Trump plan to lay off 6,000 IRS employees

A senior IRS executive has told employees that about 6,000 employees are being laid off, a source familiar with the matter said, a move that would reduce the agency’s workforce by about 6% in the midst of the tax filing season.

This is part of US President Donald Trump’s aggressive efforts to reduce the number of government employees, which have targeted bank regulators, rocket scientists and tens of thousands of other public employees. The effort is being led by billionaire Elon Musk, according to Reuters.

The source added that Christy Armstrong, the director of talent acquisition at the IRS, was crying as she announced the layoffs in a phone call, and urged employees to support each other during difficult times.

The source expected the total number of layoffs to reach 6,700 employees, and that employees appointed under former President Joe Biden are the most targeted.