By FATIMA HUSSEIN, Related Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS will furlough almost half of its workforce on Wednesday as a part of the continued authorities shutdown, in keeping with an up to date contingency plan posted to its web site. Most IRS operations are closed, the company stated in a separate letter to its staff.
The company’s preliminary Lapsed Appropriations Contingency Plan, which supplied for the primary 5 enterprise days of operations, said that the division would stay open utilizing Democrats’ Inflation Discount Act funds.
Now, solely 39,870 workers, or 53.6%, will stay working because the shutdown continues. It’s unclear which staff will stay on the job.
Doreen Greenwald, president of the Nationwide Treasury Workers Union, stated in an announcement that taxpayers ought to count on elevated wait instances, backlogs and delays implementing tax regulation adjustments because the shutdown continues.
“Taxpayers around the country will now have a much harder time getting the assistance they need, just as they get ready to file their extension returns due next week,” she stated. “Every day these employees are locked out of work is another day of frustration for taxpayers and a growing backlog of work that sits and waits for the shutdown to end.”
She urged the Trump administration and Congress to “reach an agreement that reopens government and restores the services that Americans need and deserve.”
The discover to staff states that furloughed staff and those that stay on the job will obtain again pay as soon as the shutdown ends. That is notable for the reason that Republican administration on Tuesday warned of no assured again pay for federal staff affected by a authorities shutdown.
Final week, Trump stated roughly 750,000 federal staff nationwide have been anticipated to be furloughed throughout businesses, with some probably fired by his administration.
Representatives from the IRS, the Treasury and the White Home didn’t touch upon the furlough plans.
Earlier this 12 months the IRS launched into mass layoffs, spearheaded by the Division of Authorities Effectivity, affecting tens of 1000’s of staff. On the finish of 2024, the company employed roughly 100,000 staff — and presently that hovers round 75,000.
Initially Printed: October 8, 2025 at 2:07 PM EDT
