AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thousands of IRS workers are being let go. Some of them are right here in Austin, according to U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas.
Starting on Thursday, the IRS will fire roughly 7,000 workers around the country. The layoffs impact probationary employees with about one year or less at the agency. They include workers in compliance departments. Compliance work includes ensuring that taxpayers are abiding by the tax code, filing their returns and paying their taxes, among other duties.
“We could have delays in refunds,” Doggett said. “We’ll see a reduction in enforcement so that some people who want to evade their taxes are able to do that.”
‘Some in tears’
Austin is home to one of the few IRS centers in the country. KXAN asked Doggett if any local employees were impacted in the layoffs.
“Yes, we have about 6,000 IRS employees in the Greater-Austin area,” Doggett said. “Hundreds of them are likely to lose their job.”
Doggett brought an email with him from an anonymous IRS employee in Austin. The email was titled “Important Update for Managers of Probationary Employees.”
“Basically what it says is they wanted to fire everyone today, but because of some problems they have within the IRS already, they couldn’t,” Doggett said. “But people will hear tomorrow that they’re fired and not to come back to work.”
Doggett said there are talks about possibly more layoffs in the future.
‘Abolish the IRS’
U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, said Democrats have used the IRS to target conservatives. These layoffs are part of a wider initiative of the Trump Administration to shrink the size of the federal workforce through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“We’ve never seen a more weaponized federal government,” Comer said.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz responded to Elon Musk earlier this month on X, calling to “Abolish the IRS.”
It’s unclear how these IRS cuts may impact tax collection services this year.
