The IRS is preparing to lay off about 6,000 workers on Thursday, following reports that DOGE had arrived at the agency and was seeking access to taxpayer data. Groundwork Collaborative Managing Director of Policy and Advocacy Elizabeth Pancotti reacted with the following statement:
“Elon Musk is gutting the IRS in the middle of tax filing season for one reason, and one reason alone: to let wealthy tax cheats off the hook. Trump and Musk care far more about hamstringing the agency in charge of making sure their billionaire buddies pay their tax bills than they do about making tax season bearable for millions of taxpayers.”
Contrary to Musk’s cost-cutting crusade, DOGE’s IRS raid will cost taxpayers money. Recent research found that for every $1 spent on tax enforcement for the wealthy, taxpayers get an average return of $26.
Email press@groundworkcollaborative.org to speak with one of Groundwork’s experts about IRS funding and DOGE.