Here’s a brief summary of the latest over at the IRS:
- *** There’s a new Commissioner, Billy Long, who was confirmed by the Senate in mid-June. Long is a professional auctioneer, has no training in tax, law, or accounting, and has no college degree. The group Americans for Tax Fairness warned Long’s new authority “signals open season for wealthy tax cheats.”
- *** About 25% of IRS IT workers have left the agency in 2025. In a recent email to staff, Acting CIO Kaschit Pandya said the agency needs to “reset and reassess” following the departure of over 2,000 IT employees since January.
- *** In its fiscal year 2026 budget proposal, the Treasury Department stated that the IRS would need to bring on more than 11,000 additional call center staff just to keep taxpayer phone support at current levels.
- *** Although the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) found that recent IRS staffing reductions didn’t affect this year’s tax season, it reported that the IRS expects to lose 1,850 return processing employees through a deferred resignation program. IRS managers acknowledged that these losses are likely to slow processing times for the next filing season.
- *** According to the online news source Government Executive, approximately 250 IRS agents have been temporarily assigned to the Department of Homeland Security through an agreement between DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, aimed at boosting immigration enforcement resources.
It’s safe to say we’re in for some interesting times ahead.
