Party's over at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Meaning, no more party food, guys. Seriously. The IRS is placing two workers on leave after finding they said accepted food at a private event held alongside a IRS conference in 2010, according to the Associated Press.
It's unclear why the two were still hungry given that the IRS had already splashed out $4 million for the conference, according to Fox News. Outcry is growing after it was revealed on Tuesday that the agency spent about $50 million on such conferences between 2010 and 2012.
This is just the latest blow to an already scandalized agency, with the IRS still reeling from a government watchdog report that accused the agency of singling out right-of-center organizations for additional auditing and greater tax scrutiny.
The controversy lead to uproar in Washington and a shake-up at the IRS, which now has a new commissioner, Danny Werfel, who will be briefing lawmakers on developments on Thursday.
The two IRS officials under investigation reportedly took in $1,100 worth of free food and "other items," unidentified congressional aides told AP. It was not immediately clear what those "other items" might be, because that is a lot of money just for food.
An IRS statement on Wednesday said the agency "has started the process to remove the employees pending a further review."