Matt Bracken
@mattbracken.bsky.social
📤 126
📥 66
📝 2
Managing editor / tech journalist at FedScoop and CyberScoop in DC. Michigan Man.
reposted by
Matt Bracken
Alt18F
18 days ago
“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."
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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.
https://fedscoop.com/direct-file-future-of-tax-filing-fellows/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
Greg Otto
about 1 month ago
The DOJ recently put out a release stating it had taken ~$2m back from a Zepplin ransomware affiliate.
@mattkapko.com
dug in more and found out that Ianis Antropenko has had a pretty long leash from the feds, despite a long rap sheet over the past few years.
cyberscoop.com/ianis-antrop...
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Prolific Russian ransomware operator living in California enjoys rare leniency awaiting trial
Ianis Aleksandrovich Antropenko allegedly committed ransomware attacks from 2018 to 2022. He’s been out on bond since his arrest almost a year ago, despite multiple run-ins with police.
https://cyberscoop.com/ianis-antropenko-zeppelin-ransomware-russian-cybercrime/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
FedScoop
about 2 months ago
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. via
@mattbracken.bsky.social
fedscoop.com/direct-file-...
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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.
https://fedscoop.com/direct-file-future-of-tax-filing-fellows/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
Tim Starks
4 months ago
Rebecca's story goes deep on a big ICE mining/monitoring program.
add a skeleton here at some point
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
FedScoop
4 months ago
The OMB director shared plans with House lawmakers for a post-Elon Musk DOGE, further entrenched in agencies and funded by the agency’s Information Technology Oversight and Reform appropriations. via
@mattbracken.bsky.social
fedscoop.com/russell-voug...
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Russell Vought: DOGE will ‘be far more institutionalized’ at agencies
The OMB director shared plans with House lawmakers for a post-Elon Musk DOGE, further entrenched in agencies and funded by the agency’s Information Technology Oversight and Reform appropriations.
https://fedscoop.com/russell-vought-doge-will-be-far-more-institutionalized-at-agencies/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
FedScoop
4 months ago
DOGE took credit for his team’s work. Now, an OPM alum fights to get his job back. A group of RIF’d staffers are behind a class-action appeal to return to work, following moves that may signal a Trump desire to merge OPM, OMB and GSA. via
@mattbracken.bsky.social
fedscoop.com/doge-took-cr...
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DOGE took credit for his team's work. Now, an OPM alum fights to get his job back
A group of RIF’d staffers are behind a class-action appeal to return to work, following moves that may signal a Trump desire to merge OPM, OMB and GSA.
https://fedscoop.com/doge-took-credit-for-his-work-now-an-opm-alum-fights-to-get-his-job-back/?utm_content=334468235&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&hss_channel=tw-1477949676
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Seven references to hiring “patriotic Americans” in this memo + a new essay requiring federal applicants to say how’d they advance presidential executive orders
add a skeleton here at some point
4 months ago
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
FedScoop
4 months ago
DOGE receipts for
#SBA
fall billions short of administrator’s cost-savings claim. Kelly Loeffler said canceled contracts have saved the SBA $3 billion, but
#DOGE
data shows $22 million in savings. via
@mattbracken.bsky.social
fedscoop.com/doge-cost-sa...
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DOGE receipts for SBA fall billions short of administrator’s cost-savings claim
Kelly Loeffler said canceled contracts have saved the SBA $3 billion, but DOGE data shows $22 million in savings.
https://fedscoop.com/doge-cost-savings-small-business-administration/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
Tim Starks
5 months ago
This one was a long time in the works, about the government response to Salt Typhoon. And there's more to come from CyberScoop on this.
cyberscoop.com/salt-typhoon...
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‘Whatever we did was not enough’: How Salt Typhoon slipped through the government's blind spots
Critics tell CyberScoop the U.S. federal government had many failings in the lead up to and the response to the Salt Typhoon breach.
https://cyberscoop.com/salt-typhoon-us-government-response/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
FedScoop
5 months ago
The congressional watchdog told staff it’s “not subject to DOGE or Executive Orders” after the White House efficiency group attempted to set up shop within the agency. via
@mattbracken.bsky.social
&
@madialder.bsky.social
fedscoop.com/gao-watchdog...
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GAO thwarts attempt by DOGE to set up a team within the watchdog
The congressional watchdog told staff it’s “not subject to DOGE or Executive Orders” after the White House efficiency group attempted to set up shop within the agency.
https://fedscoop.com/gao-watchdog-blocks-doge-from-agency/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
FedScoop
5 months ago
#DOGE
could scrap identity protections for those impacted by
#OPM
breach, senator warns. Sen. Mark Warner urged OPM’s acting director to ensure identity protection services continue for the more than 21 million individuals affected by the 2015
#breach
. via
@mattbracken.bsky.social
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DOGE could scrap identity protections for those impacted by OPM breach, senator warns
Sen. Mark Warner urged OPM’s acting director to ensure identity protection services continue for the more than 21 million individuals affected by the 2015 breach.
https://fedscoop.com/doge-could-end-opm-breach-identity-protections-mark-warner/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
FedScoop
5 months ago
A letter led by Rep. Gerry Connolly asks Treasury’s OIG to investigate DOGE’s data and IT modernization work at the tax agency following a reported API sprint potentially involving Palantir. via
@mattbracken.bsky.social
fedscoop.com/house-oversi...
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House Democrats want Treasury watchdog probe following DOGE’s IRS ‘hackathon’
A letter led by Rep. Gerry Connolly asks Treasury’s OIG to investigate DOGE’s data and IT modernization work at the tax agency following a reported API sprint potentially involving Palantir.
https://fedscoop.com/house-oversight-treasury-investigation-doge-irs-hackathon/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
FedScoop
5 months ago
‘AI boom’ will make up for IRS workforce cuts, Treasury secretary says. Scott Bessent told House lawmakers that better IT and
#AI
will “enhance collections” at the tax agency, which has shed 11% of its workforce during this administration. via
@mattbracken.bsky.social
fedscoop.com/irs-cuts-ai-...
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‘AI boom’ will make up for IRS workforce cuts, Treasury secretary says
Scott Bessent told House lawmakers that better IT and artificial intelligence will “enhance collections” at the tax agency, which has shed 11% of its workforce during this administration.
https://fedscoop.com/irs-cuts-ai-tech-treasury-secretary-scott-bessent/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
FedScoop
5 months ago
#DOGE
has arrived at the heart of Homeland Security’s biometrics operations. Sources say the Elon Musk-led group is considering a system that agency leaders had hoped would replace its current
#biometrics
database. via
@rebheilweil.bsky.social
fedscoop.com/doge-arrives...
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DOGE has arrived at the heart of Homeland Security's biometrics operations
Sources say the Elon Musk-led group is considering a system that agency leaders had hoped would replace its current biometrics database.
https://fedscoop.com/doge-arrives-at-homeland-security-biometrics-operations/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
FedScoop
6 months ago
Congrats to FedScoop journalists
@billy-mitchell.bsky.social
,
@madialder.bsky.social
and
@mattbracken.bsky.social
for winning gold at the Mid-Atlantic
#ASBPE
awards in the Online Event Coverage category! Check out their coverage of the 2024 ACT-IAC Imagine Nation ELC Conference here:
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
FedScoop
6 months ago
Congrats to FedScoop managing editor
@mattbracken.bsky.social
for winning gold at the Mid-Atlantic
#ASBPE
awards in the Innovation Article category! Check out his story, “Could a HUD-funded 3D-printing project transform housing in Alaska?,” here:
fedscoop.com/hud-3d-print...
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
Colin Wood
6 months ago
Free stuff is overrated anyway. By
@mattbracken.bsky.social
and Sophia Fox-Sowell:
fedscoop.com/trump-admini...
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Trump administration set to end IRS’s Direct File program, per source
The free electronic filing program has been targeted by Senate and House GOP lawmakers and the tax preparation industry since its 2024 launch.
https://fedscoop.com/trump-administration-set-to-end-irs-direct-file-program/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
FedScoop
6 months ago
Stilted innovation, less efficiency: Former
#IRS
executives explain the impact of
#DOGE
cuts. Recently departed tax agency leaders detail how
#workforce
reductions could undercut modernization and the use of
#AI
. via
@mattbracken.bsky.social
fedscoop.com/irs-moderniz...
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Stilted innovation, less efficiency: Former IRS executives explain the impact of DOGE cuts
Recently departed tax agency leaders detail how workforce reductions could undercut modernization and the use of AI.
https://fedscoop.com/irs-modernization-workforce-firings-doge-it-systems/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
FedScoop
6 months ago
The
#IRS
on Friday placed around 50
#IT
staffers on administrative leave, according to two sources familiar with the situation, the latest in the Trump administration’s gutting of the tax agency during the heart of filing season. via
@mattbracken.bsky.social
fedscoop.com/irs-it-layof...
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IRS cuts about 50 IT staffers, sources say
The Trump administration has already hit the tax agency with thousands of firings.
https://fedscoop.com/irs-it-layoffs-tax-agency-doge/
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The kicker from
@seancasten.bsky.social
add a skeleton here at some point
6 months ago
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
FedScoop
7 months ago
As the Trump administration slashes the federal
#workforce
, the comptroller general said
#ElonMusk
and his associates have barely sought out GAO’s cost-cutting and efficiency guidance. via
@mattbracken.bsky.social
fedscoop.com/gao-watchdog...
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GAO has a blueprint for cost savings, but so far has gotten the cold shoulder from DOGE
As the Trump administration slashes the federal workforce, the comptroller general said Elon Musk and his associates have barely sought out GAO’s cost-cutting and efficiency guidance.
https://fedscoop.com/gao-watchdog-elon-musk-doge-agency-cuts/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
FedScoop
8 months ago
•
@rebheilweil.bsky.social
: rebheilweil.59 •
@mattbracken.bsky.social
: MattBracken.33 •
@billy-mitchell.bsky.social
: Billymitchell.89
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
Tim Starks
8 months ago
Nice story from
@derekbjohnson.bsky.social
on
@cyberscoop.bsky.social
: Cybersecurity, government experts are aghast at security failures in DOGE takeover
cyberscoop.com/musk-doge-op...
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Cybersecurity, government experts are aghast at security failures in DOGE takeover
Elon Musk’s takeover of key systems across the government is ignoring decades of laws, regulations and procedures, experts told CyberScoop.
https://cyberscoop.com/musk-doge-opm-treasury-breach/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
FedScoop
8 months ago
#OPM
memo claims some
#agency
telework
#policies
are ‘unlawful.' The memo says
#telework
and
#remote
work measures in collective bargaining agreements “that conflict with management rights are
#unlawful
and cannot be enforced.” via
@mattbracken.bsky.social
fedscoop.com/opm-telework...
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OPM memo claims some agency telework policies are ‘unlawful’
The memo says telework and remote work measures in collective bargaining agreements “that conflict with management rights are unlawful and cannot be enforced.”
https://fedscoop.com/opm-telework-unlawful-collective-bargaining-agreements/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
Tim Starks
8 months ago
FedScoop's on a heater. by
@madialder.bsky.social
fedscoop.com/noaa-inboxes...
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NOAA inboxes spammed with crude Trump jokes, Scientology subscription
Emails forecasting a “99% chance of shit showers” for the next four years and signing people up for Scientology Today were immediately posted online.
https://fedscoop.com/noaa-inboxes-spammed-with-crude-trump-jokes-scientology-subscription/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
Tim Starks
9 months ago
We wrote up a draft of the stuffed second Biden cyber executive order...
cyberscoop.com/biden-admini...
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Second Biden cyber executive order directs agency action on fed security, AI, space
A draft cybersecurity executive order would tackle cyber defenses in locations ranging from outer space to the U.S. federal bureaucracy.
https://cyberscoop.com/biden-administration-cybersecurity-executive-order-2025/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
CyberScoop
11 months ago
Stronger
#cyber
protections in
#health
care targeted in new
#Senate
bill. The bipartisan legislation from four senators is aimed at strengthening providers’ cyber defenses and protecting Americans’ health
#data
. via
@mattbracken.bsky.social
cyberscoop.com/senate-cyber...
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Stronger cyber protections in health care targeted in new Senate bill
The bipartisan legislation from four senators is aimed at strengthening providers’ cyber defenses and protecting Americans’ health data.
https://cyberscoop.com/senate-cybersecurity-health-care-data-bill/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
CyberScoop
11 months ago
An interagency
#federal
council charged with securing the government’s
#IT
supply chain would get stronger oversight powers under new legislation from a
#bipartisan
pair of Senate lawmakers. via
@mattbracken.bsky.social
cyberscoop.com/federal-acqu...
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Bipartisan Senate bill targets supply chain threats from foreign adversaries
The bill would strengthen oversight powers for the body charged with investigating IT products from China and other foes.
https://cyberscoop.com/federal-acquisition-security-council-improvement-act-supply-chain-security/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
FedScoop
11 months ago
Congress should designate an entity to oversee
#data
#security
,
#GAO
says. The watchdog recommended governmentwide coordination to ensure the public’s civil rights and civil liberties are protected. via
@mattbracken.bsky.social
fedscoop.com/congress-dat...
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Congress should designate an entity to oversee data security, GAO says
The watchdog recommended governmentwide coordination to ensure the public’s civil rights and civil liberties are protected.
https://fedscoop.com/congress-data-security-civil-rights-liberties-gao-report/
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
11 months ago
GREAT reporting from my colleagues (and a hell of a last line)
add a skeleton here at some point
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reposted by
Matt Bracken
11 months ago
gonna be posting here more, mostly about what government and technology issues, particularly under this new administration. also want to flag some colleagues, including
@mattbracken.bsky.social
@madialder.bsky.social
@chrismvasq.bsky.social
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