By Richard Rubin
President Trump's order to freeze federal civilian hiring includes an extra squeeze at the Internal Revenue Service. Under the order signed Monday, all agencies have hiring frozen for up to 90 days while the Office of Management and Budget and the new government-efficiency effort write a plan to shrink the federal workforce. The federal Office of Personnel Management can allow exceptions during that time.
After that, the freeze lifts for every agency except the IRS-until the Treasury Secretary consults with other officials and says IRS hiring can proceed. That is a signal that Trump plans to halt the tax agency expansion that occurred under former President Joe Biden. The IRS's busy period-the annual tax-filing season-starts Jan. 27 and the agency often hires many seasonal employees during that period. Trump has nominated Billy Long, a former Missouri congressman, to run the IRS.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 20, 2025 19:31 ET (00:31 GMT)
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