The call and response from a white and red bullhorn of "when we fight, we win!" started a chorus of cheers from IRS workers outside the downtown campus near Union Station on Tuesday morning. IRS worker and National Treasury Employees Union Vice President Daniel Scharpenburg was among the organizers on Tuesday. "We are across the street from the IRS building. We picked today because it is Tax Day," Scharpenburg said. "It's a day that people think about the IRS. We are here rallying and shouting and holding up signs because we're seeing our friends get fired." Scharpenburg and about 30 others took 30-minute shifts taking up space along Pershing Road holding signs that read "Won't Back Down" and "American People Need Us." They're protesting the possible layoffs of IRS workers in multiple departments expected to begin this week and continue into May. "The agency has informed us that there will be a reduction in force, or we call it a 'RIF.' So, if you hear the phrase 'RIF,' that's what it is. We're hearing a lot more from the news than we are from our agency, which is not usually how it goes," Scharpenburg said. "We know some percent of people are going to get removed, and we don't know what that percentage is." An internal document shared with KMBC by a NTEU member shows two phases of possible layoffs for 14 positions and departments, collectively. An addendum in the document states, "RIF notices will be issued on a bi weekly basis beginning this week." It also mentions Taxpayer Services and Compliance will "need to be trimmed." Stephanie Hackley stood with a sign raised, cheering for every vehicle that honked its horn in support. "One of my coworkers was one of the probationary employees that got purged. She was my ally right next to me," Hackley said. "The more people see more of us out here, the more varieties of people see, the more they'll know that it's all of us being impacted." About 100 IRS probationary employees — those who worked less than two years at the agency — were laid off in February.This next round of layoffs could affect 1,500 employees. President Donald Trump has been quoted as wanting a 20% reduction in the IRS workforce, which equates to around 20,000 employees nationwide. Trump implemented a federal hiring freeze in January. Scharpenburg, who has worked for the IRS for 16 years, said he doesn't know if his job is secure. "We all started these jobs because they were thought of as really secure, good jobs," he said. "And it was a really secure job when I started. But now it's not." Recent layoffs at the IRS don't seem to be significantly affecting 2025 tax filings currently. According to the agency's website, the total number of returns received through April 4, 2025, is 101,422,000. Of that number, 100,324,000 have been processed and 67,745,000 have been issued.In 2024, the total number of returns received was 101,849,000. Of that number, 100,110,000 were processed and 66,799,000 returns were issued.