The IRS reportedly plans to cut half of its 90,000 workforce

The Internal Revenue Service reportedly plans to cut its roughly 90,000-employee workforce by as much as half, as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce.

The cuts will be made through a mix of attrition, layoffs and incentivized buyouts, two people familiar with the situation told the Associated Press. 

The reduction of the federal workforce is being led by the administration's Department of Government Efficiency, which is being led by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.

Those being laid off are mostly probationary employees who have not yet gained civil service protection.

The agency has already cut roughly 6,000 employees, or bout 6% of its workforce, Reuters reported in late February.

Philip Hackney, a University of Pittsburgh tax law professor and Former IRS lawyer, warned such cuts could unfairly target the country's underclass.

"This will ensure that the IRS is not going after the wealthy and is only an agency that's really focused on the low income," he said. "It's a travesty."