'It's a Cluster***k': Inside DOGE's Chaotic IRS Shakeup [View all]

Source: Daily Beast

Updated Mar. 16 2025 4:24AM EDT
Published Mar. 15 2025 6:31PM EDT


Chaos gripped the IRS almost as soon as DOGE staffers set foot inside the agency’s Washington, D.C., headquarters last month, according to new CNN reporting. Sources inside the IRS, speaking to CNN on condition of anonymity, described an atmosphere of fear, confusion, and intimidation.

“They just randomly drop by people’s offices, demanding access to systems; they’re bullying us and there’s no discipline in what they are doing, which really worries me,” one IRS employee said. Another senior staff member was more blunt: “It’s a cluster----, and I can’t believe no one is stepping in to do anything.” Those sentiments were echoed by a third source. “We are paralyzed,” the employee lamented.

Over the past month, DOGE has instigated widespread layoffs, with nearly 20 percent of the IRS workforce expected to be cut by mid-May. As the shakeup continues, morale within the agency has taken a hit. “It’s routine now to see people crying in the office,” said one IRS employee, who also serves as a local union leader. Another current employee revealed that managers are going around apologizing for firings they had no part in.

Despite the internal chaos, the White House has defended DOGE’s role. “This story is based on anonymous sources and the fraudsters always scream the loudest,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in response to CNN’s reporting. “The vast majority of Americans support President Trump rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse.” However, critics argue that these changes could undermine the IRS’s ability to function.

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-doges-chaotic-irs-shakeup/