IRS to furlough nearly half its workforce due to government shutdown | US news
The Internal Revenue Service announced Wednesday that it would furlough nearly half of its employees — about 34,000 workers — due to the ongoing government shutdown, making it much harder for U.S. taxpayers to get help.
In a statement released Wednesday, the IRS said that “due to the expiration of the credits,” it would begin its furlough on Oct. 8 for “everyone except previously identified excluded and exempt employees.”
“Employees who are not exempt or excluded are furloughed and placed in a no-pay, no-duty status until further notice; however, all employees must plan to report to work for their next duty period,” the IRS said, adding that employees would have up to four hours to close work requirements and receive formal notice of leave.
The furlough will leave only 53.6%, or 39,870 IRS employees, working while the government remains closed.
In the standard furlough letter provided to all affected employees, David Traynor, IRS acting chief human capital officer, confirmed that furloughed employees cannot work and will not be paid during the shutdown.
The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents IRS employees, condemned the decision. Its president, Doreen Greenwald, said Wednesday: “Due to the government shutdown, the American people have lost access to many vital services provided by the IRS.
“Expect increased wait times, backlogs and delays in implementing tax law changes as the shutdown continues,” the statement continued. “Taxpayers across the country will now have a much harder time getting the help they need, just as they prepare to file their extension returns due next week.”
The IRS’s decision to furlough its employees comes a day after a White House memo suggested that furloughed workers would not be able to receive back pay, despite the 2019 law signed by Trump in his first term, during the last government shutdown; The Fair Treatment of Government Employees Act of 2019 (Gefta) ensures that civil servants will be automatically paid after future shutdowns.
In his letter, Traynor said “employees must be compensated as soon as possible after the forfeiture period ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates.”
