Story about 1,500 IRS resignations under Trump started as satire

Did 1,500 IRS agents leave the workforce because of a new plan by President Donald Trump? That’s what one Facebook post said.

“1,500 IRS agents have submitted letters of resignation after Trump announced he would put 90,000 superfluous IRS personnel on border patrol,” a Jan. 27 Facebook post read.

(Screenshot from Instagram)

It was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

But that claim originated from satire. The website Real Raw News posted that text Jan. 27 on X and published an article Jan. 28. Real Raw News’ “about” page says, “This website contains humor, parody, and satire.”

“Immediately after he announced his intent to send 90,000 superfluous IRS agents to the border, 1,500 tendered letters of resignation, writing that their training was incompatible with border duty,” the article read, referring to Trump.

Republicans have long spread claims about the IRS hiring 87,000 employees. That figure stems from a 2021 Treasury Department report that projects that $80 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act could create about 86,852 full-time equivalent IRS positions. But that plan wasn’t final, and hiring for those positions would be incremental through 2031.

In a Jan. 25 speech in Las Vegas rehashing those false claims, Trump said his team was developing a plan to terminate 88,000 new IRS agents or “move them to the border.” 

He has not announced more details.

PolitiFact found no news reports that 1,500 employees resigned from the agency.

We rate the claim that 1,500 IRS agents resigned after Trump said he would place them on border patrol False.

By

Loreben Tuquero

Staff writer

February 3, 2025

Truth-o-meter Ruling

False

IF YOUR TIME IS SHORT

• The claim originated from satire.

• On Jan. 25, President Donald Trump said he would terminate IRS agents or "move them to the border." But there’s no proof that 1,500 IRS agents have resigned.

Statement

“1,500 IRS agents have submitted letters of resignation after Trump announced he would put 90,000 superfluous IRS personnel on border patrol.”

Context

an Instagram post

Speaker/Target

Speaker: Instagram posts

Statement Date

January 27, 2025