DOGE eliminated the US government’s tech experts – what has been lost?
The Trump administration’s latest move to improve government efficiency has purged tech consultants that worked to improve government efficiency
By Jeremy Hsu
4 March 2025
Under tech billionaire Elon Musk, the DOGE task force has slashed jobs across the US government
AFP via Getty Images
The US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an independent task force, has shut down 18F, a group of in-house tech experts focused on improving efficiency in the US government. 18F consulted with other government agencies about adopting cost-effective technologies and built digital services for tasks including applying for passports and filing taxes online.
Initiatives like 18F and the US Digital Service (USDS), another government unit of tech consultants, “created a rich professional network of doers, fixers and dreamers who could modernise government services”, says Daniel Castro at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a think tank based in Washington DC.
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He says the recent abrupt elimination of 18F could potentially stall US government projects – and he expressed scepticism that DOGE is the appropriate organisation to replace USDS or 18F in helping the US government make efficient use of technology. “I wouldn’t hire a demolition crew to build a skyscraper,” says Castro.
The US government typically spends more than $100 billion on IT services each year, but these expensive tech investments often fail to actually work as promised, according to the US Government Accountability Office. 18F helped avoid such waste by consulting with federal and state government agencies on which tech solutions to adopt, and determining which companies could provide them on time and within budget, says Dan Hon, an expert on government digital services and technology.
Three former 18F employees, who requested anonymity, described their organisation’s recently cut work to New Scientist. For instance, 18F helped digitise a healthcare application system to make it easier for states to access federal Medicaid funds – these provide health coverage for 70 million Americans, including 40 per cent of all children and 60 per cent of all nursing home residents.
