Veteran Trish Turner Takes IRS Crypto Helm as Musk’s DOGE Cuts Decimate Agency

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Julia Smith

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Julia Smith

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Julia is an experienced editor with a passion for covering a wide variety of beats. She loves all things politics and regularly covers regulatory updates on emerging technology here for Crypto News.

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May 5, 2025

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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is tapping longtime official Trish Turner to lead the organization’s Digital Assets Office, as stated in a May 5 report from Bloomberg.

Trish Turner Tapped For Top Position

According to the media outlet, Turner will serve as the crypto unit’s head after spending nearly two decades with the agency.

The former senior adviser’s rise within the Digital Assets Office comes as crypto tax experts Sulolit “Raj” Mukherjee and Seth Wilks are slated to depart the agency after accepting a resignation offer from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“Leaving this role was my decision, but it was not something I truly wanted to do,” Wilks said in a May 5 post on LinkedIn. “I had three more years left in my term, and I would have been proud to continue serving.”

“The reality is that federal employees have faced a very difficult environment over the past few months,” he added.

DOGE Cuts Impact Federal Workers

News of Turner’s promotion coincides with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)’s major layoffs of federal workers in a bid to reduce government spending and streamline operations.

According to CBS News, the IRS has lost more than 33% of its tax auditors in just two months, though up to 40% of its workforce could be cut this year.

Spearheaded by Tesla founder Elon Musk, the initiative has drawn widespread public backlash, with several of the electric vehicle maker’s dealerships, vehicles, and charging stations attacked in recent months.

Tesla reported a startling Q1 2025 result in March, with its net profits plunging by more than 71%.

“My Tesla stock, and the stock of everyone who owns Tesla, has roughly halved,” Musk said at a Wisconsin town hall in March hosted by his crypto-friendly America PAC. “I mean, it’s a big deal.”

With digital assets playing a key role in U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, it is still unclear how the IRS will address cryptocurrencies going forward.