Trump Officials: IRS Plans to Pay Tax Refunds During Shutdown
Trump officials are saying that the Internal Revenue Service plans to issue tax refunds during the government shutdown.
This move reverses previous policy that prevented the IRS from issuing tax refunds during a government shutdown. Typically, the IRS can only dispense tax returns with Congress’ approval to fund the Treasury Department.
The Washington Post describes this reversal as a “legal determination” made by the White House. According to The Post, the decision also means that unpaid government employees will be brought back to process tax filings for the IRS.
At a press briefing this afternoon, acting White House budget director Russell Vought told reporters that “tax refunds will go out.” Vought added that the Trump administration is trying to make the shutdown as “painless as possible consistent with the law.”
According to The New York Times, Committee Lawyers for the Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee “believe the law prohibits such a move, because refunds are paid out of the government’s general fund.”
The Times reports that committee staff is struggling to get clarity on this issue because many of the administration officials at the IRS and Treasury Departments are currently furloughed.
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