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 IRS has begun laying off more than 6,000 new and newly promoted employees across the country as part of the push to slash the federal government, sources say.

Thousands of people were fired from the IRS this week in the thick of tax season. Most of those fired were “probationary” workers, people typically having served in their roles for under two years. The cuts are part of the Trump administration’s widespread efforts to downsize the federal workforce,