Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman released a statement Thursday on reports of planned workforce reductions at the Internal Revenue Service by the Trump Administration.
Scripps News Group reported on February 17 that Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency is now setting its sights on the IRS.
According to CNN, the IRS recently began to draft plans to cut as much as half of its 90,000-person workforce.
RELATED: Thousands of IRS employees may soon lose their jobs as part of Trump's cuts
Lierman expressed "deep concern" in regard to the layoffs, stating they could impact revenue collection in Maryland.
"This IRS is charged with administering federal tax laws, collecting federal taxes from individual and corporate taxpayers, and ensuring everyone pays what they owe. Put simply, the men and women at the IRS collect the revenue needed to fund our country’s core operations and obligations, including maintaining critical infrastructure, supporting public education, and ensuring key benefits that working Americans pay for, that they are entitled to, are there when we need them," Lierman said.
Lierman also said that generations of Americans could suffer if the Trump Administration moves through with the proposal.
While it's not concrete when the layoffs will be implemented, tens of thousands of workers' employment statuses are currently up in the air at one of the busiest times of the year: tax season.
"The uncertainty around the layoffs has left many employees anxious, as articulated by union officials who express deep concern for the families impacted," said Scripps News Group's Deputy Political Director, Joe St. George.
Maryland joined a plethora of states in a joint filing of lawsuits against the Trump Administration to stop Musk's DOGE from operating, claiming that its findings of "wasteful government spending" are unsubstantiated.
Comptroller Lierman's full statement can be read below:
I am deeply concerned about recent reports that the Trump Administration is preparing to eliminate up to 45,000 positions from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – potentially slashing the federal agency workforce by as much as half. This IRS is charged with administering federal tax laws, collecting federal taxes from individual and corporate taxpayers, and ensuring everyone pays what they owe. Put simply, the men and women at the IRS collect the revenue needed to fund our country’s core operations and obligations, including maintaining critical infrastructure, supporting public education, and ensuring key benefits that working Americans pay for, that they are entitled to, are there when we need them.
If the Administration moves through with this proposal, generations of Americans will suffer for it. Our country operates on a voluntary tax compliance system that only works because of the deterrent effect of audits. Over the past few years, thanks to significant investments and operational improvements, the IRS has grown its abilities to identify and prevent fraud and root out tax evaders, while helping to close our national budget deficit and funding essential services and infrastructure needs. The IRS is also an essential partner to states. State governments rely on the IRS to complete complicated multi-state audits that return much-needed funds to our states that support our budget priorities. A gutted IRS is the dream of every tax cheat and a disservice to every law-abiding American and Marylander.
