Staff Reports
The Internal Revenue Service has begun furloughing nearly half of its workforce as the government shutdown extends into its second week. Over 34,000 IRS employees have been sent home, with only essential operations such as electronic filing and automated refund processing continuing to function. This furlough came after an initial five-day contingency period funded by leftover Inflation Reduction Act money ended, forcing the agency to scale back drastically amid the ongoing funding stalemate.
This development exposes the costly dysfunction of big government left unchecked. The IRS, long notorious for its intrusive bureaucracy, now faces a crippling shutdown of its own. The very agency tasked with collecting taxes from hardworking Americans is now hamstrung by Washington's inability to fund essential services. It’s a spectacle of left-wing mismanagement and fiscal irresponsibility coming home to roost—empty offices, silent phones, and confused employees illustrate the chaos born from liberal obsession with expanding government without regard to accountability.
The IRS says it will furlough nearly half of its workforce as "most IRS operations are closed" due to the lapse in funding.
Plan states work related to protecting government property and revenue will continue, but most operations like taxpayer assistance & audits are paused @ABC pic.twitter.com/KItN2B6BtH— Selina Wang (@selinawangtv) October 8, 2025
Meanwhile, millions of taxpayers will bear the brunt of this shutdown. Paper processing and live taxpayer support have come to a halt, leaving refunds delayed and audits on pause. The tax deadline looms, but the agency that enforces it is falling apart under government dysfunction. The usual promises of fairness and protecting the "little guy" ring hollow when those who pay the bills suffer from the paralysis of a government that grows but cannot govern effectively.
Left-wing politicians who champion bigger government have now created a bloated bureaucracy so fragile it withers under pressure. This shutdown underlines the folly of their priorities: endless spending, endless programs, and little real service to the American people. If the government thinks it can keep expanding while shirking fiscal responsibility, this IRS shutdown is a stark warning that taxpayers will eventually revolt against a system that punishes them for government failure.
With the shutdown grinding on, all eyes are on the politicians squabbling in Washington. Will they finally put the interests of taxpayers first, or will this crisis deepen? For now, the IRS shutdown stands as a testament to the perils of unchecked government growth and the urgent need for fiscal discipline and accountability in Washington. The taxpayers deserve a government that works—not one that undermines their hard-earned dollars with dysfunction and delay.
