ProPublica: “A few months ago, Sen. Ted Cruz announced that he had uncovered $2 billion of science grants funded by former President Joe Biden’s administration that prioritized “radical political perspectives” or “neo-Marxist theories.’’ His aides on a congressional committee assembled the list by searching the project descriptions for 699 key terms like “women,” “diversify,” “segregation”… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: E-Government
Army, Navy remove web pages highlighting women’s military service
Military Times: “A page devoted to women’s service in the U.S. Navy was removed in February by the Navy History and Heritage Command and replaced by a “page not found” message. (Screenshot/NHHC) In an effort to align with President Donald Trump’s recent executive order that terminated diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives across the… Continue Reading
How Elon Musk Executed His Takeover of the Federal Bureaucracy
The New York Times – no paywall: “It was driven with a frenetic focus by Mr. Musk, who channeled his libertarian impulses and resentment of regulatory oversight of his vast business holdings into a singular position of influence. Without ceding control of his companies, the richest man in the world has embedded his engineers and… Continue Reading
No, 150-Year-Olds Aren’t Collecting Social Security Benefits
Wired: “Elon Musk has repeatedly claimed that his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project had uncovered massive government fraud when it alleged that 150-year-olds were claiming Social Security benefits. But Musk has provided no evidence to back up his claims, and experts quickly pointed out that this is very likely just a quirk of… Continue Reading
DOGE Understands Something the US Policy Establishment Does Not: Technology is the Spinal Cord of Government
Tech Policy Press “I was a founding member of the US Digital Service, the organization that as of January 20 became the US DOGE Service following an executive order under President Donald Trump. I have remained fairly silent over the past few weeks, largely because I have been processing the reality of an organization dedicated… Continue Reading
Site tracks how much of Project 2025 has been implemented
Project 2025 Tracker – The site tracks overall progress now at 34% as well as well as detailed objectives specific to each government agency. This is a significant and very disconcerting tool. Thanks go out to the folks at the free project you can support via Patreon. See also Searchable Full Project 2025 Text: Mandate… Continue Reading
DOGE Has ‘God Mode’ Access to Government Data
The Atlantic [unpaywalled]: “The president’s special commission now has an unprecedented ability to view and manipulate information at many federal agencies. The employee’s account, along with the accounts of several others across federal agencies, offers the clearest portrait yet of just how deep DOGE has burrowed into the systems of the federal government—and the sensitive… Continue Reading
DOGE Claimed It Saved $8 Billion in One Contract. It Was Actually $8 Million.
The New York Times: “The biggest single line item on the website of Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team appears to include an error. The Department of Government Efficiency, the federal cost-cutting initiative championed by Elon Musk, published on Monday a list of government contracts it has canceled, together amounting to about $16 billion in savings itemized… Continue Reading
Climate and DEI Deleted From Government Websites, Federal Workers Fired
Via LLRX – Climate and DEI Deleted From Government Websites, Federal Workers Fired – Since January 20, 2025 America has been catapulted into an unimaginable inflection point. Sabrina I. Pacifici chronicles seismic events in recent weeks which have upended America’s democracy, jeopardized our economy, financial system, national security, science and medical communities, and fractured our… Continue Reading
Data Rescue Project
Data Rescue Project – There are many individuals, organizations, and community-based resources that document and assist with rescuing efforts. Below is the list of tools, data sources, library guides, and articles we are aware of and their associated scopes. This list was developed from the original Data Rescue Google Doc. Please email suggestions to [email protected].… Continue Reading
The Venn Diagram of Trump’s Authoritarian Actions
Kottke.org: Professor Christina Pagel of University College London has mapped the actions of the Trump administration’s first few weeks into a Venn diagram (above) with “five broad domains that correspond to features of proto-authoritarian states”: Undermining Democratic Institutions & Rule of Law; Dismantling federal government Dismantling Social Protections & Rights; Enrichment & Corruption Suppressing Dissent… Continue Reading
USAspending Data Sources and SAM.gov
“USAspending.gov links data from many government systems, including agency financial systems and governmentwide award systems. Scroll below to learn more about these systems, as well as the context for this historic initiative to provide federal spending transparency.” Try searching for contracts by vendor name such as AWS, Inc., Space Exploration Technologies Corp., Tesla Laboratories, Inc.… Continue Reading
