DOGE shows up at IRS, sending taxmen into panic

The Department of Government Efficiency has managed in just a few weeks to inspire dread among various contributors to and beneficiaries of government waste.

After making its penetrating gaze felt at over a dozen federal agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the DOGE set its sights on the Internal Revenue Service.

Sure enough, bureaucrats at the organization that the Obama administration weaponized against conservatives have begun to panic.

Two unnamed sources said to be familiar with the matter told Reuters that one of Elon Musk's top DOGE staffers, Gavin Kliger, arrived at the IRS Thursday to scrutinize the agency's operations. Kliger reportedly met with top executives at the agency who were separately instructed in an email to identify all "non-essential" contracts for termination.

"Consistent with the goals and directives of the Trump administration to eliminate waste, reduce spending, and increase efficiency, GSA [General Services Administration] has taken the first steps in a government-wide initiative to eliminate non-essential consulting contracts," said the email.

According to CNN, Kliger apparently asked for a description of what each business unit in the agency did, what it sought to accomplish in the next 90 days, and what risks it currently faces. Despite the straightforward nature of the DOGE member's questions, Kliger's visit reportedly left IRS staffers on edge.

IRS staffers were apparently not the only ones in Washington, D.C., concerned over the prospect of greater transparency and improved efficiency.

'It's poetic justice.'

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon rushed to concern-monger on X, writing, "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. And if your refund is delayed, they could very well be the reason."

When asked about Kliger and other DOGE officials' visit to the IRS, President Donald Trump told reporters, "They're doing a hell of a job. It's an amazing job they're doing."

"Their force is building. I call it the force of super-geniuses," said Trump. "They go up and they talk to some of the people about certain deals, and the people get all tongue-tied. They can't talk because these people get it. They're very smart people."

Trump suggested that he does not plan to shutter the IRS but noted that the agency "will be looked at like everybody else."

Christian Whiton, a senior adviser in the first Trump administration, told Sky News, "It's poetic justice for the IRS to be facing scrutiny since they scrutinize the rest of us."

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