IRS lifts hiring freeze following pressure from Georgia senator

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The IRS is lifting its federal hiring freeze after pressure from lawmakers concerned with staffing needs, including U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock.

In a letter to the Georgia Democrat, IRS CEO Frank Bisignano said his agency plans to hire new workers soon.

“The IRS has expanded trained staffing, increased overtime availability, implemented targeted case prioritization, and completed thousands of systemic closures, significantly reducing resolution times for prioritized cases,” Bisignano said.

Bisignano added, “Additional improvements, including inventory corrections, new efficiency tools, and focused staffing strategies, are helping the IRS resolve identity theft cases more quickly and deliver refunds and other relief to taxpayers sooner.”

Bisignano’s response follows a letter from Warnock late last year urging Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to lift the agency’s hiring freeze to ensure staffing needs ahead of the 2026 tax season.

Read the letter below:

Earlier this year, the Treasury Department’s new staffing plan was approved by the Office of Personnel Management and Office of Management and Budget, and was no longer constrained by a memorandum from President Donald Trump on federal hiring.

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