18F

Digital services agency within the United States Government the US federal agency the radioisotope 18F fluorine-18 the demonstration 18F (demonstration) March 2026 July 2021 18F 18F 2016 logo.svg 150px 2014 03 19 2025 03 01 General Services Administration Building1800 F Street NWWashington, D.C. General Services Administration (GSA) 18F was a digital services agency within the Technology Transformation Services department of the General Services Administration (GSA) of the United States government. 18F helped other government agencies build, buy, and share technology products. The team consisted of designers, software engineers, strategists, and product managers who collaborated with other agencies to fix technical problems, build products, and improve public service through technology.18F: Digital service delivery Home https://18f.gsa.gov/ https://web.archive.org/web/20250301115820/https://18f.gsa.gov/ 2025-03-01 2024-01-08 18F, GSA Technology Transformation Services As part of wide-sweeping federal layoffs at the beginning of the second Trump administration that were carried out in connection with the Department of Government Efficiency, the agency was eliminated in March 2025. Overview 18F was an office of federal employees within the General Services Administration (GSA) that collaborated with other agencies to improve the user experience of government services by helping them build and buy technology. The group worked with government organizations to define a strategy and work towards a solution for their modernization efforts. 18F used agile and lean methodologies, open-source code, and user centered design approaches. 18F was co-founded on March 19, 2014, by former Presidential Innovation Fellows Greg Godbout, Aaron Snow, and Hillary Hartley.https://www.govtech.com/civic/What-is-18F.html What is 18F? August 6, 2016 18F's practices and methodologies influenced the creation of digital service teams across numerous state and local governments, including California, Colorado, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York State, and major cities like New York City, Boston, and San Francisco. These teams often adopted 18F's approaches to agile development, user-centered design, and open-source practices. In 2024, 18F consisted of approximately 90 distributed employees working remotely across the United States. The organization previously peaked at over 250 employees in 2018. While staff numbers decreased, 18F's influence grew through alumni who continued working in government technology, with 85% of departing staff in 2023 moving to other government technology positions. November 4, 2024 18F Guides Readme https://github.com/18F/guides/blob/main/README.md 2026-02-20 GitHub en Its name referred to its office location in northwest Washington, D.C., on 18th and F Streets.Naylor Brian 2015-01-28 Remaking The U.S. Government's Online Image, One Website At A Time https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/01/28/382178574/remaking-the-u-s-governments-online-image-one-website-at-a-time 2026-02-20 NPR en 18F was within Technology Transformation Services, part of the Federal Acquisition Service.Miller Jason 2025-03-01 After rocky history, GSA shuts down 18F office https://federalnewsnetwork.com/reorganization/2025/03/after-rocky-history-gsa-shuts-down-18f-office/ 2026-02-20 Federal News Network en-US History In March 2014, a group of Presidential Innovation Fellows started 18F to extend their efforts to improve and modernize government technology. The United Kingdom had created a similar agency in April 2011, Government Digital Service, following their own healthcare IT issues,Bracken Mike U.K. Official Urges U.S. Government To Adopt A Digital Core https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2013/10/23/240268497/u-k-official-urges-u-s-government-to-adopt-a-digital-core 2020-06-29 NPR.org en which saves an estimated $20 million a year over previous methods. 18F runs on a cost recovery model where client agencies reimburse the digital agency for its work. 18F's creation was announced by GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini on March 19, 2014, with a mission to simplify the government's digital services. The agency started with 15 employees, including 11 former Presidential Innovation Fellows from both the private and public sectors. During its first decade, 18F worked on several hundred partner projects including enhancing access to national forests, publishing critical data about waterways, improving federal website accessibility, streamlining federal election contributions browsing, creating new case management systems for the judicial branch, and simplifying Medicare fund applications for states. Major initiatives included analytics.usa.gov, launched in March 2015,https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2015/03/19/turning-government-data-better-public-service Turning Government Data into Better Public Service March 19, 2015 National Archives whitehouse.gov March 21, 2015 the U.S. Web Design System which standardizes federal website design, and cloud.gov which simplifies cloud adoption for government agencies. All of 18F's projects are open source, meaning anyone can review and suggest updates to the code.https://18f.gsa.gov/press/ https://web.archive.org/web/20160610111311/https://18f.gsa.gov/press/ dead June 10, 2016 18F: Digital service delivery Press 18f.gsa.gov 2016-12-17 Mass firings and elimination US federal agencies targeted by DOGE#General Services Administration (GSA) At the end of January 2025, members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) started doing work at GSA, including questioning staff about their jobs without providing their own full names or answering questions.Robins-Early Nick 2025-05-01 Move fast and destroy things: 100 chaotic days of Elon Musk in the White House https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/may/01/trump-100-days-elon-musk-doge 2026-02-20 The Guardian en-GB 0261-3077 Wired magazine reported "an effort to use IT credentials from the Executive Office of the President to access GSA laptops and internal GSA infrastructure".Kelly Makena Schiffer Zoë January 31, 2025 Elon Musk's Friends Have Infiltrated Another Government Agency https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-lackeys-general-services-administration/ 2025-03-02 Wired Former 18F staff said that DOGE staff requested root access on 18F systems, which "was not normal".Mitchell Billy 2025-05-28 Former 18F employees file appeal of DOGE firings https://fedscoop.com/former-18f-employees-file-appeal-of-doge-firings/ 2026-02-20 FedScoop en-US In an all-hands meeting with the Technology Transformation Services (TTS) in early February, Thomas Shedd, the new TTS director and an associate of Elon Musk and DOGE, told 18F and TTS staff that "you all are one of the most respected technology groups in the federal government," saying the staff "are so key and critical to this next phase" of building federal software.Koebler Jason Cox Joseph Maiberg Emanuel February 4, 2025 'Things Are Going to Get Intense:' How a Musk Ally Plans to Push AI on the Government https://www.404media.co/things-are-going-to-get-intense-how-a-musk-ally-plans-to-push-ai-on-the-government/ 2025-03-02 404 Media Around the same time, Musk targeted 18F by tweeting "that group has been deleted" while also retweeting criticism of 18F being aligned with left-leaning politics.Musk Elon February 1, 2025 @elonmusk on twitter https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1885575202358092099 X (formerly Twitter) en Another post Musk retweeted was from The Daily Wire writer Luke Rosiak proclaiming 18F was “a far-left agency that viciously subverted Trump during his first term." On March 1 at 1am Eastern Standard Time (EST), Shedd sent an email to all 18F staff, describing them as "non-essential" and "non-critical", and eliminated the office "under direction from the White House".Alms Natalie March 1, 2025 GSA eliminates 18F https://www.nextgov.com/people/2025/03/gsa-eliminates-18f/403400/ March 1, 2025 NextGovMarch 3, 2025 Dozens of Government Technology Specialists Fired https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/03/us/politics/18f-technology-specialists-fired.html?unlocked_article_code=1.1E4.otpu.9VilR_uyha_s&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare The New York Times The email with the news indicated that more TTS programs will be impacted.March 1, 2025 Email shows that Musk ally is moving to close office behind free tax filing program at IRS https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/01/musk-close-irs-free-filing-system?utm_source=pocket_shared The Guardian The former employees of 18F said in a joint statement that they had been abruptly locked out of their computers and email at midnight EST, with "no chance to assist in an orderly transition in our work."McCurdy Will DOGE Deletes Agency Behind Login.gov, IRS Direct File, Other Tech Projects https://www.pcmag.com/news/doge-deletes-18f-agency-behind-logingov-irs-direct-file-other-tech-projects March 2, 2025 PCMag March 2, 2025We are dedicated to the American public. And we aren't done yet. https://18f.org/ 18F March 2, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250302014255/https://18f.org/ March 2, 2025 The 18F website was taken offline the same day.O'Keefe Ed Tarrant Rhona 2025-03-02 General Services Administration shutters its technology unit - CBS News https://www.cbsnews.com/news/general-services-administration-shutters-technology-unit-trump-doge/ 2025-03-04 CBS News en-US Within hours of receiving the reduction in force notice from Shedd on Saturday, employees of 18F created a website, archiving some of the guides and resources other parts of government could use on 18F.org and stating "We came to the government to fix things. And we're not done with this work yet."Moynihan Don March 4, 2025 Requiem for 18F https://donmoynihan.substack.com/p/requiem-for-18f Frank Langfitt, an NPR national correspondent, reflecting on whether 18F was eliminated because of their politics and inclusivity, stated, "if Elon Musk suggests that this decision might have been made because employees seemed too liberal, it makes it hard for the government to argue otherwise."March 4, 2025 A federal efficiency team was axed. They were working on one of Trump's goals https://www.npr.org/2025/03/04/nx-s1-5317569/a-federal-efficiency-team-was-axed-they-were-working-on-one-of-trumps-goals NPR Brian Merchant, technology reporter, stated "It's the termination and removal of an entire office operating within the federal government on what appears to be the basis of its politics and its demography. No pretense made about performance deficiencies, or that this is about anything other than malice and punishment."Merchant Brian March 3, 2025 The mass firing of federal tech workers at 18F is one of DOGE's most overtly political acts yet https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-mass-firing-of-federal-tech-workers Reporting also shows that 18F's role in safeguarding against unchecked technology spending may have also prompted the elimination with one previous employee stating, "Our whole approach was saving the government money and time, and building good quality public services. We never had an incentive to upsell."Washington Jessica March 19, 2025 Musk Is Firing Federal Workers Who Prevent Bloated Tech Contracts https://theintercept.com/2025/03/19/18f-tech-federal-workers-musk-trump-doge/ The Intercept Dan Tangherlini, who had previously overseen 18F when he was the GSA administrator, commented on the decision, saying "These were smart, technical, caring, dedicated, and patriotic public servants. Their dismissal with a late-night email demonstrates that this administration either doesn't know how to effectively enhance government efficiency, or really doesn't care."Moynihan Don 2025-03-02 Skilled technologists are being forced out of government https://donmoynihan.substack.com/p/skilled-technologists-are-being-forced 2025-03-02 Can We Still Govern? Businessman Mark Cuban suggested that the former employees start a consulting firm, saying that they'd soon be needed "to fix the mess" that DOGE will "inevitably create". While reporting on the events, The New York Times stated the 18F unit represented lost efficiency in the government by stating, "fixed technical problems and built products aimed at increasing efficiency for various federal agencies." Despite the formal 18F office being "eliminated" by Elon Musk and DOGE, former staff redeployed the resources that were previously hosted on 18.gsa.gov so they can still be used.18F: We are dedicated to the American public and we're not done yet https://18f.org/ 2025-03-11 18f.org In August 2025, following President Donald Trump's "America by Design" executive order, former USDS co-founder Erie Meyer wrote that the goals of the executive order contradicted DOGE's firing of top designers at 18F and USDS.mbracken 2025-08-22 Design without privacy is just a cover-up: USDS co-founder's take on Trump's EO https://fedscoop.com/america-by-design-trump-executive-order/ 2025-08-26 FedScoop en-US Appeal On May 28, 2025, former 18F staff filed an appeal to the United States Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) stating that they were targeted because of "whistleblowing about DOGE's improper access to systems,"https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2025/05/gsa-shutting-down-18f-was-retaliation-by-doge-former-staff-claim-in-appeal-for-their-jobs-back/ GSA shutting down 18F was 'retaliation' by DOGE, former staff claim in appeal for their jobs back Jory Heckman Federal News Network May 28, 2025 perceived political affiliations, and the overreach of Elon Musk.Mitchell Billy 2025-05-28 Former 18F employees file appeal of DOGE firings https://fedscoop.com/former-18f-employees-file-appeal-of-doge-firings/ 2025-05-29 FedScoop en-US2025-05-28 Fired federal tech staffers file retaliation claim to a panel whose chairwoman Trump also fired https://apnews.com/article/18f-merit-systems-protection-board-967362b51799d3cb760706c89d0cb4c2 2025-05-30 AP News en Lindsay Young, former Director and is involved in the appeal, stated, "In government, it's just so much easier to tear things down than it is to build things up."Robins-Early Nick 2025-05-29 The chaos Elon Musk and Doge are leaving behind in Washington https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/may/29/elon-musk-trump-doge-adviser-exit 2025-06-27 The Guardian en-GB 0261-3077 Projects and impact 18F developed several notable initiatives that became independent programs within the federal government. The U.S. Web Design System (USWDS), created in 2015 through collaboration between 18F and the U.S. Digital Service, provides a design system for federal websites. The USWDS was developed with input from multiple agencies including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security Administration, Department of Education, Internal Revenue Service, and GSA. It is now maintained by GSA's Technology Transformation Services' Office of Solutions.https://designsystem.digital.gov/about/ About - U.S. Web Design System designsystem.digital.gov 2024-01-08 Three other major platforms initially developed by 18F became independent programs within GSA's Technology Transformation Services: Cloud.gov, which emerged from 18F's early need to solve cloud operations bottlenecks, offers cloud hosting services for federal agencies. Initially prototyped by 18F, it evolved into an independent service helping government agencies deliver digital services efficiently while meeting security and compliance requirements.https://cloud.gov/docs/overview/cloudgov-team/ The cloud.gov team cloud.gov 2024-01-08 Login.gov, which launched in 2017 as a shared service, provides secure access to participating government websites. Originally incubated as an 18F project in 2016, it was developed in partnership with the United States Digital Service and now operates independently within TTS.https://www.login.gov/about-us/ About Us - Login.gov login.gov 2024-01-08 Analytics.usa.gov, created through a collaboration between GSA's Digital Analytics Program, based on unified Google Analytics data for many .gov domains. Other notable projects Working with the United States Digital Service to support the Internal Revenue Service and Department of the Treasury Direct File project that provides many taxpayers with a free, online, step-by-step tool for filing taxes on directfile.irs.gov.March 7, 2024 Eligible taxpayers in 12 states can file for free with IRS Direct File https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/eligible-taxpayers-in-12-states-can-file-for-free-with-irs-direct-fileWelcome to Direct File https://directfile.irs.gov/ Direct File Internal Revenue Service March 2, 2025 Building weather.gov with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to help members of the public and emergency managers find, understand, and act on weather information and guidance.March 19, 2024 At 10 years, GSA's tech consulting team (18F) celebrates over 450 projects to make government work better https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/newsroom/news-releases/at-10-years-gsas-tech-consulting-team-18f-cele-03192024 Streamlining the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division’s civil rights violation complaint submission process. Launching get.gov with CISA, allowing government organizations at all levels in the United States request .gov domains. Overall, more than 11,000 government organizations use .gov domains.18F practices in action (spoiler: this stuff works) https://18f.gsa.gov/2024/04/03/18f-practices-in-action/ April 3, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20250222040630/https://18f.gsa.gov/2024/04/03/18f-practices-in-action/ February 22, 2025get.gov https://get.gov/ get.gov March 2, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250228123901/https://get.gov/ February 28, 2025 Supporting a new case management system for the U.S. Tax Court which makes it easier for many taxpayers to submit online petitions. Creating a De-risking Guide to help both federal and state agencies avoid pitfalls in delivering successful custom technology projects.De-risking Guide https://guides.18f.gov/derisking-government-tech/ 18F General Services Administration March 2, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250217181651/https://guides.18f.gov/derisking-government-tech/ February 17, 2025 Building ClimateCorps.gov to make it easier for any American to find work tackling the climate crisis, alongside AmeriCorps and USDS. Launched Notify.gov, a text messaging service that helps government agencies communicate with people.December 14, 2023 GSA launches pilot partnerships to help people get benefits through text messaging https://www.gsa.gov/blog/2023/12/14/gsa-launches-pilot-partnerships-to-help-people-get-benefits-through-text-messagingNotify.gov https://beta.notify.gov/ Notify.gov March 2, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250222134836/https://beta.notify.gov/ February 22, 2025 Working on COVIDtests.gov, which enabled Americans to order free COVID tests from the government.Wong Matteo 2025-03-02 'It Feels Like It's Chaotic on Purpose' https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/03/doge-elon-musk-18f-elimination-efficiency/681894/ 2025-03-03 The Atlantic en Creating the U.S. Web Design System along with the United States Digital Service and 10x Legacy and influence 18F's impact on government technology extended beyond its direct projects. By 2024, its practices and methodologies had influenced the creation of digital service teams across numerous state and local governments, including California, Colorado, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York State, and major cities like New York City, Boston, and San Francisco.https://www.govtech.com/gov-experience/gsa-tech-team-18f-marks-first-decade-eyes-future GSA Tech Team 18F Marks First Decade, Eyes Future January 2024 Government Technology 2024-01-08 The organization helped transform how government approached technology procurement and development. Along with the United States Digital Service, 18F was part of a broader movement to modernize government technology and improve the public's experience with federal services.https://www.fastcompany.com/91165020/the-us-digital-service-ten-years-later-how-the-agency-cuts-through-web-design-bureaucracy The U.S. Digital Service, ten years later: How the agency cuts through web design bureaucracy January 2024 Fast Company 2024-01-08 Key aspects of this transformation include: Promoting open source development in government Introducing user-centered design practices Establishing agile development methodologies Creating models for bringing technology talent into government service 18F's influence continued through its alumni network, with 85% of departing staff in 2023 moving to other government technology positions, spreading modern technology practices throughout government. See also Civic technology Service design Technology Transformation Services United States Digital Service, at the Executive Office of the President Government Digital Service, for the UK's counterpart United States federal government targets of Elon Musk § GSA Technology Modernization Fund References External links https://web.archive.org/web/20250301115820/https://18f.gsa.gov/ Official website, archive date March 1, 2025 Unofficial website GitHub Repositories "The Changelog #230: 18F and OSS in the U.S. Federal Government". 2016-11-25. Politics United States yes Category:General Services Administration Category:Government agencies established in 2014 Category:Government agencies disestablished in 2025 Category:Organizations based in Washington, D.C. Category:2014 establishments in the United States Category:2025 disestablishments in the United States Category:Federal government of the United States