The IRS Lost a Third of Tax Auditors Due to DOGE Cuts: How This Could Impact Taxpayers
Written by
T. Woods
Edited by
Rebekah Evans
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One of the more controversial (and potentially consequential) aspects of President Donald Trump’s second administration is the formation and implementation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an organization created to eliminate waste and supposed fraud within the federal government. Led by Elon Musk, one of DOGE’s major targets has been the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Per CBS News, one of DOGE’s stated goals is to cut 40% of the IRS workforce. Thus far, via both “deferred resignations” and layoffs, the IRS has lost approximately 11% of its workforce in 2025. Of those IRS agents who are no longer with the agency, some 3,600 are auditors — meaning the IRS has now lost about a third (31%) of its auditors since Trump’s inauguration in January. This major loss of auditors could impact taxpayers in a significant way, such as the one below.
A Perception of Lighter Consequences
Typically, the IRS losing a large number of auditors would diminish the government’s ability to collect taxes. As Emily DiVito, senior advisor on economic policy at the Groundwork Collaborative, said to CBS News, the government is losing trained staff essential to maintaining compliance for corporate and high-income taxpayers. DiVito added that, consequently, when taxpayers — particularly those most unwilling to pay — come to believe there is little chance of facing consequences for not paying or not filing, noticeable changes in their behavior can occur.”
Essentially, taxpayers who might already be reluctant to pay what they owe the federal government could be emboldened by a hampered and diminished IRS that continues to lose the very agents who are tasked with keeping high-end taxpayers compliant with what they owe the federal government. Ultimately, the impact of losing these auditors could have the very opposite effect of DOGE’s stated goals to save the government money — by encouraging taxpayers to disregard what they owe, as there simply aren’t enough IRS agents to enforce America’s tax code.
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