Jumaane Williams choked up as he told little Black boys they deserve to be loved. Zohran spoke of a constituent who said the campaign had made room for softness in people’s hearts. Three generations sang “Over the Rainbow” and “Bread and Roses.” Another politics is possible—and it’s here. ❤️

Love for this city and its people. What a beautiful celebration to start the year, and a new era. “To those who insist that the era of big government is over, hear me when I say this: No longer will City Hall hesitate to use its power to improve New Yorkers’ lives.” Watch the whole speech.

BREAKING: Zohran Mamdani wins the New York City mayoral race, NBC News projects. nbcnews.to/4nIzNUC

2 MILLION VOTES: NYC! All before 9 p.m. More of our election coverage can be found here at thecity.nyc

Food is a basic human need. How we respond in this moment will define whether we care for our neighbors—or allow millions to go hungry. A group of civic tech nonprofits is issuing a statement on recent SNAP disruptions. Read here: beeckcenter.georgetown.edu/statement-on...

This month’s Digital Benefits in the News starts with journalism telling the stories of those impacted by the federal shutdown disruption in SNAP and WIC. Thank you to our community for all their work. ➡️ Read our full newsletter here beeckcenter.org/4nrSKuq

What Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful’ Bill Means for NYC www.thecity.nyc/2025/07/07/t...

Press on.

Millions of Americans enrolled in HuskyHealth, BadgerCare, TennCare, KanCare or other confusingly-named state health insurance programs might not even know they're the ones about to be kicked off of Medicaid. www.mediamatters.org/health-care/...

Listen to @pamherd.bsky.social!

NYC, vote if you haven’t already!

Hey New York, tomorrow starts early voting AND it's the last day to register to vote ahead of the primary! Register here: www.vote.nyc/page/registe...

We are excited to be back at #CfASummit and to be part of a community building a people-centered, digitally-enabled government for all. @codeforamerica.org

NEW: i spoke with several young AmeriCorps volunteers around the country who were abruptly pulled off projects building homes, readying forests for wildfire season, and working at food banks Tuesday afternoon. they are now on their way home thanks to DOGE cuts —

The Trump Administration has made a shocking claim: that it can declare living people dead to cut off their access to government benefits and the broader U.S. financial system. Thread on my colleagues’ new blog 🧵 www.cbpp.org/blog/trump-a...

NEW from me: A whistleblower says DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data...and then someone posted a threatening letter to his door. www.npr.org/2025/04/15/n...

MATHIEU VAN DER POEL (ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK) WINS PARIS-ROUBAIX FOR A THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR 🪨🪨🪨

During the pandemic the Labor Department suggested states create "pseudo records" to track unemployment fraud while protecting identity theft victims -- basically, records of real fraud tied to make-believe people. This week DOGE discovered those make-believe people. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/12/u...

SCOOP: Trump admin overrode objections from Social Security staff to label ~6,000 living immigrants dead. A senior exec who objected was escorted out of the building, and earlier warnings were ignored. The immigrants include 13, 14 & 16yos who staff didn't find criminal records for: wapo.st/3RKSQQt

Nothing about this sounds efficient…

Proud to see my colleague @jenphillips.bsky.social with @aimstettner.bsky.social & @micheleevermore.bsky.social in the @nytimes.com setting the record straight on UI fraud claims, how fed gov & states worked to balance security & access, and the capacity states need. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/12/u...

❗ The Trump Administration is planning to falsify government records to declare alive people dead. This triggers a nightmare, cutting them off from benefits, banks, credit, insurance. If they can do it to one group, they can do it to anyone--in error or in malice www.nytimes.com/2025/04/10/u...

Alternative headline: Acting Head of IRS Resigns Rather Than Break the Law

☂️ Check out the April Digital Benefits Digest mailchi.mp/georgetown/a... 💡 Special AI Edition! ⚡ New AI-Powered Rules as Code Research 📍 New AI-related Resources on the Digital Gov Hub 🔥 State of State AI + New Workshops 🗓️ Don’t miss: Digital Identity Community of Practice April 17

An API to do what? www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Say hello to a new subway map! 🗺️ Today, the MTA unveiled a new subway diagram that provides riders with essential travel information in an easily readable, bright, and orderly manner.

Needed this bit of levity today. Thanks #dogathon from a Brooklyn dog mom!

🚨 My new co-authored article is out in JPAM! “Administrative checkpoints, burdens, and human-centered design” We show how civic tech + human-centered design can reduce barriers to SNAP access. 📄 Open access: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Illegally gutting LIHEAP will also cause more people to die of heat stroke - in addition to freeze to death - since LIHEAP also covers AC costs in places like Arizona, Texas, and southern California - season of need is around the corner there.

✨New research✨ beeckcenter.org/AI_RaC_social Can #AI be used to expedite the translation of #SNAP and #Medicaid policies into software code for implementation in public benefits eligibility and enrollment systems under a #RulesasCode approach? We share methodologies, materials, findings & ideas.

📰 Digital Benefits in the News makes it easy to stay up to date! mailchi.mp/georgetown/d... Catch up on March digital benefits news: 🚨 Digital Benefits Must Reads 🏛️ Federal Transition Updates ✍️ Opinion Section 📩 Not getting our newsletters? Subscribe! digitalgovernmenthub.org/subscribe/

new phone, hou-this? www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

CLASP is disappointed to see the cancellation of the TANF pilots in five states previously approved by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). ACF should support innovation in TANF at the state level, not hinder it. Read our statement here: www.clasp.org/press-room/p...

This would simply take food off of the tables of people struggling to get by. The federal government rightly carries the weight of keeping people in America from going hungry by funding the full amount of SNAP benefits. Congress shouldn't even consider shirking that responsibility.

Our March newsletter is packed with fresh research, new opportunities, and recent event recaps. Also a big 💓 of support to federal workers!

I realized some of you might've missed this @propublica.org story because you — understandably — have certain words or phrases muted. But y'all need to know what financial and bookkeeping shenanigans Trump 2.0 is looking to test, starting with HUD. Read the full story: propub.li/41IkxPH

Wow—this is the first in-depth public account from a Social Security exec about the DOGE takeover at SSA. It’s scary. It’s a must-read if SSA has your most sensitive data…yes, that means you. wapo.st/3DsqvLj

Great (and scary) roundup of everything happening at the Social Security Administration lately wapo.st/4bw24ZP

former colleagues from 18F have asked me to share this open letter widely - please pass on 🙏 🇺🇸 💻💪 18f.org

To anybody in leadership at the state or municipal level: 18F’s destruction makes this *the perfect time* to hire experienced technologists, which you all need very badly. Most 18Fers would love to stay in public service. They are spread throughout the country. Go go go!

On a personal note and while the 18F website is still up, take a few moments to read the stories of some exceptional public servants who have been honored in the memory of my dear friend Andrew Hyder. Miss you more than ever. 18f.gsa.gov/2024/08/20/a...

40 days of destruction. USDS and 18F were building excellent digital services, and the capacity and culture to deliver on them long term. Everyone who worked there previously and currently deserved better than this, and so did the American people. Sending 💗 to you all.

New, from @pamherd.bsky.social & I: Trump said "Social Security would not be touched." Now the Trump admin proposes a 50% cut in Social Security employees. This will absolutely gut SSA's ability to serve everyone who depends on the program - which is everyone. 🧵 open.substack.com/pub/donmoyni...

SCOOP: #DOGE has installed two people at the Department of Housing and given them unprecedented access to the agency's highly sensitive data on millions of American and tens of billions of dollars in payments. Both work in real estate. w @telliotter.bsky.social www.wired.com/story/doge-h...

Hello! I used my esoteric knowledge gleaned from my DC years to write about how Congress could EASILY defund DOGE: www.techpolicy.press/how-congress...

There's nothing "wasteful" about working to ensure government works for the people, especially during their darkest moments. And there's nothing "efficient" about firing dedicated public servants who help us access the Social Security benefits we're earned for ourselves and our families.

NEW: Elon Musk’s team has descended on an already understaffed Social Security Administration, which now faces further workforce cuts and closures of vital local offices. The consequences could be significant for millions of the most vulnerable Americans.

New, from me @theatlantic.com: *No, the federal government is not too big *It has real human capital needs *Firings are indiscriminate, weakening state capacity *Creating a toxic and politicized workplace is driving away dedicated employees www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...