[Another thing for Musk employee's to swoop in and "fix" -- for a price]

US government cuts key software division without warning

Date:
Mon, 03 Mar 2025 13:11:00 +0000

Description:
A key US government technology department has been slashed in drive for "efficiency".

FULL STORY ======================================================================
- The US government's General Services Administration department's 18F has been dissolved
- Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency seems to be behind
the cuts
- 18F was a software and procurement group which helped a range of
government agencies

A technology unit from the General Services Administration (GSA) has had its budget all but eliminated, affecting around 70 software engineers and strategists, as well as researchers, service designers, and procurements specialists.

The cuts were masterminded by Elon Musks Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE) , and are part of an ongoing campaign to slash government spending.

Founded in 2014, the Unit, 18F, developed key public-facing IT services, like Login.gov - the central login system for services like Medicaid, Social Security, and Medicare. 18F was also responsible for helping government agencies buy and build technology, improve user experience, and make services accessible, and the unit collaborated with many departments, so the effects
of the cuts will be felt across the board.

A sledgehammer approach

The department had previously been labeled as a far left government wide computer office by a Musk supporter, to which the de-facto DOGE director replied That group has been deleted.

All 18F's support on that work has now abruptly come to a halt, the group
said in a statement .

Since the entire staff was also placed on administrative leave, we have been locked out of our computers, and have no chance to assist in an orderly transition in our work. We dont even have access to our personal employment data. Were supposed to return our equipment, but cant use our email to find
out how or where.

These are not the first federal workers to be laid off, with over 110,000 federal employees leaving their posts since Trump took office, although
around 77,000 of these accepted the administrations deferred resignation program.

Dismantling 18F follows the gutting of the original US Digital Service. These cuts are just the most recent in a series of a sledgehammer approach to the critical US teams supporting IT infrastructure.

DOGE was also recently hit with a wave of lawsuits following complaints
about the department breaching the privacy of millions of Americans by accessing extraordinarily sensitive details about federal workers and anyone who has ever applied for a federal job.

======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/us-government-cuts-key-software-division-without -warning

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Mike Powell wrote to All <=-

Description:
A key US government technology department has been slashed in drive for "efficiency".

He keeps using that word. I don't think it means what he thinks it
means.


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Kurt Weiske wrote to Mike Powell <=-

Description:
A key US government technology department has been slashed in drive for "efficiency".

He keeps using that word. I don't think it means what he thinks it
means.

Yeah, I wonder what he thinks it means as he is doing it wrong by most
other peoples' definition. As I have said before, if DOGE is not including forensic accountants and subject matter experts, a lot of real fraud is
going to be missed and they are more likely to screw things up.

Based on past things I have seen from Elon on Twitter/X, he has a very,
very limited understanding of COBOL and mainframe systems in general. He
is most definately *not* an expert on either.


... "Did you open the Microwave door before the 'ding'"?
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Mike Powell wrote to Kurt Weiske <=-

Yeah, I wonder what he thinks it means as he is doing it wrong by most other peoples' definition. As I have said before, if DOGE is not including forensic accountants and subject matter experts, a lot of
real fraud is going to be missed and they are more likely to screw
things up.

It's not an audit.

Based on past things I have seen from Elon on Twitter/X, he has a very, very limited understanding of COBOL and mainframe systems in general.
He is most definately *not* an expert on either.

I've worked with both, seeing people who grew up in the client-server
era trying to understand mainframe archeology can be painful.



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Yeah, I wonder what he thinks it means as he is doing it wrong by most other peoples' definition. As I have said before, if DOGE is not including forensic accountants and subject matter experts, a lot of
real fraud is going to be missed and they are more likely to screw things up.

It's not an audit.

Yes, that sums it up.

Based on past things I have seen from Elon on Twitter/X, he has a very, very limited understanding of COBOL and mainframe systems in general.
He is most definately *not* an expert on either.

I've worked with both, seeing people who grew up in the client-server
era trying to understand mainframe archeology can be painful.

And, in this case, costly in the long run.


* SLMR 2.1a * He's got bats in the belfry.
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