IRS employee union relieved after gov't shutdown averted

The National Treasury Employees Union expressed a sense of relief after lawmakers in Congress unexpectedly managed to pass a stopgap spending bill over the weekend that will avoid a federal government shutdown, at least until mid-November.

Last week the Treasury Department had released a contingency plan for the Internal Revenue Service that envisioned approximately two-thirds, or around 60,000, of the IRS's 90,000 employees being furloughed if the government shut down (see story). A Treasury Department spokesperson had predicted that taxpayer phone calls to the IRS would go unanswered, 363 Taxpayer Assistance Centers across the country would close in the event of a shutdown, and tax refunds wouldn't be processed unless the returns were electronically filed and error-free refunds could be automatically direct-deposited. National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins also wrote a blog post warning that if the government is shut down, the Taxpayer Advocate Service would be unable to assist taxpayers.

The leader of the National Treasury Employees Union spoke on behalf of IRS employees who won't have to face the predicted furloughs.

"Frontline federal employees can rest easier tonight knowing that their service and their paychecks will not be interrupted by a senseless government shutdown," said NTEU national president Doreen Greenwald in a statement Saturday night. "I strongly believe that the pressure federal employees and the American public brought to bear these last few days was an important factor in the last-minute decision to approve a continuing resolution that maintains agency funding levels through Nov. 17. When voters across the country fully understand the catastrophic impacts of a government shutdown, they then press their elected leaders to do their jobs and avoid a lapse in appropriations. That said, NTEU will continue to fight for appropriate and full-year agency funding for the remainder of the fiscal year to be approved before the next funding deadline in mid-November. The anxiety felt by federal employees in the chaos of the countdown to a government shutdown is not worthy of our democracy and must not become a normal part of doing business in Congress." 

Samuel Corum/Bloomberg

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-California, unexpectedly introduced a stopgap spending bill on Saturday after failing to get Republicans to agree to his plans earlier in the week amid a rebellion among about a dozen members. The package passed with support from all but one Democrat and enough Republicans to avert a shutdown, and President Biden signed it into law over the weekend in time to avoid a shutdown. McCarthy is facing a backlash from some of the far right members of his caucus, however, with Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, telling news outlets on Sunday that he plans to issue a motion to vacate, triggering a vote on whether to remove McCarthy from his leadership post.