The General Services Administration (GSA) has shut down its 18F organization, a digital consulting office created during the Obama administration to partner with agencies to help them build or buy technology services.
18F has been housed within GSA’s Technology Transformation Service (TTS) organization. GSA launched 18F in 2014, and the organization has since helped to improve Federal website accessibility, modernize technology, enhance data access, and boost the government’s customer service experience.
GSA said it notified members of the 18F office on Friday that they were being let go, as they had been identified as part of GSA’s reduction in force (RIF) and reorganization plan.
The agency said the move was taken to support President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders, including the Feb. 11 executive order that aims to make deep cuts to the Federal government civilian workforce via layoffs.
“No other TTS programs were affected. GSA is committed to fully supporting impacted employees as they transition from Federal service,” a GSA spokesperson told MeriTalk.
“GSA will continue to support the administration’s drive to embrace best in class technologies to accelerate digital transformation and modernize IT infrastructure,” the agency spokesperson said. “This includes understanding what solutions are the most effective and necessary to meet the needs of our customer agencies and the American taxpayer.”
The move comes after Elon Musk, one of the president’s senior advisors, said in a post on X on Feb. 3 that 18F had been “deleted.”
One of 18F’s notable projects includes helping the IRS set up its Direct File program, which allows taxpayers to file their taxes for free directly with the agency.
The office also helped set up cloud.gov, a website that helps Federal agencies buy, build, and authorize modern cloud services.
Lindsay Young, the executive director of 18F and the office’s longest-running employee, posted about the shuttering of 18F in a LinkedIn post over the weekend. Young said the move to shut down 18F “proved that we are powerful.”
“We were living proof that the talking points of this administration were false. Government services can be efficient. You can work with agencies as they are now and work with them to better manage their services,” Young said.
“This made us a target. People who own skyscrapers are afraid of 100 people who made websites better. Not because of the latest tech fad, but because we proved that the government can be fixed, the government can be made better, and the government can work for the people,” she said.
