Fired IRS worker criticizes irony of layoffs meant to 'improve efficiency'

As the IRS laid off thousands of employees nationwide on Thursday, many departing workers expressed frustration over the government's reasoning behind the cuts—especially those hired to make the agency more efficient.

One terminated employee, wheeling a suitcase out of IRS headquarters in Washington, D.C., told ABC News that his role focused on data analytics and automation, intended to modernize and streamline IRS operations.

“I was brought in to make the IRS more efficient,” he said. “The understanding was that people with my technical skills would be retained.”

Instead, he found himself among more than 6,000 workers—roughly 6% of the IRS workforce—losing their jobs in a sweeping cost-cutting move spearheaded by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. He pointed out the irony of being fired in the name of efficiency despite working to modernize IRS data infrastructure and compliance systems.

Sources tell ABC News that more than 100 employees were let go from the IRS’s Washington offices alone, with over 60 terminations at headquarters. The cuts extend across the country, impacting hundreds of employees in states like Texas, New York, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania.

Some worry these layoffs will cause disruptions during tax season.

“With so many people being let go and so much knowledge lost, people should expect disturbances,” the fired employee said. “I wish more thought had been put into the long-term impact on taxpayers and the American public.”

Another current IRS worker, holding back tears, described the firings as “gutting” the agency, warning that fewer employees will mean weaker enforcement and slower responses to taxpayers’ concerns. She also noted that many experienced IRS employees are nearing retirement, meaning these younger, recently hired workers represented the future of the agency.

A recently fired worker, who was just three weeks away from completing his probationary period, disputed claims from Musk and Trump that these cuts would improve government efficiency.

“If you measure efficiency by productivity, these cuts do the opposite. If you measure efficiency by morale, then absolutely—it’s at an all-time low,” he said.

Despite having experience in fields like nanotechnology, biotechnology, and engineering, the fired worker said that his role at the IRS gave him the greatest sense of purpose.

“I accepted this role to help our country fight bad guys,” he said. “And now, I’m being told that I was the problem.”