IRS to furlough nearly half of its workforce as shutdown enters second week

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IRS furloughs nearly half of its workforce due to ongoing government shutdown .

Only 39,870 employees, or 53.6%, remain working during the shutdown.

Shutdown follows failed funding agreement between President Trump and Congress.

Agency previously reduced staff from roughly 100,000 to 75,000 through layoffs.

The IRS will furlough nearly half of its workforce as part of the ongoing government shutdown, according to the an updated contingency plan posted Wednesday to the agency website. Most IRS operations are closed, the agency said in a separate letter to IRS workers.

The news comes after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to fund federal operations and the government shutdown has entered its second week, with no discernible endgame i