IRS

Brittany Melugin, an IRS customer service agent in Kansas City, has been working even during the shutdown began Oct. 1. Melugin says she and her colleagues are experiencing anxiety dreams, and are afraid of taking time off even for serious medical needs.

As the government shutdown drags on, what’s the experience like for federal workers — not just the thousands who have been furloughed, but those left behind to carry on the work without pay? KCUR spoke with an IRS customer service agent about her experiences working through the shutdown, and her worries for the future.

The federal government is currently shut down. NPR's network is following the ways the government shutdown is affecting services across the country, including in Missouri and Kansas.

Long was confirmed to the post by the U.S. Senate in a 53-44 vote on June 12.

Shannon Ellis, head of the union that represents Kansas City IRS employees, said the Trump administration won’t even confirm how many local federal workers have been lost. But she said that the layoffs and policy changes are demoralizing and delaying critical services.

Many federal workers in Kansas City have seen their jobs and departments cut and their work devalued under the Trump administration. We're bringing you another conversation about the Department of Government Efficiency's impacts in town, this time with a local union representative for the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Workers who were hired in the past two years or recently got a promotion were fired for “performance reasons,” because they were listed as probationary employees. A judge ruled their firings illegal.

Thousands of probationary federal employees fired by the Trump administration must be offered job reinstatement within the next week, a judge has ruled, because they were terminated unlawfully. That likely includes many fired workers from the Kansas City region.

At a recent panel put together by U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, current and former federal employees discussed the chaos of DOGE's mass firings that have lead to wasted onboarding costs, potential late or unpaid bills to contractors and an atmosphere of fear.

The IRS is cutting more than 6,000 jobs this week, as part of the Trump administration's downsizing of the overall federal workforce. That includes approximately 100 employees at the agency's Kansas City offices, according to the local union.

While tax season ramps up, the Trump administration’s wave of federal employee layoffs is expected to hit the IRS offices in Kansas City this week, according to one union leader. Workers with less tenure at the already-understaffed location are likely to be most affected.

The federal government is by far Kansas City’s largest employer and a major economic engine, with agencies like the IRS, EPA, Social Security and more in town. Experts warn the region’s economy will feel the pain when jobs disappear.