IRS Firings
This page provides exerpts and links to relevant statements related to potential cuts to the IRS.
(Last updated: March 5, 2025)
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Op-ed by Charles Rettig, Former Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service
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Don't Put Core IRS Services at Risk in the Name of 'Efficiency'
March 5, 2025
Op-ed by Charles Rettig, Former Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service
"Randomly terminating large numbers of taxpayer service representatives will hurt the efforts of tens of millions of Americans to receive important, congressionally authorized refundable credits and tax refunds and to receive guidance and relevant information to help them file their tax returns."
- Statement by Charles Rettig, Former Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service
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Statement by Charles Rettig, Former Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service
March 4, 2025
"Randomly terminating up to 50% of the IRS workforce will adversely impact efforts of tens of millions of Americans to receive guidance and relevant information enabling the filing of their current or future tax returns and receipt of important refunds. Even with recent technological enhancements, every internal and external IRS function will be at risk. The agency will likely struggle to meet basic levels of service and compliance."
- Statement by the Tax Foundation
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Statement by the Tax Foundation
March 4, 2025
"It's really misguided to drastically cut IRS staff without also drastically simplifying the tax code. Part of having a stable and transparent tax system is having a government agency with the capabilities to enforce tax laws and provide guidance to taxpayers as they comply with tax laws. Severe staff cuts undermine those capabilities."
- Statement by Kathleen Romig, Director of Social Security and Disability Policy, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
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March 4, 2025
"The Social Security angle: the IRS collects payroll taxes, too. You know, the $$$ that pays for the Social Security benefits you know & love.
In fact, 3/4 taxpayers pay more in payroll taxes than income taxes.
Obviously they’re trying to help rich tax cheats. But this hurts Social Security, too."
- Statement by Larry Summers, former Secretary of the Treasury
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Statement by Larry Summers, former Secretary of the Treasury
March 4, 2025
"Justice Holmes famously said 'taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society.'
I never thought I would say this but POTUS with his proposal to enable massive tax cheating for his friends with a 50% cut in IRS workforce is a threat to civilized America society.
Remarkably this threat to American civilization is not as large as other blunders like appeasing Putin."
- Statement by Charles Rettig, Former Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service
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Statement by Charles Rettig, Former Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service
February 2025
"The expenses of operating the U.S. don’t disappear if the IRS suffers. Each year, almost 95+% of U.S. gross revenue flows thru the IRS, typically at least $4.9 trillion, on an annual budget of approximately $14.1 billion"