Devastated by one shutdown, dreading the next
“She had first applied to work at the IRS because she believed the words ‘government employee’ would give her clearance into a different kind of life. She’d gotten pregnant with her daughter during high school, dropped out, and then gone back a few years later to earn a degree. She worked as a bartender, a waitress, and a secretary before a relative gave her an application for the IRS. ‘Trade your job for a career,’ it read. ‘Use your talents to serve the American public and fund our future. You really can help make our nation a better place.’”