di... - https://cointelegraph.com/news/ethena-usde-beats-dai-third-largest-stablecoin #stablecoins #wintermute #ethena #susde #maker #usde #usds #aave #ena #sky #dai

Sky, formerly Maker, launches USDS stablecoin on Solana - Sky is offering $500,000 in USDS rewards for early adopters and stableco... - https://cointelegraph.com/news/sky-maker-launches-stablecoin-usds-solana #stablecoin #solana #maker #usds #defi #sky #mkr

Sky co-founder proposes no new emissions for core token - Rune Christensen proposed a deflationary model for Sky, halting token em... - https://cointelegraph.com/news/strictly-deflationary-tokenomics-sky-proposal-mkr #deflationarymodel #cryptogovernance #runechristensen #skytokenomics #tokenburn #makerdao #defi #usds #mkr #sky #dai

Sky Endgame: Community to consider a rebrand back to Maker - Maker rebranded to Sky just two months ago in August as part of its Endg... - https://cointelegraph.com/news/sky-endgame-community-push-to-rebrand-back-to-maker #governance #community #makerdao #rebrand #defi #usds #sky #mkr

Sky Reports Over 1 Billion USDS Minted Since August Rebrand - It’s been approximately 38 days since Makerdao, the decentralized finance (defi) p... - https://news.bitcoin.com/sky-reports-over-1-billion-usds-minted-since-august-rebrand/ #decentralizedfinance #totalvaluelocked #governance #stablecoin #ethereum #makerdao #skytoken #defi #usds #dai #sky

Goldman Sachs-backed BitGo introduces USDS rewarding stablecoin - BitGo’s USDS stablecoin will challenge major issuers like Circle and Tet... - https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitgo-rewarding-stablecoin-usds #bitgonewyorktrustcompany #networkparticipants #stablecoinrewards #stablecoin #minting #burning #tether #circle #bitgo #usds #usdc #usdt

Maker, now Sky’s, stablecoin freeze process could be decided by decentralized court - A “decentralized governance” body could decide the fate of frozen USDS i... - https://cointelegraph.com/news/makerdao-sky-usds-stablecoin-freeze-decentralized-court #runechristensen #stablecoin #governance #makerdao #maker #token #usds #defi #sky #dai

Aave, Sky float partnership to bridge DeFi, TradFi - The plan would create markets for DAI-replacement USDS on Aave.
... - https://cointelegraph.com/news/aave-sky-float-partnership-bridge-defi-tradfi #stablecoin #governance #ethereum #makerdao #lending #wsteth #maker #susds #aave #usds #lido #defi #sky #dao #dai

Defi Giant Makerdao Rebrands as Sky, Introduces USDS Stablecoin and SKY Token - The decentralized finance (defi) lending platform Makerdao is embracing a new iden... - https://news.bitcoin.com/defi-giant-makerdao-rebrands-as-sky-introduces-usds-stablecoin-and-sky-token/ #decentralizedfinance #governancetoken #rebranding #stablecoin #makerdao #skytoken #defi #usds #sky

Maker DeFi lending protocol rebrands to Sky ahead of USDS stablecoin launch - Maker is also rebranding the world’s largest decentralized stablecoin ah... - https://cointelegraph.com/news/maker-rebrands-sky-launches-usds-sky-token #decentralizedfinance #makerprotocol #defilending #stablecoin #maker #defi #usds #sky #mkr #dai

Project Texas strained TikTok's resources and caused bureaucracy by Jing Yang from The Information

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@analyseasia/video/7360197426273193234?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7198703856800581122
Main Site: https://www.analyse.asia/will-tiktok-be-banned-in-the-us-an-asian-perspective-with-jing-yang/
Full YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/s05FsMCWDU4
Newsletter Signup: https://www.analyse.asia/#/portal/signup
LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/analyse-asia/

#tiktokban #tiktok #projecttexas #bureaucracy #CFIUS #usds