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GSA eliminated 18F, firing all ~90 employees of the federal technology unit, under DOGE direction

On February 28, 2025, the General Services Administration eliminated 18F, its internal technology consulting unit, firing all approximately 90 employees at the direction of DOGE. GSA Deputy Administrator Thomas Shedd announced the closure in an internal email; 18F's website was taken offline the same day. 18F was a congressionally-funded team of engineers and designers that helped federal agencies modernize digital services and largely paid for itself through interagency billing.

Jurisdiction
Federal
Location
Washington, D.C.

Abuses documented

Actors

On February 28, 2025, the General Services Administration eliminated 18F, firing all approximately 90 employees of the federal technology consulting unit under direction from the Department of Government Efficiency. GSA Deputy Administrator Thomas Shedd announced the closure in an internal email to staff; 18F's public website was taken offline the same day.

18F was a nonpartisan team of software engineers, designers, and product managers embedded within the federal government to help agencies build and modernize digital services. Established in 2014 and named for its original address at 18th and F Streets NW in Washington, D.C., the unit operated on a cost-recovery model — billing partner agencies for its services — and largely paid for itself. Its work included foundational contributions to the IRS Direct File tax-filing program, the login.gov authentication platform used across dozens of federal services, and digital modernization projects at multiple cabinet departments.

Former 18F staff later alleged in a Merit Systems Protection Board appeal that the closure was retaliatory — specifically, punishment for employees who had reported DOGE's improper access to agency systems. GSA framed the closure as part of a broader efficiency restructuring. With 18F eliminated, federal agencies that relied on the unit's in-house technical expertise face dependence on private contractors for digital services previously provided at cost by government employees.

Why we recorded this

Congress funded 18F as a self-sustaining federal technology unit charged with helping agencies modernize digital services — work that included the IRS Direct File program and login.gov. The executive branch eliminated the entire unit by internal announcement, without legislation, effectively nullifying a congressionally-funded function through administrative fiat. This archive records when the executive dismantles congressionally-created capacity outside the legislative process, establishing a pattern of bypassing Congress to hollow out government institutions.

Sources

  1. GSA shutters 18F, possibly leaving agencies in the lurch — FedScoop primary accessed June 28, 2026
  2. GSA eliminates 18F — Nextgov/FCW primary accessed June 28, 2026
  3. After rocky history, GSA shuts down 18F office — Federal News Network secondary accessed June 28, 2026
  4. Former 18F employees file appeal of DOGE firings — FedScoop secondary accessed June 29, 2026

See also