Team's Joint Resignation Letter

Key Chapter Title List

1. Joint Resignation Statement: Background and Commitment
2. January 21 Interview Process: Security Risks and Political Loyalty Test
3. February 14 Layoff Incident: Impact on Critical Public Services
4. February 16 DOGE Integration Action: Mission Deviation and Systemic Risks
5. Core Principles Statement: Refusal to Compromise Systems, Data, and Public Services
6. Organizational Structure Concerns: Lack of Formal Leadership and Accountability
7. Position on the Fork Road Delayed Resignation Plan
8. List of Resigning Personnel and Functional Composition

Document Introduction

This document is a joint resignation letter signed by 21 former employees of the United States Digital Service (USDS). The signatories are technology experts who left senior positions in the private sector to serve the public, with the core mission of delivering better government services to the American people through technology and design. The letter reveals a series of organizational and management crises that occurred after the presidential transition, during the agency's restructuring into the U.S. DOGE Service, which made it impossible for these nonpartisan public servants to continue fulfilling their constitutional oath and service commitment.

The document details three key event nodes. First, during a brief interview on January 21, interviewers wearing White House visitor badges refused to disclose their identities, asked questions about political loyalty, attempted to sow discord among colleagues, and demonstrated limited technical proficiency. This process was cited as posing significant security risks. Second, on February 14, one-third of USDS colleagues were indiscriminately terminated via anonymous email. These experts were working on modernizing critical systems for social security, veteran services, tax filing, healthcare, disaster relief, student aid, and more. Their sudden departure directly threatens the millions of Americans who rely on these services daily and weakens the security of critical systems and data.

Third, starting February 16, DOGE representatives began integrating the remaining personnel. The signatories point out that DOGE's actions—terminating technical experts, mishandling sensitive data, and undermining critical systems—contradict its stated mission of modernizing federal technology and software to maximize government efficiency and productivity, and fundamentally conflict with the original core mission of USDS. Based on this, the co-signers made a clear ethical and technical stance: they refuse to use their skills to harm core government systems, endanger sensitive American citizen data, or dismantle critical public services, and they refuse to use their expertise to execute or justify DOGE's related actions.

The document also raises concerns about the governance structure of the restructured agency, noting that since its separation from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), no one internally has been confirmed as the formal manager or leader of the U.S. DOGE Service. According to Executive Order 14158, the White House Chief of Staff is designated as the senior accountable official. Finally, the letter states that the signatories rejected the so-called Fork Road Delayed Resignation Plan, while expressing full support for colleagues who chose to remain and continue working to improve government services and technology. Attached is a list of the 21 resigning personnel, covering key functional roles such as engineers, data scientists, product managers, designers, and operations staff, reflecting the breadth and professionalism of this talent loss.