Senate Fails Again to End Government Shutdown
As the government shutdown continues into its second week, a significant portion of the IRS workforce, around 34,000 employees, is facing furloughs. The agency is now implementing contingency plans to maintain essential operations, particularly around tax enforcement and data security, even without new funding from Congress.
A letter sent to IRS employees outlined that most operations would have to pause. This contingency plan will be in effect until April 30, 2026, detailing how the IRS intends to function without additional congressional support. As of mid-2025, the IRS employed about 74,299 individuals. During the shutdown, only about 54%, or roughly 39,870 employees, will remain active, though which specific jobs will be maintained remains uncertain.
While the IRS will continue certain critical functions like tax preparation, IT protection, criminal investigations, and processing bankruptcy cases, most taxpayer services—including call centers—will be put on hold. These suspensions could lead to longer waiting times and complicate compliance with tax laws.
Doreen Greenwald, who heads the National Treasury Employees Union, expressed concern over the impact of the shutdown on American taxpayers. She warned that as the shutdown drags on, citizens could experience increased delays in receiving vital IRS services, making it more difficult to file their taxes.
Greenwald emphasized that the complete lack of preparedness has left many employees uncertain about their work status. She called for Congress and the Administration to promptly reach a resolution, highlighting that the ongoing shutdown is not an ideal way to treat dedicated public servants.
The IRS has informed its workers they will receive back pay once the shutdown is resolved, although there are no guarantees this will happen, as mentioned by the Trump administration earlier this week. Earlier this year, the agency had already been reducing its workforce from around 100,000 employees at the end of 2024 to approximately 75,000 before the shutdown began.
