Here's a thread about public service.

Government is irreplaceable. It exists to provide
- safety, defense, & protection of human rights
- opportunity & mgmt of economy
- equitable distribution of resources and services
- public goods, which are services that the private sector can’t

Government should be
- inclusive of all people
- responsive to needs of the people
- effective in its duties & purpose

Every day, dedicated public servants --
Career, political appointees, termed, on tours of duty
honor the oath they took when they entered government.

Everyone remembers the part about supporting and defending the Constitution.

The part I’m excited about is “faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.”

It’s hard work. The challenges are many. The problems are complex.

But every day, there are people who faithfully and diligently work to serve the public. Many do it through multiple executive administrations.

They keep the machinery of government moving. And they do it amazingly well, considering the tools and support we give them.

It cannot have been easy to maintain the institutions and agencies in US government over the last 4 years, when the executive made it even harder to do already challenging work.

Thank you to the people who stayed. To the people who showed up. To the people who kept the machinery of government going.

Thank you also to the public servants who met their bright red line and resigned on principle.

Thank you to the public servants behind the scenes who support all the people in heels and ties (and sometimes, hoodies).

I am grateful for all of you and the work you do, and for your endurance, resourcefulness, and dedication.

There is more work than ever, with continuing pandemic and its cascading effects on the economy, housing, hunger, and safety.

So, I’m showing up. I’m rejoining the United States Digital Service. ( @USDS) And I’m so excited and humbled to join current public servants in faithfully discharging my duties.

Looks like my first assignment will be on safety net challenges, like policies to help people who might be facing eviction.

This is a new domain area for me. I will do my homework. I’ll learn from my expert incumbent partners, who have likely been trying to make change for a long time already.

Every day will be a civics lesson.