The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is reportedly considering eliminating its multilingual support services. According to the Washington Post (WP), the IRS is considering eliminating various tax-related services it had been providing in multiple languages to comply with President Trump’s executive order designating English as the official language.
The IRS currently operates free telephone and in-person interpretation services, a multilingual website, and Spanish social media accounts to allow taxpayers to conduct tax-related business in the language of their choice.
The United States has never had an official language at the federal level, but on March 1, President Trump signed an executive order designating English as an official language, saying, “Establishing English as an official language will not only facilitate communication, but also strengthen our shared national values and create a more cohesive and efficient society.”
On the 14th, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent guidelines for implementing this executive order to each federal agency. (Reported on page A1 of the July 22nd issue of this newspaper) This includes a recommendation to consider phasing out unnecessary multilingual services and using the budget for research or programs to improve English proficiency.