Meanwhile, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is preparing for a tidal wave of workforce attrition. Some 20,000 employees have accepted an initial deferred resignation offer from the agency. This new initiative is particularly important as the agency readies itself for massive operational changes and with the April 18th tax deadline fast approaching. The Treasury Department recently announced an unprecedented wave of resignations. This trend almost precisely reflects the staffing cuts ordered during the last Trump administration.
Four years later, the IRS has increased its workforce—something the agency is required by law to do—by more than 102,000 employees. The current administration is planning to cut that number by as much as 40%. Since January, nearly 12,000 IRS employees and other IRS employees in probationary periods have either quit or been terminated. The White House estimates that only about 10% of eligible personnel will take the agency buyout offers.
If you decide on the buyout, you will then transition to a paid leave status. This new paid leave is only guaranteed through the end of the current fiscal year on September 30. Should all interested employees take the buyout, the agency could reduce its workforce by as much as 20%. This cut would dramatically change its ability to operate.
The Treasury Department, which supervises the IRS. By their own admission, the people who have left under President Trump’s administration is about matched to those coming on under the administration of President Biden. This short statement reveals the delicate balance between workforce cuts and staffing requirements at the agency.
“The roll back of wasteful Biden-era hiring surges, and consolidation of critical support functions are vital to improve both efficiency and quality of service,” – A spokesperson for the Treasury Department.
After this buyout plan closes, the IRS will be reaching out to identified employees who indicated interest. Even that is vague on when they would communicate, introducing another layer of doubt for would-be resigners.
Only a few months after President Trump was sworn into office in January, the administration rolled out a deferred resignation buyout. This additional strategic move sought to quickly accelerate the federal workforce’s decline. As the IRS continues developing these changes, helping Americans find the right balance between efficiency and maintaining important in-person services will be key.
“The Secretary is committed to ensuring that efficiency is realized while providing the collections, privacy, and customer service the American people deserve,” – Another spokesperson for the Treasury Department stated.
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