Trump orders federal agencies to ‘immediately cease’ using Anthropic technology

February 27, 2026 - 19:21

President Trump on Friday directed federal agencies to “immediately cease” using Anthropic technology amid an escalating feud between the AI company and the Pentagon. The directive, issued via executive memorandum, mandates the immediate termination of all existing contracts and prohibits the initiation of any new projects involving the company's artificial intelligence models.

The order cites undisclosed national security concerns as the primary catalyst for the sweeping action. It requires all departments to provide a full inventory of their usage of Anthropic's Claude AI or any associated technologies within the next 30 days. The memorandum further instructs agencies to develop transition plans to alternative, approved vendors to minimize disruption to ongoing projects.

This sudden move has sent shockwaves through the federal technology sector, where Anthropic's models are reportedly utilized for a range of functions from data analysis and internal research to preliminary draft generation. The directive underscores the growing scrutiny on the foundational technology providers powering government operations and raises significant questions about the future procurement of advanced AI systems by the public sector. The immediate financial and operational impact on various agencies remains under assessment.