IRS will furlough nearly half of its workforce as the government shutdown enters a second week

"WASHINGTON -- The IRS will furlough nearly half of its workforce on Wednesday as part of the ongoing government shutdown, according to an updated contingency plan posted to its website. Most IRS operations are closed, the agency said in a separate letter to its workers. The news comes after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to fund federal operations, and the government shutdown has entered its second week, with no discernible endgame in sight."

""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 said. "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.""

The IRS will furlough nearly half of its employees as the government shutdown continues, leaving most operations closed and reducing staff to 39,870, or 53.6%, on the job. The shutdown follows failed funding negotiations between President Donald Trump and Congress and has entered its second week without a resolution. An earlier contingency plan relied on Inflation Reduction Act funds for initial operations, but that plan has changed. The National Treasury Employees Union warned of increased wait times, backlogs and delays implementing tax law changes. The agency says furloughed and working employees will receive back pay once the shutdown ends.

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