Members of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency team recently visited the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offices in Washington as part of their mission to evaluate and potentially downsize government agencies. The visit, led by DOGE member Gavin Kliger, involved requests for information on the IRS's business units, upcoming deliverables, and current risks.
While it remains unclear if Kliger accessed any IRS systems during the visit, sources suggest that he was primarily gathering information. The visit caused some unease among IRS staffers, especially given recent access by DOGE to a critical Treasury Department payment system.
Despite the visit, there were no indications of sensitive IRS information being compromised. The IRS has stringent security measures in place for accessing sensitive systems, with limited personnel having such privileges.
During the visit, IRS employees were instructed to direct inquiries about the high-profile visitors to a designated inbox, with the matter being escalated to the Treasury Department for further guidance.
President Donald Trump commended DOGE's efforts, emphasizing that while the IRS would be scrutinized like other agencies, there were no plans to shut it down. He praised DOGE's work and expressed confidence in their ability to assess various government entities.
