[Another thing for Musk employee's to swoop in and "fix" -- for a price]

US government cuts key software division without warning

Date:
Mon, 03 Mar 2025 13:11:00 +0000

Description:
A key US government technology department has been slashed in drive for "efficiency".

FULL STORY ======================================================================
- The US government's General Services Administration department's 18F has been dissolved
- Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency seems to be behind
the cuts
- 18F was a software and procurement group which helped a range of
government agencies

A technology unit from the General Services Administration (GSA) has had its budget all but eliminated, affecting around 70 software engineers and strategists, as well as researchers, service designers, and procurements specialists.

The cuts were masterminded by Elon Musks Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE) , and are part of an ongoing campaign to slash government spending.

Founded in 2014, the Unit, 18F, developed key public-facing IT services, like Login.gov - the central login system for services like Medicaid, Social Security, and Medicare. 18F was also responsible for helping government agencies buy and build technology, improve user experience, and make services accessible, and the unit collaborated with many departments, so the effects
of the cuts will be felt across the board.

A sledgehammer approach

The department had previously been labeled as a far left government wide computer office by a Musk supporter, to which the de-facto DOGE director replied That group has been deleted.

All 18F's support on that work has now abruptly come to a halt, the group
said in a statement .

Since the entire staff was also placed on administrative leave, we have been locked out of our computers, and have no chance to assist in an orderly transition in our work. We dont even have access to our personal employment data. Were supposed to return our equipment, but cant use our email to find
out how or where.

These are not the first federal workers to be laid off, with over 110,000 federal employees leaving their posts since Trump took office, although
around 77,000 of these accepted the administrations deferred resignation program.

Dismantling 18F follows the gutting of the original US Digital Service. These cuts are just the most recent in a series of a sledgehammer approach to the critical US teams supporting IT infrastructure.

DOGE was also recently hit with a wave of lawsuits following complaints
about the department breaching the privacy of millions of Americans by accessing extraordinarily sensitive details about federal workers and anyone who has ever applied for a federal job.

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/us-government-cuts-key-software-division-without -warning

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