The U.S. government's digital transformation team 18F was abruptly terminated on March 1, 2025, despite previous praise from leadership as the 'gold standard' of civic tech. Critical government technology projects with NOAA, Department of State, and IRS were halted without transition planning, following similar cuts to the US Digital Service.
GSA has eliminated 18F, a government tech consultancy team of approximately 90 employees, declaring it 'non-critical' under White House-directed workforce reductions. The decision impacts a decade-old office that completed 450 government tech projects, including the IRS Direct File system and ada.gov redesign. The closure aligns with broader Trump administration efforts to reduce federal workforce and consulting functions.
The U.S. Forest Service recently laid off approximately 3,400 workers (10% of workforce) as part of Trump administration cost-cutting measures, affecting crucial services across national forests and grasslands. The agency, already understaffed and under a hiring freeze, faces significant challenges in maintaining public lands and responding to climate disasters. Former employees describe deteriorating working conditions and inadequate resources, while unions challenge the layoffs through legal action.
Nuclear safety employees laid off by the US government last Thursday are being sought for rehire, but communication challenges are hampering the process. The layoffs were part of President Trump's broader initiative to reduce federal workforce, which has already led to 10,000 terminations and 75,000 voluntary departures.
Dozens of Technology Transformation Services workers at the US General Services Administration were terminated, particularly affecting probationary and short-term staffers, including Presidential Innovation Fellows and US Digital Corps members. The GSA, under new leadership influenced by Musk associates, aims to operate TTS like a startup software company with focus on AI implementation while reducing workforce size.