The exodus of approximately 22,000 Internal Revenue Service employees marks a major shake-up in the federal bureaucracy under President Donald Trump’s leadership—and it’s just the beginning.
According to The New York Times, this wave of departures stems from Trump’s voluntary buyout program, part of a broader initiative to streamline government, cut spending, and modernize outdated infrastructure. For the IRS, the impact is immediate and profound: fewer audits, longer wait times, and a significant drain on institutional knowledge as senior officials, including Acting Commissioner Melanie Krause, step away.
This isn’t merely a staffing issue. It’s a fundamental reversal of the prior administration’s approach. Under President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the IRS was promised a decade-long hiring spree—up to 87,000 new positions. The rationale was clear: strengthen enforcement, modernize systems, and close the “tax gap” by increasing audit capacity. But Trump’s vision for the agency stands in stark contrast.
Shortly after taking office, Trump launched a voluntary departure package that kept departing employees on the payroll through September—a move seen by some as both strategic and generous. Around 75,000 federal workers across various agencies took the offer.
A second buyout wave followed in April, with acceptance deadlines spanning a critical two-week window. Reports from Axios and The Washington Post suggest this phase could bring even more exits, deepening the transformation of the federal workforce.
And it’s not just buyouts. The Trump administration has also terminated roughly 7,000 probationary federal employees. Though those dismissals are currently under legal scrutiny, their confirmation could mean that the IRS alone will lose nearly one-third of its starting-year workforce.
Critics, like Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), argue the cuts are harming average Americans who rely on IRS assistance. “Making it harder for people across the Commonwealth to get the help they need,” she posted on X, highlighting the real-world consequences of a leaner IRS.
Yet, from the White House’s perspective, this isn’t retreat—it’s a reset. Last month, Trump signed an executive order to overhaul the government’s payment systems, aiming to end reliance on “old-fashioned paper-based payments” and usher in a digital era of fast, secure financial transactions. The administration insists that this modernization effort will improve service delivery while reducing cost and fraud.
“President Trump is making government work better for the American people,” the White House declared. And in many ways, this IRS overhaul symbolizes a larger pivot toward what Trump’s team describes as “efficiency-first governance.”
