Musk ally moving to close office behind IRS free tax filling program
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Elon Musk claimed in early February that he "deleted" 18F programs as part of a broader strategy to slash some federal government initiatives and jobs.
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The sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building is seen on May 4, 2021 in Washington (AP)
The office behind a popular free online tax filing option will be closed and its staff will be laid off, an ally of Elon Musk in the US government revealed in a late-night email Saturday.
The 18F office of the General Services Administration (GSA) developed the IRS Direct File program, which allows for free internet tax filings. It has been a frequent target of Musk, and one of the billionaire's close acquaintances, who occupies a senior position in the GSA, notified colleagues that the agency would close 18F in an email sent at 1 am on Saturday.
Thomas Shedd, a 28-year-old former Tesla software engineer, sent the email after taking over as director of the GSA's Technology Transformation Services in late January.
As per the email, the firings were in support of Donald Trump's executive order issued shortly after taking office, which allowed Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) taskforce to reduce federal employees.
"The 18F Office has been identified as part of this phase of the GSA's Reduction in Force (RIF) as non-critical," according to the message.
“This decision was made with explicit direction from the top levels of leadership within both the Administration and GSA. There are no other TTS programs impacted at this time, however we anticipate more change in the future.”
It's unclear what will happen to 18F programs like the direct filing system or how many of the approximately 90 employees at the GSA office will be let go.
Musk claimed in early February that he "deleted" 18F when reacting on X to a right-wing influencer who criticized the agency of being "far left".
Musk did not expand on his comments, which generated uncertainty because the 18F website and services, like its direct file program, remained operational.
In addition to working on the free tax return program, the 18F office collaborated with several government organizations to upgrade technology and create new software products. In 2024, it worked on over 31 projects for various government organizations, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). It has been a member of the GSA since 2014.
Shortly after taking over TTS, Shedd told workers that he intended to manage the agency like a tech company, implementing artificial intelligence systems throughout the government.
The GSA is one of the primary departments that Musk and his acquaintances have taken over as part of a larger, potentially unlawful deconstruction of the federal government, which has resulted in cuts to services such as humanitarian relief and disease control while seeking to reform agencies based on ideology.
