WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 21 (UPI) — At least 6,000 federal employees of the Internal Revenue Service were expected to receive termination notices by the end of Friday, just ahead of the peak March-April tax filing season, according to a leaked email to IRS managers.
Most of the cuts will fall on temporary workers and those still on probation, newer hires with less than 12 months of service, or under two years, dependent on their role, The New York Times, CBS News and Politico reported.
The Small Business/Self-Employed and Large Business & International divisions will be most affected with more than 3,500 SBSE employees, about 3.5% of the agency’s total staff, expected to receive termination notices on Thursday from the IRS Human Capital Office.
SBSE deals with the taxes of more than 57 million small businesses and entrepreneurs with assets of less than $10 million, while LB&I is responsible for corporations, subchapter S corporations and partnerships with assets of $10 million or more.
“While details are still developing, we understand that over 3,500 SB/SE probationary hires will be terminated by the end of this week,” SBSE commissioner Lia Colbert and SBSE deputy commissioner Maha Williams wrote in an email to managers that stated the probationary hires being let go were not “deemed as critical” amid the filing season.
Former agency officials and Democrats warned that even if that were true, the loss of so many administrative staff, accountants and lawyers could make it harder for Americans to easily file their taxes for 2024 by the April 15 deadline.
The action follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Feb. 11, aimed at “significantly” shrinking the federal government, ordering the heads of departments and agencies to deliver “large-scale reductions” to the workforce — with recent hires first in line for the chop.
On Wednesday, IRS managers began asking affected employees, who have less job security than those who have completed their probationary period, to come to the office in the next few days with their government-issued devices such as phones, computers and other IT equipment along with case files and system access cards.
The agency had already been earmarked for a lengthy freeze on hiring and the Department of Homeland Security has even requested IRS staff be transferred to assist with its work enforcing immigration mandates.
