IRS Avoids Employee Furloughs From Budget Sequester

The Obama administration has announced it will avoid employee furloughs for Internal Revenue Service employees despite earlier predictions that the agency would be hit with a fourth furlough day as a result of sequester budget cuts.

Working with its labor union, the agency was able to find money to keep employees on the job, even though it had initially told workers it would have to furlough them for five days between March 1 and Sept. 30, according to The Washington Times.

"While I am concerned that this announcement comes so close to the planned furlough day, it is a positive development arising from our continuing discussions with the agency on furloughs," said National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley.

"We have been encouraging the agency, and working with it, in an effort to find savings sufficient to allow it to cancel employee furloughs."

The change in furlough plans come as the IRS is in the hot seat over targeting conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status and for extravagant spending for employee-training conferences.