Notify.gov, a federal system designed to send mass texts to the public, is in imminent danger of shutting down, according to publicly-available proposed changes to its website.
This government tool, which was created in 2023 by the Technology Transformation Services division of the General Services Administration, is used by governments at all levels to send out important warnings and reminders to citizens regarding federal public benefits, for example, to let them know that their Medicaid coverage is expiring.
As of Thursday, a line appeared in the source code that read: “The Notify.gov text-messaging service is no longer available. Last modified: March 6, 2025.” However, the Notify.gov website still appears as it did before, indicating that the code change, or “pull request,” has not yet been implemented.
Two GSA sources confirmed to Forbes that the page showing the source code change is authentic.
“All the feds in the [Notify.gov] project team have been fired, transferred, or have resigned,” one of those staffers told Forbes. “There would be no federal oversight for the program. Rather than let that occur, it is being shut down.”
GSA has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Notify.gov’s looming closure is the result of new pressure from DOGE, Elon Musk’s sweeping federal budget cut effort, whose associates are now serving in leadership roles in the General Services Administration. As Forbes has previously reported, there is a power struggle that has ensued between that leadership and much of the rank-and-file, particularly within the TTS division. Last weekend, GSA decided to axe a related sub-division, 18F, eliminating 70 positions.
Last month, the lead engineer for the Notify.gov project promptly resigned rather than hand over administrative access to Thomas Shedd, an Elon Musk ally. That engineer left his position because he felt that Shedd was making an unreasonable request to be allowed access to a slew of participating Americans’ personally identifiable information, including phone numbers and whether they participate in Medicaid.
That access never was provided, the GSA staffer added in a conversation with Forbes. “The Notify product team has kept control of the system,” they said. “Now that they are all fired, transferred, or resigned, no one will be around to keep the keys to the system. It is being shut down rather than become a zombie system.”
According to a March 2024 blog post, Notify.gov was used by officials at the U.S. Department of State and the Arizona Early Intervention Program, which provides services to families that have young children with disabilities and other developmental delays, which is part of that state’s Department of Economic Security.
Additionally, a municipal department of human services in Norfolk, Virginia used Notify.gov to send “over 8,000 text messages to families to help them learn about Medicaid renewal deadlines and eligibility requirements to help them retain their health insurance.”
Representatives from these three federal, state, and local agencies did not respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
Nextgov first published news of Notify.gov’s pending demise.
