The Washington Post is reporting that the Trump administration is planning to close at least 110 IRS offices, according to a plan from the GSA.
Here’s more:
The Trump administration plans to shutter more than 110 IRS offices that have taxpayer assistance centers as the White House’s efficiency zeal carves deeper into the tax agency.
The plan, outlined in a Tuesday letter from the U.S. General Services Administration that was obtained by The Washington Post, comes in the midst of the federal tax filing season that ends April 15, and as the administration is working to reduce agencies’ headcount and scale back the footprint of the federal government. Last week, the IRS started laying off approximately 7,000 probationary employees.
At least 113 taxpayer assistance centers will have their leases terminated or not renewed when they expire, according to a list included with GSA’s letter. It’s unclear whether the assistance centers — which provide free, in-person help for tax filers, on an appointment basis — will relocate or simply close.
All soft-term leases, which can be ended on short notice, are expected to be terminated except for those deemed “public-facing,” according to the letter, which was signed by Michael Peters, the GSA’s commissioner for public buildings. Those leases will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, the letter said.
The IRS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Peters acknowledged that there are concerns about accommodating workers called back to the office under an order to return to in-person work, but he said there was an “excess of federal space identified prior to the covid-19 pandemic.”
The U.S. DOGE Service, which has led the Trump administration’s cost-cutting efforts, has established a strong foothold in the GSA and other agencies. The GSA is working with federal agencies to “fully optimize the federal footprint,” acting press secretary Will Powell said. “We’ll share more information on specific savings and facilities as soon as we’re able.”
This is fantastic news, especially since Biden was trying to use the IRS as a way of targeting more taxpayers with 87,000 new employees in order to try and squeeze more taxes out of the American people.
Full speed ahead!