Government Health Insurance Market Website Healthcare. The political crisis unfolds as millions of Americans stare at misinformation and freezing screens, but so does the new era of government technology.
The result is 18F, an in-house digital services consulting agency that brings Silicon Valley expertise to the government, challenging decades of outdated procurement practices and introducing a radical new approach to building digital public services.
18F was established by the Presidential Innovation Fellow on March 19, 2014 and is located in the Technology Transformation Services Department or GSA of the General Services Administration. The name of 18F is derived from the address of GSA headquarters: 1800 F Street. On March 1, 2025, just weeks after the 18F's 11th anniversary, the Trump administration eliminated the agency and laid off employees.
As a researcher studying public administration and technology, I observe a transformational role in government digital services18F. The elimination of the department raises the question of what the future of these services will look like.
The impact of 18f
18F serves as a unique role as a digital consultant within the U.S. government with innovative strategies to improve public services through technology. Within 18F, a team of designers, software engineers, strategists and product managers works with federal, state and local agencies to not only solve technical problems, but also build, buy and share technology, which helps modernize and improve public experience in government services.
Over the past 11 years, 18F has built an impressive portfolio of successful digital projects that have changed the way people interact with the U.S. government. Even if ordinary people are not familiar with 18F, there is a high possibility that they will encounter at least one of many products or services.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qie7jsjuhrg
For example, 18F supports the IRS to create IRS Direct files, an free online tax filing tool that provides taxpayers with a streamlined application process. As of today, IRS Direct documents are available in 25 states and are expected to serve 30 million qualified taxpayers during the 2025 tax season.
18F has been key in modernizing and protecting digital systems to help create a more simplified and protected user experience for the public. For example, login.gov is a secure single login platform that simplifies access to multiple government services for users.
Perhaps the most noteworthy modernization work in the United States that touches almost every aspect of the government today is perhaps the American web design system. The integrated design system was developed in 2015 in collaboration with the US Digital Services. It helps support dozens of agencies and makes nearly 200 websites more accessible and responsive to user needs.
How 18f works
The method that is 18F away from it is its method. 18F advocates agile development rather than spending years signing giant information technology contracts that are often unavailable. Agile and lean methodologies have been popular among Silicon Valley startups and software companies because of their flexibility and focus on fast iteration.
By applying agile development principles, 18F is committed to breaking large projects into manageable parts and making incremental improvements based on frequent user feedback. This approach allows user feedback and changing demand to stimulate continuous adaptation while reducing risks.
Another cornerstone of the 18F's innovative approach is its focus on user-centric design. By focusing on the needs of people who actually use government services, 18F can go beyond meeting only technical requirements to design more accessible and user-friendly digital products. The idea is to understand the end users and the problems they are experiencing in order to effectively design products and solutions that meet their needs. It is also designed to provide a consistent user experience and earn users’ trust in the service.
By prioritizing open source development and collaboration, 18F also helped make it more affordable for governments. Making the program code transparent means agencies can reuse the code and reduce the cost of repetitive development efforts at the agency and government levels.
18F can also help organizations develop their own technical capabilities, whether by teaching them how to build software using open source development and agile methods, or by teaching institutions how to hire and oversee technology vendors themselves. The model, after the expansion of 18F in 2016, is particularly beneficial to state and local agencies, serving state and local government agencies that receive federal funding.
The end of the era
Elimination of 18F marks the end of an era and has attracted attention to current and future technological projects. As of now, there seems to be no inheritance plan, and many federal agencies do not continue to support their digital transformation efforts. Critics also argue that losing 18F means a lack of important technical expertise within the government.
These changes occur when agencies experience large numbers of personnel transfers, which may make digital services more critical. As agents cut more personnel services, the public may need to rely more on digital services to fill in staffing shortages because of insufficient staffing.
Since the announcement, current and former 18F team members and advocates of the department have entered social media platforms including X (formerly Twitter), Bluesky and LinkedIn to share their success stories, honor their legacy and share 18F resources.
Kayla Schwoerer, Assistant Professor of Public Administration and Policy, SUNY Albany University
This article is republished from the conversation under the Creative Sharing License. Read the original article.
