# Senate Warns IRS and SSA on Leave Policy Impact

The U.S. Senate, led by several Democratic senators, has raised concerns about new policies at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) that restrict the use of advanced annual and sick leave. These policies require employees to have available leave balances before taking Leave Without Pay (LWOP), even under Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) protections, with potential consequences including employees being marked AWOL. Senators warn that these changes could exacerbate existing workforce shortages, increase employee attrition, and degrade public service delivery for over 120,000 federal employees. The policy shift has also sparked employee complaints about management practices and labor relations tensions, which may affect contractors supporting these agencies.

- **Why this matters:** Procurement professionals supporting IRS and SSA should anticipate potential operational disruptions and workforce instability that could impact contract performance and service delivery.
- Agencies may face increased challenges in recruitment and retention, influencing future contract requirements for staffing support and workforce management solutions.
- Contractors should evaluate risks related to labor relations and employee availability when planning proposals or ongoing support for IRS and SSA operations.
- This situation highlights the importance of monitoring federal workforce policies that directly affect agency capacity and contractor engagement.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Public Safety
**Topics:** Regulatory Compliance
**Published:** September 25, 2026

### Government Entities
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- Social Security Administration (SSA)
- Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
- American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)

### Key Quotes
> SSA has always been fast and loose with proper application of HR policy and the Trump admin has just made it much worse, unfortunately. There has never been any working mechanism in that agency to stop management from interfering with employees they don't like for various reasons.
> — Commenter

> We are concerned that this policy will further weaken the already stressed resources of these agencies, leaving the American people with degraded access to their rightful Social Security benefits and needed IRS services.
> — Elizabeth Warren, Senator

> Your actions give the appearance that this policy is less about improving service delivery, and more about punishing federal employees 26mdash; and by extension, the American people.
> — Chris Van Hollen, Senator

### Sources
- [IRS and Social Security will see more employees quit without advanced leave, senators warn - Government Executive](https://www.govexec.com/management/2026/09/irs-and-social-security-will-see-more-employees-quit-without-advanced-leave-senators-warn/416163) - GovExec.com
- [SSA](https://www.reddit.com/r/FedEmployees/comments/1wq70ox/ssa) - reddit-fedemployees