Troubled IRS Staff Faces 14,000 No-Shows

More than half of the IRS employees recalled to work didn’t show up, according to a congressional aide, calling into question whether the ongoing government shutdown will make for a painfully slow and chaotic tax season, set to kick off on Monday.

Earlier this month, the White House tried to calm jittery Americans by ordering the IRS to process tax refunds despite an ongoing government shutdown that has stretched into its fifth weeks. The IRS announced it would recall enough workers to have 46,000 employees on hand – less than 60 percent of its usual levels – to process tax filings.

But when the IRS briefed Congress behind closed doors Thursday, it told staffers that 14,000 of the 26,000 workers recalled to work without pay at IRS processing and call centers across the country didn’t show.

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