The IRS started laying off employees on Thursday, just as tax season kicks in to high gear. Why it matters: The terminations, reportedly of 6,000 relatively new workers at the agency, are part of President Trump's broader purge of the federal workforce.

The tax agency is laying off 7,000 employees, but there are protections for taxpayers whose refund payments are delayed.

The Trump administration reportedly started to lay off nearly 7,000 new workers from the IRS on Thursday, including many who work in enforcement. A day earlier, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Fox News that Trump’s goal is to “abolish” the IRS and replace its tax revenue with tariff cash.

A federal judge has refused to immediately block Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing government data systems or participating in worker layoffs.

Federal workers received an email on Saturday instructing them to document five things they accomplished in the past week, and Elon Musk said those who don't reply would risk losing their jobs.The email from the Office of Personnel Management,

Democratic governors held a press conference on Tuesday, sounding the alarm on Trump’s threat to Medicaid and signaling a Democratic messaging priority.