Context: The once-independent system that Congress established after Watergate has radically transformed in President Trump’s second term.
@almsnatalie.bsky.socialIt’s a beautiful day at The Washington Sun!
Natalie Alms
@almsnatalie.bsky.social
journalist who covers how the government works—or doesn't—at The Washington Sun. Previously at NextgovFCW. NC native, DC resident. tips - signal at nalms.41 and [email protected]
@almsnatalie.bsky.social
@dangaristo.bsky.socialReposted by @almsnatalie.bsky.socialNEW: In March the White House released an FY27 budget request that zeroed out the National Science Foundation's directorate of Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE). For months it was unclear what would happen. Now, with FY26 over, the damage to SBE is coming to light. My reporting:
@almsnatalie.bsky.social@almsnatalie.bsky.social@almsnatalie.bsky.socialThe admin announced today that they're investigating 9 universities for abusing J-1 visas. Break the law and screw the American people, and I will personally cuff you in the university square," said DOL OIG Anthony D'Esposito
@almsnatalie.bsky.socialgreat story, @telliotter.bsky.social
@wired.comReposted by @almsnatalie.bsky.socialThe National Design Studio (NDS) has been something of a successor agency to DOGE. A WIRED investigation finds some of its members are on loan from a nonprofit run by SpaceXAI’s general counsel.
wired.comA Mysterious Nonprofit Run by SpaceXAI’s Top Lawyer Is Paying the Salaries of Government WorkersThe National Design Studio has been something of a successor agency to DOGE. A WIRED investigation finds some of its members are on loan from a nonprofit run by SpaceXAI’s general counsel.
@almsnatalie.bsky.socialThe Trump administration has indicated to Minnesota that the state may soon be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicaid payments.
The move would be an escalation in the Trump admin's "war on fraud."
@propublica.orgReposted by @almsnatalie.bsky.socialThe government *still* isn’t tracking how often immigration agents detain U.S. citizens. We are. 500+ Americans have been handcuffed, held at gunpoint or held against their will in Trump’s second term. Our tally is almost certainly an undercount. THREAD (content warning: violence) ⬇️
@washingtonsun.comReposted by @almsnatalie.bsky.socialThe GAO says it cannot find assurances that DOGE properly handled Americans’ data.
https://www.washingtonsun.com/agencies/doge-data-security-congress-watchdog
@washingtonsun.comReposted by @almsnatalie.bsky.socialAmericans will be able to use the website to apply for a passport, enroll in Medicare and look at government jobs — eventually.
Services like these won’t be functional until 2027.
https://www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/trump-government-ai-bot-2027-america-gov
@almsnatalie.bsky.socialReposted by @almsnatalie.bsky.socialNEW: Americans will be able to use a new AI to apply for a passport, enroll in Medicare and look at government jobs — eventually.
Services like these won’t be functional until 2027, though the administration rolled out America. gov with fanfare Tuesday.
www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/t...
@annackramer.bsky.socialReposted by @almsnatalie.bsky.socialOn Sept. 19th, OMB gave Customs and Border Protection $20 million. The next day, CBP awarded an ad company a contract for $20 million for a “national media campaign.” On Sept. 23rd, Trump ads start running on national tv as "paid for by U.S. government."
@almsnatalie.bsky.socialNEW: The Trump administration is preparing to automatically enroll every American child in a Trump Account before the midterm elections 👀
with @jeffstein.bsky.social:
@almsnatalie.bsky.socialHad so much fun covering this with @marahop.bsky.social
@almsnatalie.bsky.socialSome administration officials previously told The Sun that the White House hoped that a September launch would give Republicans a selling point. However, it’s unclear how much the site will resonate with Americans, given much of its functionality won’t roll out until next year.
@almsnatalie.bsky.socialEdward Coristine, a former DOGE employee who goes by “Big Balls,” joined Trump and Cabinet members onstage. “Washington bureaucracies have grown ever larger and more intrusive,” Trump said. “Armies of federal bureaucrats have behaved as if your job is to handshake to them.”
@almsnatalie.bsky.socialIn his remarks, Trump thanked Elon Musk, calling him “the man who initially envisioned the transformation of government through technology and brought us the talent to get the job done.” The new, America. gov website is built by many former members of DOGE, which Musk spearheaded.
@almsnatalie.bsky.socialThe America. gov website uses "a couple" AI systems on the backend, including Elon Musk's Grok, Dr. Mehmet Oz told reporters.
@almsnatalie.bsky.socialA tidbit: Although Trump administration officials had discussed offering free tax filing services through the website - which would be a massive shift in policy - for now, that appears to be off the table.