Agreed. If this was a truly remote position permanently, I'd apply right now and take a pay cut. I'm at the point in my career where social impact at this scale would be a higher priority than pay for me. But remote is the highest.
There are also government contractors who often pair with USDS doing this kind of work! Ad Hoc (my employer), Nava, Civic Actions, etc. are all part of a new generation of companies with related missions trying to bring modern software practices into the US government. While USDS is often on the inside cutting through bureaucracy, the contractors are often doing most of the technical build and implementation.
FWIW places like 18F are frequently hiring engineers, product people, and designers, the pay is similar, the work is related, and they are 100% remote.
