Fourteen hundred employees at the IRS are being laid off as part of a sweeping round of cuts triggered Friday, according to an Office of Management and Budget official speaking with The Daily Wire. The number far exceeds earlier estimates and comes amid a deepening government shutdown tied to a funding battle between Senate Democrats and President Trump’s administration.
The IRS union had previously filed a lawsuit to block what it believed would be 1,300 layoffs across the entire Treasury Department. But the true figure is even higher—1,400 at the IRS alone—with more expected across other Treasury branches and departments including Homeland Security, Commerce, Education, Energy, and Health and Human Services.
The Trump administration argues that if certain federal employees can’t work during a shutdown, many may never return—particularly those tied to what they describe as bloated agencies with partisan agendas. An OMB official pointed to the IRS’s history of politically targeting conservative groups and cited $35 million in IRS spending on guns and tactical gear since 2006. The agency has also posted job listings for agents “willing to use deadly force.”
Essential staff responsible for processing tax returns will reportedly be protected, while administrative and non-critical roles are being eliminated. However, these cuts raise concerns for Democrats that their push for increased spending could be undercut by weakened revenue collection capabilities.
The shutdown is now in its tenth day. Senate Republicans say they delayed layoffs for over a week to give Democrats time to agree to extend existing funding levels. But with no deal reached Thursday night, the Trump White House is moving forward.
“This gets real,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD). Minority Leader Chuck Schumer responded, “Nobody’s forcing Trump and [OMB Director Russ Vought] to do this.”
The layoffs reflect a major escalation in the shutdown fight, with thousands more federal jobs potentially on the chopping block as negotiations stall.
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