Here's What To Know About Getting A Tax Refund During The Government Shutdown
Filing taxes might just be one of the most daunting tasks ever. There's the endless paperwork, having to track down every single invoice or receipt, the waiting... And this year, parts of the government are shut down — and they could be for a while — which might be adding to your headache. But I've got some good news for anyone wondering if the government shutdown will affect your tax return, so don't worry yourself too hard just yet.
On Monday, Jan. 7, the White House said no, the government shutdown will not affect tax returns. Speaking to reporters, Russell Vought, the acting director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said that the White House directed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to accept tax returns and issue tax refunds because the Trump administration has "been trying to make this as painless as possible," reported NBC News. Vought added: "Tax refunds will go out. They will not be non-accepted activities. That's something that we will be sending out guidance on that we're fixing from past administrations."
The same day, the IRS announced that it will start accepting tax returns on Jan. 28, so start getting those documents ready, folks.
As for the government shutdown, well, it looks like it could go well beyond Jan. 28. On Jan. 4, President Trump declared the shutdown could go on for "years" if that's what it takes to get the $5 billion he wants to build a wall at the U.S. southern border. Democrats, however, have repeatedly refused to offer him any more than the $1.3 billion they've put on the table for border fencing and barriers.
There's been nothing but drama on the matter since. Later that day, Trump said he was considering calling a national emergency, which would allow him to go around Congress and pull funds from the Department of Defense and other sources to finance his wall. The White House did not immediately respond to Elite Daily's request for further comment on the matter at the time. And in a televised meeting on Jan. 8, Trump practically made a sales pitch to America about the importance of having a wall with Mexico, painting a picture of violence and drugs at the border. He described the matter as "a humanitarian crisis. A crisis of the heart, and a crisis of the soul," per The New York Times.
Following the meeting, Democratic leaders pushed back on Trump's speech. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on the president to stop trying to get taxpayers to "waste billions of dollars on an expensive and ineffective wall" and to end the shutdown that has left some 800,000 federal workers without pay, per CNN.
"President Trump must stop holding the American people hostage, must stop manufacturing a crisis and must reopen the government," Pelosi said.
Back-and-forth, back-and-forth. While it's unclear how long the shutdown will be in effect and whether Trump will ever get what he's asking for, at least some of us will have some extra funds in our own pockets. So that's something.
