Trump’s DOGE Targets IRS Waste

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), under President Donald Trump’s directive, is slashing Internal Revenue Service office space—a move that echoes earlier federal findings of rampant excess within the tax agency.

Reports indicate the administration plans to shutter over 110 IRS offices nationwide, spotlighting a bloated bureaucracy that’s been draining American wallets for years. Back in June, during the Biden-Harris era, the Treasury Department’s Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) dropped a bombshell report revealing that most IRS offices sit more than half-empty—a glaring sign of government waste hitting taxpayers where it hurts.

Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, hailed DOGE’s efforts as a long-overdue fix. “They like to say this is a political thing and that Elon Musk doesn’t know what he’s talking about. But the waste at the IRS and empty buildings is all documented by inspector general reports,” Norquist told The Daily Signal.

“For the people who say it’s not real unless the government says it’s real, well the government has already spoken about these empty buildings.” Every dollar squandered on unused space is a dollar snatched from hardworking families—a reality the previous administration seemed content to ignore.

Billions Burned on Empty Offices

The numbers are staggering. The TIGTA report pegged IRS real estate costs at roughly $600 million for fiscal year 2024, covering 516 office buildings and 22.3 million square feet. “According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), it will spend approximately $600 million on real estate costs in fiscal year (FY) 2024,” the report states.

“This includes 516 office buildings totaling approximately 22.3 million square feet. After personnel, rent is one of the IRS’s largest operating expenses.” That’s money that could’ve stayed in Americans’ pockets instead of propping up ghost-town offices.

The waste doesn’t stop there. Excess space costs taxpayers nearly $11 million annually, with the report noting, “At an average cost of $27.30 per RSF [rentable square feet] in FY 2023, this unneeded space is costing the IRS approximately $10.8 million per year.” Despite trimming 2 million square feet since 2018, 51% of IRS buildings still linger at 50% occupancy or less.

“The low occupancy rate is due in part to the increased use of telework and remote work, which requires less space per employee,” the report explains. “Additionally, the IRS lacks a long-term space reduction plan that clearly specifies the space reductions it expects to achieve annually beyond FY 2026 and how it will sufficiently decrease its unneeded office space.” This lack of foresight under Biden’s watch left citizens footing the bill for empty desks.

Cutting Fat, Facing Pushback

DOGE, alongside the General Services Administration, rolled out a hit list of lease terminations, targeting hefty IRS sites like a 135,000-square-foot facility in Franklin, Tennessee; a 26,000-square-foot office in Bloomington, Minnesota; and others in Arizona, California, and Tennessee.

Trump’s recent push to haul remote workers back to the office might help, but the problem predates COVID— the Office of Management and Budget flagged excess building use back in 2015.

Norquist credits Elon Musk’s X platform for amplifying the issue: “If Elon Musk hadn’t bought X, all this waste reported would be a nothing-burger. The media would ignore it like they have ignored inspector general reports. But now it’s breaking through.”

Norquist didn’t spare the media, either, accusing them of cozying up to the IRS while everyday Americans suffer the consequences. A recent CNN piece leaned on anonymous IRS staffers moaning about DOGE’s “barnstorming,” claiming it’s “thrown the IRS into turmoil at the height of tax season.”

The story fretted that “these DOGE actions could undermine the long-term operations of the IRS, which handles nearly all accounts receivable for the federal government.”

Norquist sees it differently: “When the Left screams, ‘Don’t look behind the door,’ it makes me want to look behind the door. Oftentimes, the people screaming the loudest not to look behind the door know what’s behind the door.” For taxpayers tired of funding inefficiency, DOGE’s cuts are a rare win against a system that’s been bleeding them dry. Neither the IRS nor TIGTA responded to requests for comment.

Do you think DOGE will help clean up the massive waste and fraud that’s seen in the United States government? Let us know in the comments!