IRS to furlough nearly half its workforce due to government shutdown

Move comes after White House memo suggests workers may not get back pay, despite law Trump signed in first term

The Internal Revenue Service said it will furlough nearly half of its employees - about 34,000 workers - due to the government shutdown, making it significantly harder for US taxpayers to receive assistance.

In a statement on Wednesday, the IRS said that due to the lapse in appropriations", it would begin its furlough on 8 October for everyone except already-identified excepted and exempt employees".