Trump administration's IRS cuts: 6,000 jobs slashed amidst controversy
About 6,000 employees of the American tax agency, the IRS, will be laid off as part of budget cuts introduced by President Donald Trump. The workforce reduction, overseen by Elon Musk, will affect 6% of the staff responsible for enforcing tax payments by the wealthiest citizens, reports Reuters.
On Thursday, an IRS representative, Christy Armstrong, announced mass layoffs impacting 6,000 employees, accounting for 6% of the agency's workforce. The decision comes at a critical time, just before the tax filing deadline on April 15th.
These cuts are part of President Trump's broader initiative to reduce federal administration costs. Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), supports this program. Reuters notes that the layoffs will affect agencies that regulate large corporations and departments overseeing Musk's companies, such as SpaceX, Tesla, and Neuralink.
More than 6,000 people will lose their jobs
According to sources, the total number of IRS layoffs could reach 6,700. The cuts will primarily target positions created during Joe Biden's presidency as part of measures to increase the enforcement of tax payments by the wealthiest citizens.
The layoffs will affect all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. The most affected offices will be in Pennsylvania, New York, Utah, California, and Kentucky. The cuts will also affect IT specialists, customer service staff, and tax collection agents.
The Trump administration plans to reduce the federal budget by 1 trillion dollars. Reuters notes that Republicans view an expanded administration as too costly and inefficient. However, the IRS layoffs could seriously disrupt the tax return filing process.
Democrats have strongly criticized Trump's decisions, accusing him of dismantling key government programs and overstepping his authority. Contracts worth 8.5 billion dollars have already been canceled, affecting foreign aid and diversity-related programs.
Amidst administrative chaos, oversight of drug and food exports has been halted, and some laid-off employees responsible for nuclear weapon oversight have been reinstated. Despite this uncertainty, the IRS plans to retain key employees responsible for processing tax refunds.
