I.R.S. Expected to Lay Off Thousands [View all]

Source: New York Times

The Internal Revenue Service is preparing to lay off thousands of employees as soon as next week, according to three people familiar with the matter, as the Trump administration pushes to dramatically shrink the size of the federal work force.

The Office of Personnel Management, the federal government’s human resources department, ordered agencies across the government this week to terminate probationary employees, who are relatively new to their positions and do not enjoy as much job protection. It was unclear on Friday exactly how many I.R.S. employees would be affected by the order.

An I.R.S. spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment nor did a spokesman for the Treasury Department.

A sudden drop in the number of employees at the I.R.S. could interfere with the agency’s work to process millions of Americans’ tax returns. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Bloomberg News last week that the department, which oversees the I.R.S., would limit changes until after tax season ends in the spring.


Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/us/politics/irs-layoffs.html