Inside the DOGE IRS audit
A staffer from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) reportedly arrived Thursday at the headquarters of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to review the agency’s operations, sources told Reuters.
Gavin Kliger, the DOGE aide, reportedly requested a description of what each IRS business unit does, what it plans to deliver in the next 90 days and what risks each unit currently faces, according to the outlet, citing two people familiar with the matter. It is unclear whether Klinger accessed any IRS systems, but sources told CNN he was just “getting a lay of the land at the moment.”
“The Internal Revenue Service will be looked at like everybody else. Just about everybody’s going to be looked at. They’re doing a hell of a job. It’s an amazing job they’re doing,” President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday. He clarified he does not plan to “close” the IRS. “That force he’s building — I call it ‘the force of super-geniuses’ … They’re very smart people.”
Senior IRS officials were also told in an email to identify all “non-essential” contracts for termination, Reuters reported. The General Services Administration (GSA) defines a non-essential contract as one that “merely generates a report, research, coaching, or an artifact.”
“Consistent with the goals and directives of the Trump administration to eliminate waste, reduce spending, and increase efficiency, GSA has taken the first steps in a government-wide initiative to eliminate non-essential consulting contracts,” the email said, according to the outlet.
Democratic Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden lamented DOGE’s arrival at the agency, referring to DOGE staffers as “Musk’s henchmen.”
“My office is hearing that DOGE is now at the IRS. That means Musk’s henchmen are in a position to dig through a trove of data about every taxpayer in America,” the senator wrote. “And if your refund is delayed, they could very well be the reason.”
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The IRS is viewed less favorably than any other agency, with a July Pew Research poll finding that 50% of Americans hold an unfavorable opinion of the tax collection agency. Republicans tend to view the agency less favorably than Democrats, as the IRS has faced accusations of unfairly treating conservative organizations seeking tax-exempt status.
In 2017, the IRS issued a formal apology for using “heightened scrutiny and inordinate delays” to impede tax-exempt applications from conservative groups. The agency specifically acknowledged wrongdoing in its handling of Linchpins of Liberty and 40 other plaintiffs, admitting it had requested unnecessary information during the application process.
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I don't think the DOGE folks are interested in everyone's IRS filings. I suspect they are looking at the operations of the IRS. Democrats appear to love the IRS more than most taxpayers. Democrats tend to love government spending and the IRS is the major source of that funding. For many Americans tax filings with the IRS is their least favorite thing to do.
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DOGE scores legal win, maintaining access to data from three federal agencies
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The White House’s DOGE effort has already gone farther than even the most ambitious reformers expected to see in their lifetimes, and there’s no sign that the dust of President Donald Trump’s first four weeks in office will be settling any time soon.
Democrats’ initial shock and confusion haven’t really subsided yet, but something new has already emerged: genuine confusion over just how much to fight or how much to join. DOGE leader Elon Musk’s rooting out of waste, fraud, and partisanship seems to be polling pretty well. And he hasn’t even really started on the Internal Revenue Service yet.
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