Almost two-thirds of American taxpayers receive a tax refund from the Internal Revenue Service each year, but those cherished refund checks could wind up being delayed this year thanks to Elon Musk, chairman of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Why? Because Musk and his cadre of young computer nerds who assist him at DOGE are currently “auditing” the IRS, and that could spell problems for anyone waiting on a refund.
“The Trump administration and Musk’s DOGE, which the president has tapped to shrink the size of the federal government, have been cutting thousands of federal jobs in the past few weeks. DOGE, which recently faced widespread condemnation for its unfettered access to sensitive documents, is now ready to review the IRS operations after President Donald Trump authorized its audit on Thursday,” Newsweek reports.
DOGE member Gavin Kliger was seen at the IRS on Thursday.
“An IRS employee told The Wall Street Journal that Kliger seemed interested in the agency’s headcount and asked for meetings with senior IRS officials. The agency, in the midst of the busiest time of tax filing season, has about 100,000 workers.”
The fact that Musk’s associates are now meddling around inside the IRS isn’t sitting well with some in Washington. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) complained, “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.”
Could Musk and his henchmen close the IRS altogether? Grifter-in-Chief Trump had this to say when asked: “No, I don’t expect it. But I think the Internal Revenue Service will be looked at like everybody else. Just about everybody is going to be looked at.”
Considering that both Musk and Trump are known for being monumental fuck-ups, you might want to wait on any major purchases until you’re certain that anticipated tax return is credited to your account.
