Chris Given

Coming Veteran's Day. Stay Tuned! #Chuck4MD #VoteforChuck

18F was proud to support the IRS, alongside the US Digital Service and other partners, in building Direct File. While disappointed in this latest outcome, we know our work together has shown what’s possible in civic tech when we put the American public first.

Direct File is survived by its code, lovingly preserved on GitHub for potential revival whenever the leaders of the executive branch are no longer bent on looting the country.

Cool new study from @pamherd.bsky.social, @giannella.bsky.social, @jbarofsky.bsky.social, @lukef.bsky.social, & @donmoyn.bsky.social finds technical assistance & capacity improvements from USDS significantly improved Medicaid renewal outcomes during unwinding www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/...

The IRS has published a second open source repository (Direct File was the first). Kudos to the team continuing the work. github.com/IRS-Public/f...

Congress isn't powerless, it's powerful. Here's what a No Kings Appropriation Bill would look like, from @ddayen.bsky.social @prospect.org

@Erie.bsky.social accepting the EFF Award: “Speaking up is hard and it's scary. But it will only get harder and scarier from here. The best time to do it was yesterday. The second-best time is today. These are not choices we will always have.”

BIG WIN: A federal court restricts the IRS from continuing to share massive amounts of taxpayer data with ICE. This is a victory for taxpayers’ privacy.

The resignation letter that the government does not want you to see

Whistleblower reports, letters of dissent, appeals, refusals, resignations—this week saw many civil servants taking personal risks to honor their oath and serve the public interest the best they can. We recognize your courage. 🇺🇸

Yellen not at all pulling her punches in this op-ed for the FT www.ft.com/content/d2ea...

Hilarious because Airbnb has a net promoter score of 38!, and Direct File, built by US Digital Service which DOGE destroyed, has a net promoter score of 80+.

🦊 I wrote about the administration’s “national design studio,” and how its shoddy construction isn’t a mistake. It’s a clear signal of priorities, and ones we need to actively, urgently rebuke. ethanmarcotte.com/wrote/a-noti...

Full resignation letter from Demetre C. Daskalakis, a CDC leader, does not hold back. "The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud."

Americans should know the name Dave Lebryk. He served in our Treasury, through decades of Republican & Democratic administrations, ethically & competently managing our payments system. In January, he was forced out—when he blocked Elon Musk's team from illegal, secret access to his systems.

New from me today: What tax do billionaires pay? The corporate tax, which is a crucial component of the US revenue system at the very top of the income distribution, according to a new study. www.wsj.com/personal-fin...

Great piece in @fedscoop.bsky.social by @erie.bsky.social “… design is meaningless without trust. […] Americans will not want to use even the most elegant services if they don’t trust the government to protect their data.” fedscoop.com/america-by-d...

“You have to create ways for people to participate even if they don’t believe the future is possible.” - Victor Udoewa #civicspark

This is legitimately challenging. www.sporcle.com/games/FredTh...

"Trump Is Replacing Billy Long as I.R.S. Commissioner" says the NYT. That would mean **SIX** IRS commissioners since January. I'll have a new report up on leadership changes at IRS next week, but here's the summary as of May. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/what...

While Direct File accomplished a lot of things, it didn't change the institutions it touched. Yes, we proved excellent digital experiences are possible. Yes, we achieved satisfaction rates higher than Netflix. But we also learned that brilliant products alone don't change institutions.

Drowned out by the furor over his Direct File comments, the IRS Commissioner also warned at the same event that he’s already behind schedule and expects a late start to filing season next year. That means delays in getting refunds out the door. www.journalofaccountancy.com/news/2025/ju...

It has been the honor of my life to serve as Commissioner of BLS alongside the many dedicated civil servants tasked with measuring a vast and dynamic economy. It is vital and important work and I thank them for their service to this nation.

Re: Trump/BLS... Firing officials for reporting accurate data unflattering to the regime is straight out of the authoritarian playbook. Last year I wrote about this and other likely economic consequences of further democratic erosion: www.brookings.edu/articles/dem...

Seeing Kamala Harris openly say that the system is broken was so powerful. Just having someone in her position say it so candidly without qualification was beyond powerful.

I wrote a post about playing drums, building muscle memory, and how that relates to centering accessibility in every product decision as something we do instinctively. jaredcunha.com/blog/buildin...

An independent civil service is so important for so many reasons. One overlooked one is that it offers economic opportunities to people who would not otherwise get them from the private sector. bethesdamagazine.com/2025/07/29/d...

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-...

This is so far over the line I don't even know where to begin. Trying to get students -- your own students -- expelled or deported because of political activism? Jesus, I won't even punch down at random college students on *social media*

With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.

How great was Tom Lehrer? In 2020, he moved his entire catalog into the public domain because he felt he'd made more than enough money off of it. Enjoy every Tom Lehrer album: tomlehrersongs.com

Now if only we could ask everyone to chip in. Maybe, I don’t know, different amounts depending on your ability to pay? I know some folks who could build a tool to make it really easy. bsky.app/profile/ones...

I’m excited to share that 2 months after resigning from the IRS after DOGE killed Direct File, and 14 months after the IRS hired me to continue leading the team designing and building Direct File, the IRS has determined that I am suitable for the role I no longer hold. #efficiency

Kathy Pham and I spoke with @donmoyn.bsky.social about civic tech & reflections on our oral history of USDS. Thank you to Don for the opportunity, and to Kathy for being such a wonderful partner on all of this work ❤️🙏🏼 And the biggest thanks to our colleagues who trusted us with their stories ❤️

Via @jeffstein.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com anti-tax interests want the Trump IRS to give an unlawful tax cut to wealthy people by executive fiat. Just the tip of one of two big icebergs of tax cuts for special interests coming for the tax system. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Q: How did the Direct File team build an accurate, easy-to-use filing app given the complexity of the tax code? A: Building a source of truth with a bird’s-eye view Learn how it was done via the All Screens page. Bonus: it’s also included in the open source repo! jaredcunha.com/blog/explori...