Federal workers launch a new site to share inside information about DOGE

Feb 22, 2025 03:24 AM - 1 month ago 39923

Lauren Feiner

Lauren Feiner is a elder argumentation newsman astatine The Verge, covering the intersection of Silicon Valley and Capitol Hill. She spent 5 years covering tech argumentation astatine CNBC, penning astir antitrust, privacy, and contented moderation reform.

Around a twelve existent and erstwhile national workers are down a caller website created arsenic an outlet to stock anonymous stories and method expertise astir the Department of Government Efficiency’s dismantling of authorities agencies.

“We the Builders” intends to beryllium a unafraid outlet for authorities workers to stock really their workplaces are being impacted by DOGE, and a spot to explicate the existent world effect of its entree to authorities tech systems, a erstwhile national worker down the task tells The Verge. The website was created by group who “made authorities websites easier to usage while protecting the integrity of your individual information,” according to its description. Had DOGE wanted “to usage exertion to build a much businesslike country, they would inquire us,” the tract says. “But they haven’t. They are destroyers. We are the builders.”

The website is aimed astatine informing the wide nationalist astir what’s happening wrong national agencies, arsenic good arsenic explaining really a database being accessed by DOGE successful Washington, DC could effect citizens successful tangible ways each crossed the country. “I want to make judge that group understand that information matters,” says the erstwhile national worker, who was granted anonymity for fearfulness of retribution and harassment successful going public, but whose personality has been confirmed by The Verge. “If I tin explicate that successful a measurement that helps you to beryllium capable to protect yourself and advocator for yourself, past I’m doing my job.”

Are you a existent aliases erstwhile US national authorities worker? Reach retired securely connected a individual instrumentality pinch tips to Lauren Feiner via Signal astatine laurenfeiner.64.

While societal media forums for illustration Reddit and Instagram person already go gathering places for national workers to commiserate, We the Builders intends to connection an replacement outlet for workers who whitethorn beryllium fearful to stock their stories moreover done an anonymous societal media account. The squad says they are moving pinch a information advisor to guarantee that submissions stay unafraid and anonymous to the public. They besides scheme to vet submissions for accuracy and usage their networks to corroborate that they are coming from existent national workers.

So far, the tract hosts a mates anonymous blog posts explaining the activity of the US Digital Service — which has been renamed to incorporated the acronym DOGE nether President Donald Trump — and comparing the erstwhile USDS and DOGE’s attack to efficiency. It describe’s USDS’ method arsenic “Precision Engineering for Public Good,” and DOGE’s arsenic “Disruption Without Understanding.”

The erstwhile authorities worker says they dream visitors to the website “can locomotion distant pinch a much nuanced knowing of what’s happening. I’m hoping that national workers tin spot stories of group for illustration them, and besides thief them make decisions for themselves, and to consciousness supported.”

More