Jun 10, 2022 - Technology

Exclusive: New tech corps joins Biden administration

Margaret Harding McGill

Illustration of an earth loading graphic spinning over an image of the White House — Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

The inaugural class of the U.S. Digital Corps will join the Biden administration this month, working on technology-intensive projects in immigration, healthcare, cybersecurity and other sectors.

Why it matters: The new program is meant to boost the administration's roster of tech-savvy workers to more efficiently deliver government services — and tempt early career technologists into joining the federal workforce.

Driving the news: Forty fellows will spend two years working on government projects across 13 federal agencies, the Office of Management and Budget announced Friday. The projects include:

Helping the Office of Refugee Resettlement develop technology to better track unaccompanied children through government services.
Creating a locator tool to make it easier for people who use Medicare or Medicaid to find behavior health treatment.
Improving access to U.S. Census Bureau data.

What they're saying: More than 1,000 people applied for the program, which was expanded from 30 to 40 fellows based on demand from federal agencies, federal chief information officer Clare Martorana told Axios.

"Folks that are early career technologists are so interested in making an impact," Martorana said. "They're really mission-focused, and I think that the U.S. Digital Corps meets that moment brilliantly."

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Exclusive: New tech corps joins Biden administration

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