The Trump administration has disbanded a team of government technology experts responsible for developing the Internal Revenue Service’s free tax-filing system and modernizing federal websites, a spokesperson for the General Services Administration (GSA) confirmed on Saturday.
GSA’s Director of Technology Transformation Services, Thomas Shedd, informed employees of the digital service unit known as 18F that their roles had been deemed “non-critical” and were being terminated. As a result, approximately 90 employees were immediately locked out of their devices.
The decision aligns with multiple executive orders, including the “Implementing the President’s Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative,” issued on February 11.
Elon Musk, who leads the administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, had earlier responded to a post on X that labeled 18F a “far-left government-wide computer office,” stating that the team had been “deleted.”
Established in 2014 under former President Barack Obama, 18F operated within the GSA and was instrumental in enhancing digital services across federal agencies. The team worked on improving accessibility, modernizing government technology, expanding data transparency, and streamlining public services.
Despite the mass dismissal, the IRS’s free direct-file tax website remains online.
Reports indicate that Musk’s department has shown interest in leveraging personal tax records to monitor federal benefits payments for fraud. Additionally, sources suggest that the Department of Homeland Security has requested the IRS to share the home addresses of approximately 700,000 undocumented immigrants for deportation purposes.
So far, the IRS has reportedly denied these requests to disclose personal information.
