We the Builders need some rest

We the Builders was born on February 15th in a fit of rage and an absolute need to do something. Over 30 people worked on the project since that day. We were mostly from the US Digital Service to start, but since then we've had people from IRS, 18F, GSA, and even some people from outside government. For every one of us it has been a labor of love. More than once in those early months, a member of the community we built would say things like:

"I love being able to channel my rage into something good"

"This work gives me a way to contribute using my best skills."

For all of us, what has happened since the inauguration is personal. We've always been proud to build better services for Americans, and witnessing the rampage of destruction has taken an emotional and physical toll. We knew our pace was not sustainable from the early days, but all of us who work in digital services or civic tech are doers. All of us saw something, once upon a time, that inspired us to pass up the paychecks of the private sector in exchange for doing some good. Once you catch that bug, it is hard to stop.

We didn't expect a lot of attention. We were putting up a website, as I said, because we wanted to do something. We were trying to make ourselves feel better by feeling less powerless.

By the third day we had fifty thousand readers.

Since then, we've become a credible source of information for curious Americans. We have a mission, a strategy, a real nonprofit organization, and coalition partners across many disciplines and federal agency alumni. We have published over 40 stories and technical explainers, been critical sources for outlets like Wired, ProPublica, AP and Fast Company and, most importantly, we created a community that has become a source of strength for those who contribute to the work. There is a real need for what we're doing, and a real hunger for the news we share.

We -- all those contributors -- are also human. It has been a stressful five months. Like you, readers, we have lost our jobs, seen our work mocked and destroyed and been vilified by people more powerful than we are for their own purposes. Some of us have lost jobs, lost relationships, lost friends and our communities. All of us have lost something.

A familiar story

Our story is familiar to those of us who have worked at any level of government: We try to do work that is profoundly important to us without nearly the resources and support necessary to do it the way we believe it deserves to be done. Those of us who have worked in places like the U.S. Digital Service, 18F and the other digital service organizations in government feel this acutely because we were asked to step in and fill huge knowledge gaps on the technology side. When both organizations started, the technical expertise within government was almost non-existent. That's why we were asked to come in to "fix" healthcare.gov in 2014. We had to step in and serve in many ways, very quickly, and a few times, real lives were at risk.

From the largest groups of federal workers straight down to the each person doing a single job, we know burnout well. We don't talk about that as much. We value the work so much that we focus on the work to the exclusion of everything else. We don't take care of ourselves because we do not view ourselves as important as the good we are doing. It is a recipe for burnout, and burnout scales, too. We must look out for each other, because we all care to much to look out for ourselves. We struggle to admit that we are human, and that we matter.

Rest in a time of urgency

In 2025, everything feels urgent. From the early days of "flood the zone" and DOGE's rampage through all the systems they could infiltrate to the more recent passage of the Big Beautiful Bill and the Supreme Court giving the executive branch more leeway to enact its agenda. It all feels like it matters too much to step away.

My name is Kate, I am the executive director and publisher of We the Builders, and I am tired. For almost six months, I have led a new organization that built a following, a reputation and a mystique around the people who contribute here. Our expertise and experience is in demand. But, like the work we did in government, it takes its toll and I know now I need to give us all a rest. We are tired and we will be taking a break from publishing for all of August.

What to expect from We the Builders in September

Our original tenets were that we weren't allowed to apologize for not doing enough and that we would only do work that brought each of us joy. When we get back in September, I want us to follow these more closely.

I want to be sure the work is truly sustainable. We are a team of volunteers and we do this work in our spare time. I do expect we will drive some initiatives to completion and that we will resume publishing regularly.

In addition to our own content, we are part of a growing coalition of organizations that are working, like we are, to share information and try to make up for the gaps in services that are emerging, gaps that will cause human suffering. The work we are doing is truly important. We the Builders is part of movement that stands for a government that serves its people and I expect to see us all pull together in the coming months to become a true force for the American people.