There’s at least one government function some taxpayers might not miss in a government shutdown: IRS tax audits.
A senior administration official, briefing reporters on potential effects of a shutdown, said “the performance of tax audits will be shut down or suspended for this period.”
Overall, the official said he expects about 800,000 government employees to be furloughed if Congress and the president aren’t able to agree on spending cuts before midnight Friday, which is when current stopgap funding expires.
The official said the IRS will still process electronic tax filings, but will not process paper filings, which means a delay for those who filed by paper and are expecting refunds.
A shutdown would also cancel Saturday’s cherry blossom parade in Washington, will shutter national parks and will mean the Federal Housing Administration can no longer guarantee loans.
