EXCLUSIVE: DOGE whistleblower and former SSA Chief Data Officer Chuck Borges is running for office. In his first interview since announcing his campaign for Maryland State Senate, he describes being sidelined at SSA + why government needs more technologists. www.wired.com/story/doge-w...

Chuck Borges is an ethical, brave leader with a knack to understand complicated issues and find useful solutions. We're excited to see him run for office.

Attention, Maryland #AltCitizens!! Right now we are all begging for people with a strong sense of ethics and a functioning spine to run for literally anything!! Well here you go!! Our very own SSA whistleblower who stood up to DOGE/this regime is running for your State Senate!!!! Go check him out!!❤️

DC-based friends: come out and support hard working FEMA staff. Like all of us who have worked in civil service, they just want to do their (very critical) work in peace.

Day 15 of a government shutdown. 👀 What is our President doing? ❌ Negotiating a budget for government? NO ✅ Hosting a ballroom dinner at the White House? Yes 👑 Is this our “let them eat cake” moment? www.whitehouse.gov/live/

By request. Let’s start a #furloughlife photo thread. Post photos of what you are doing on furlough. Went hiking? Show us. Went to a concert? Show us. Cleaned out garage? Show us that too! If you aren’t a fed employee, why not offer up some #FedEncouragement or #FedGratitude here.

Check out one of our co-founders on a podcast with @momsrising.org! It takes a village these days to ensure people get accurate health information.

#SSA #IRS #Data #FederalGovernment #popcorn

We're excited for this conference put on by @aigadc.bsky.social and will be there to represent. Early registration is open, so join us! dotgovdesign.org

Yes yes yes. Local elections can have meaningful impact on your life. The candidates are accessible and the issues affect you more closely. We're all busy, but these elections matter.

Many people noticed plainlanguage.gov was migrated to digital.gov/topics/plain..., where it has been *consolidated*. Our friends at @alt18f.bsky.social posted a version of the original content at plainlanguage.18f.org Unlike other sites that have disappeared, this one just changed.

This is 100% correct. If you don’t have documents proving legal status, we don’t issue an SSN. No SSN, no benefits. And we don’t just assume the documents are valid. Every applicant’s status is verified with immigration. Every. Single. Time. Period. Don’t believe their lies. Tell your friends.

Here's an action you can take to support veterans and brave VA employees standing up for their care

1000+ civil servants are demanding a continuing resolution that lets us get back to work serving the public. We demand a bill that allows federal workers to fully serve you, or nothing! Federal Workers, add your voice below and at the link in bio! actionnetwork.org/forms/civil-...

Don't comply in advance. We are watching people in fear trying to avoid pain by censoring themselves and changing their behavior before being compelled to. Following rules of a group is pro-social behavior that is dangerous now. How can you resist this urge as a law-abiding citizen? A quick 🧵

This is a fucking good question, now isn't it? 🤔

Anti-fascism is the American way. My grandfather fought at Normandy. Against fascists. So unless you’re cool with calling the heroes of WWII terrorists, I’m gonna need all of us to be in agreement on this point. Because if we aren’t anti fascism, then we are for it. Make your choice. I made mine. ✊✊

I think the time has come for full on massive strikes and demonstrations. Every day, all day until Trump resigns or is impeached, convicted and removed. Every day we wait our freedoms are eroded more and more and soon we won't be allowed any freedom at all.

Real design in government should prioritize serving people, not flashy slogans and website animations. Check out our latest article about the Executive Order on federal design ⤵️ www.wethebuilders.org/posts/americ...

#AltCitizen assignment!!! Hey y’all!!!! @chuckborges5.bsky.social had a shit day today as a direct result of him prioritizing the security of our data over the fascist whims of the administration. Let’s show him some love!!! Drop a funny meme, pet pics, or just say thank you!!! And go follow him!!!!

When it takes a good engineer two days to recreate an accessible version "design studio" that DOGE people are extolling, you know the "design studio" sucks. May I present to you americabydesign.fail

re: americabydesign.gov So, instead of just doing nothing, aka letting the existing, staffed, cost-efficient, scaled, structured, tested, proven, award-winning, design-forward work of @alt18f.bsky.social, @altusds.altgov.info, Direct File, etc, continue, we get… this edgy, inaccessible mess. k.

After DOGE gutted our Digital Service/18F, these pitiful amateurs (check out their ugly code) bring back braggadocio and propaganda without actual expertise. It’s the Peter Principle Administration.

We were already doing this. They fired ~20 of our designers on 2/14 and completely blew up @alt18f.bsky.social on 2/28. Then they install an engineer and create bad websites like this. Don't look at the code, you'll cry. They can't do anything well and they're acting like design is a new idea

For those who don't know who Sophie Scholl was, she's absolutely heroic for standing tall against the Reich in Germany itself. www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles...

🛠 We the Builders need some rest. Read more: bit.ly/45hINsI

If you’ve wondered how Direct File finally happened after two decades at an impasse, I wrote about three reasons why I think it finally broke through: chrisgiven.com/2025/07/the-...

What the FORK?! 🍴 Federal workers were blindsided by a late-night message that upended their jobs, their unions, and their sleep. It was panic-inducing, and it was by design. Read the latest installment of "Tired, But Still Here" open.substack.com/pub/altusds/...

Religion is a deeply personal topic. Federal workplaces should be neutral. But a new Trump memo blurs that line, big time. Prayer groups, supervisor-led faith convos, and no guardrails? What could go wrong? 🛠️ More here: bit.ly/44QqkV1

The panic wasn’t just about the logistics of going back. It was about everything that came next.

Day 1: hiring freeze Day 2: civil rights disintegrated 'Tired But Still Here' is the story of a federal worker watching their life’s work get erased, and refusing to stop serving. These aren’t headlines. They’re real people. Read Installment 2: open.substack.com/pub/altusds/...

We wrote about this in April too. Check it out here: www.wethebuilders.org/posts/risks-... @altusds.altgov.info

This new article from @propublica.org is chilling. www.propublica.org/article/trum...

When disaster strikes, real people show up. We talked with veteran FEMA staff about Texas flooding, the politics of disaster response, and why fewer resources + more pressure = more risk for everyone. Their insights are sobering & essential open.substack.com/pub/altusds/... @roguefema.altgov.info

For those affected by flooding in Texas, FEMA and the federal government are offering assistance. ➡️ There’s a $750 grant for affected households in Kerr County ➡️ You may be eligible for further relief Visit fema.gov/disaster/4879#help-families or call the number below. @roguefema.altgov.info

Fireworks feel hollow this year? You’re not alone. America was founded on big ideas and deep contradictions. But people have always chosen to fight for something better. Grit. Resistance. Hope. That’s worth honoring too. Read more: open.substack.com/pub/altusds/...

This 4th of July, fired federal workers from 16 agencies recite the Oath of Office they took on day one. Their jobs were ended or undermined beyond recognition. They chose integrity over compliance. To every public servant: Thank you. 🇺🇸 🎥 Watch: youtube.com/shorts/mn11E...

Leader @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social began speaking at 4:53am and is currently reading messages from Americans who are terrified about the reconciliation bill. Take a listen ⤵️ Do you have a story to tell? Reach out to us: [email protected] @dpcc.house.gov www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pbF...

The bill in Congress is projected to terminate coverage for 17 million people through harmful policies. One of our loved ones has hemophilia and the community is alarmed deeply and has prepared a petition. Please join us in learning more and signing. win.newmode.net/hemophiliaal...

Elon Musk wants to start a third party. Sure, it could split votes. But the bigger question isn’t: “Who wins?” It’s: “Who gets heard?” Third parties rarely last. But they force us to ask who we are and what we believe we deserve. Read more 👉 open.substack.com/pub/altusds/...

NEWSFLASH for anyone submitting NIH grant applications: applications are being withdrawn from review if they contain foreign subawards, regardless of justification. This was NOT included in NOT-OD-25-104 that was published on May 1. This policy applies PROSPECTIVELY as of May 1. 🧐🧐 1/2

Meta, OpenAI, Palantir execs just became Army Reserve officers to advise on AI strategy. Defense budgets are up. Civic tech is down. The line between consumer tools and weapons? Almost gone. We have questions. open.substack.com/pub/altusds/...

There’s a kind of tired that sleep doesn’t fix. The world keeps punching and we keep trying to care. Turns out, we’re not invincible. You’re not broken. You're not alone. You’re paying attention. Read our latest: bit.ly/WTBOnBurnout

A quiet but dangerous shift is happening at DOJ. This is not policy, and it's certainly not law and order. “Bove stated that D.O.J. would need to consider telling the courts ‘fuck you’ and ignore any such order.”

Remembering the struggle, honoring the victory, and celebrating the inimitable Ms. Opal Lee. Out of adversity came unity, but the work is not done. We recommend watching Ava Duvernay’s documentary “13th” on Netflix to learn more about how racial inequity is still written into US law. #Juneteenth

Peace be upon us.

🚨 Our service members deserve better. Right now in Los Angeles, deployed service members are sleeping on the floor - without cots, clear orders, or even basic support. They signed up to serve during disasters, not to be props for political games. Read more ⤵️ bit.ly/wtb-leadership

@alt-dol.altgov.info has an easy action item for all our #altcitizen peeps out there