The Internal Revenue Service will begin laying off roughly 6,000 employees on Thursday as part of the Trump administration’s push to downsize the federal work force, three people familiar with the agency’s plans said.
The terminations will target relatively recent hires at the I.R.S., which the Biden administration had attempted to revitalize with a surge of funding and new staff, the people said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The Trump administration has begun laying off probationary employees — who do not enjoy as much job protection as their more tenured colleagues — across the federal government in recent days.
I.R.S. managers on Wednesday began asking employees to report to the office in the coming days and bring with them their government-issued equipment, according to messages viewed by The New York Times. The I.R.S. employs roughly 100,000 accountants, lawyers and other staff across the country.
“Under an executive order, I.R.S. has been directed to terminate probationary employees who were not deemed critical to filing season,” one such email reads. “We don’t have many details that we are permitted to share, but this is all tied to compliance with the executive order.”
The layoffs come in the middle of tax filing season. Former I.R.S. officials and Democrats have warned that losing such a large number of employees could still disrupt the ability of millions of Americans’ to easily file their taxes this year, even if the layoffs are not supposed to affect those deemed “critical.” Representatives for the I.R.S. and the Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Republicans have long pushed for cuts at the I.R.S., accusing the agency of taking politically-motivated steps against conservatives. Some lawmakers, including President Trump’s nominee to run the agency, have called for abolishing the tax collector. Mr. Trump chose Billy Long, a former Republican congressman, to lead the I.R.S., taking the unusual step of replacing the former commissioner, Daniel Werfel.
Mr. Trump has already targeted the I.R.S. for an extended hiring freeze, and the Department of Homeland Security has asked for I.R.S. agents to help with immigration enforcement efforts.
A member of Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency has also sought broad access to the tax agency’s sensitive taxpayer records.
“There’s a flood of résumés from people at the I.R.S. looking for jobs throughout the tax community,” said Dave Kautter, who led the agency on an acting basis and served in the Treasury Department during Mr. Trump’s first term. “Law firms are getting a fair number of résumés, accounting firms are getting a fair number of résumés.”