Author Archive
Natalie Alms
Staff Reporter, Nextgov/FCW
Natalie Alms is a staff reporter at Nextgov/FCW covering federal technology policy, service delivery, customer experience and the government's tech workforce. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University and has written for the Salisbury (N.C.) Post. Connect with Natalie on Twitter at @AlmsNatalie.
Natalie Alms is a staff reporter at Nextgov/FCW covering federal technology policy, service delivery, customer experience and the government's tech workforce. She is a graduate of Wake Forest University and has written for the Salisbury (N.C.) Post. Connect with Natalie on Twitter at @AlmsNatalie.
Tech
IRS considers the future of its Direct File pilot
The agency hasn’t decided if it’ll field the program long term but does say that user feedback of the tool has largely been positive.
- Natalie Alms
Management
House panel advances bill to make federal contracting easier to understand
The Plain Language in Contracting Act would require agencies to use easy-to-understand language for certain procurement notices pertaining to small businesses.
- Natalie Alms
Management
Bipartisan group looks to push IRS towards simpler math error notices
The IRS MATH Act would require the tax agency to send more specific, straightforward notices when it corrects simple math errors on tax returns.
- Natalie Alms
Management
New rule cements sustainability mandate for federal buyers
A new update to the Federal Acquisition Regulation is meant to help the government meet goals for net-zero procurement by 2050.
- Natalie Alms
Tech
100,000 have used IRS Direct File to submit their tax returns
The agency has not yet determined whether the pilot program for the tool will be extended into a permanent offering.
- Natalie Alms
Oversight
HHS removed Login from its grantee payment system after funding theft
Hackers used data from a federal contracting hub to steal funding from seven grantee organizations in an HHS breach that occurred last year. Both HHS and GSA say that Login.gov was not compromised or connected to the theft.
- Natalie Alms and David DiMolfetta
Management
The Labor Department wants Congress to help to fix unemployment insurance tech and delivery
Among the asks: fund the program adequately, the Labor Department says.
- Natalie Alms
Management
Senate bill looks to chop through red tape in procurement
The bipartisan legislation aims to both expand access to special acquisition authorities and give new, innovative contractors more opportunities to work with the government.
- Natalie Alms
Oversight
Lawmakers propose extending pandemic analytics center beyond 2025 sunset
Oversight officials say that the Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence needs to survive past the looming sunset date, unlike a similar analytics center used to oversee stimulus spending that shuttered in 2015.
- Natalie Alms
Management
Top women officials say there’s more work to do on gender balance in government tech
Women seem to be far more common in government’s top tech leadership positions than they used to be, but “we are far from done,” one such leader warns.
- Natalie Alms
Tech
New White House policy mandates safeguards for federal AI use
The White House also announced new hiring goals for AI talent, a request for information on the procurement of AI and more.
- Alexandra Kelley and Natalie Alms
News
NAPA's Terry Gerton to step down
The longest-serving president of the influential public policy group is leaving at the end of the year.
- Natalie Alms
Tech
IRS has some of the oldest tech in government — it’s trying to change that
Agency leadership views the “historic funding” provided under the Inflation Reduction Act as an opportunity to get out from under the list of needed tech improvements that have long plagued the IRS.
- Natalie Alms
Management
Biden seeks more than $500M for customer experience in 2025 budget
New digital service teams and a focus on the "voice of the customer" are among the CX funding requests in the FY2025 budget request.
- Natalie Alms
Tech
Tech questions at the border
Critics say the Customs and Border Protection app CBP One is glitchy and unfair to migrants.
- Natalie Alms
Management
Civil Rights commission digs into government use of facial recognition
The tech poses “serious threats to our fundamental rights,” the chair of the commission said during a Friday briefing.
- Natalie Alms
Oversight
Lawmakers try to reform federal cybersecurity again
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee passed a FISMA modernization proposal on to the full floor on Thursday.
- Natalie Alms
Management
White House stalls on digital identity mandate, despite billions in fraud
President Biden previewed an executive order in his 2022 State of the Union meant to address identity theft and fraud in public benefit programs. As Biden gears up for his 2024 address, the order still hasn’t been released.
- Natalie Alms
Tech
IRS Direct File to be fully available March 12
The tool is a new way for eligible taxpayers to file directly with the IRS online for free.
- Natalie Alms
Management
SSA taps White House tech official for CIO post
Marcela Escobar-Alava will be starting as the CIO of the Social Security Administration on Monday.
- Natalie Alms