Tracking federal contract cancellations is a key part of understanding how new administrations reshape government spending. As policy priorities shift, so do procurement strategies—often leading to increased contract terminations and stop work orders. This blog marks the beginning of a recurring series where we will update and analyze federal contract cancellations every few weeks, comparing trends across administrations using data from Fedmine, GovSpend’s federal solution. By examining terminations for convenience and stop work orders, we aim to provide a clear, data-driven perspective on how each administration approaches federal contract management.
Administrative transitions often bring shifts in federal procurement as agencies reassess contracts to align with new policy priorities, budget constraints, or political directives. The first seven and a half weeks of President Trump’s second administration follow this pattern, with initiatives aimed at increasing efficiency and reducing overall government spending.
The administration is employing various tactics to achieve its goals, including the deferred resignation program and reductions in force (RIF) initiatives. Since contract cancellations have a direct impact on government contractors, our analysis focused on contract terminations during the first seven and a half weeks of three administrations—Trump’s first term (45), Biden’s term (46), and Trump’s second term (47).
It’s important to note that this analysis is not focused solely on contracts canceled by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). We examined two specific types of cancellations: terminations for convenience and stop work orders. The former allows for resource reallocation initiated by the administration while the latter signals temporary pauses that may lead to full cancellations.
Key Findings
The first Trump administration had the fewest contract cancellations for the time evaluated. In contrast, the Biden administration and Trump’s second administrations had far more cancellations, with Trump (47) pacing ahead of Biden by 807 contracts.
Number of Contracts Canceled by Administration
*as of 3/12/2025
Analyzing cancellations by week reveals that the first Trump administration showed a downward trend in cancellations going into the sixth week, while the Biden and Trump (47) administrations continued or increased pace.
Contracts Canceled by Week and Administration
*as of 3/12/2025
Contract cancellations are a routine feature of early administration transitions. However, the sustained pace of terminations under the last two administrations suggests prolonged approaches to contract cancellations may be a relatively new trend that could become the norm.
Stay tuned for updates every few weeks as we track these evolving trends across administrations using data from Fedmine.
For a breakdown of contract terminations and stop orders during the current administration by company, agency, and NAICS code, read our blog post here.
About the Author: Deepak Bhat
