A veteran takes us inside his rollercoaster 2025, thanks to DOGE
Monte Burns was fired and then reinstated from his IRS position.
Monte Burns, 55, was fired from his federal job, looked for a new one, and then got reinstated — all within a month.
Burns, a disabled veteran in Ohio, spent 15 years in the military and held private-sector jobs before starting at the Department of the Treasury last June. He was fired along with nearly 7,000 other IRS probationary employees in February, even though his performance reviews were sufficient.
Burns was reinstated and placed on administrative leave on March 17, told to “not report to duty or perform any work until receiving further guidance,” an email shared with B-17 read.
While Burns plans to stay with his job if everything works out, he’s still nervous about whether he’ll remain employed long-term. He’s already thinking about his retirement, and he said he’s unsure he could land a comparable position in the private sector, given his age and disability status.
“I’m still very stressed and worried about it,” Burns said, adding if he gets to resume his job, he will be on track to retire between 65 and 70. “There is a nice weight lifted off my shoulders in the fact that now at least I’m getting paid because I’m on administrative leave, but I know this isn’t over.”
That’s because Burns’ reinstatement is a result of a recent court ruling that said the firings of probationary workers were illegal and ordered that 25,000 probationary workers get their jobs back.
Burns is also one of dozens of older Americans who recently told B-17 that they’ve struggled to bounce back immediately after a termination. Hundreds responded to informal B-17 surveys explaining that they’ve had little luck finding white-collar positions paying nearly what they earned in previous roles, citing slowdowns in white-collar hiring.
“When the new administration came on, I knew things were going to change, but I thought I’d be fine,” Burns said. “The federal job felt very secure. It’s very difficult to get in, but once you’re in, it’s very difficult to get out — or it used to be.”
Landing at the IRS
Burns served in the Army National Guard for six years and on active duty in the Navy for nine. He was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, which impacts his spine. He was approved for a Veterans Affairs disability rating of 60%, and it still impacts his daily life.
After his service, Burns got several degrees and worked in the private sector until joining the Department of the Treasury as an Internal Revenue Service auditor for small businesses and self-employed taxpayers. He made this transition because of robust medical benefits, about a $30,000 annual pay jump, and a continuation of federal service, meaning his years at the IRS were added onto some of his military time.
Burns said he loved his job, and he received fully successful or exceeds fully successful performance ratings, documents shared with B-17 show.
Burns said nobody on his team expected to be fired, but on February 20, he couldn’t get into any services, though it wasn’t until four hours into his day that his supervisor told him he was fired. Because Burns hadn’t completed one year and was considered probationary, he was fired and told to take all his belongings home. He received his termination letter in the mail shortly thereafter.
“Taking into account your performance, and in light of current mission needs, the Agency finds that your continued employment at the Agency is not in the public interest,” his termination letter read.
Nearly 7,000 IRS employees were fired and many were reinstated, most of whom were probationary. Burns said he received no severance pay or termination leave. Burns said he receives a disability payment of $1,440 monthly, which isn’t enough long-term.
“It’s one of the best jobs I’ve had, as far as enjoying the work, and I want to do it again,” Burns said. “I loved the fact that I was protecting and serving my country, and this is an extension of that. It’s why I’m choosing to fight it out.”
Navigating changing employment statuses
Burns said adjusting to being unemployed was “really tough and stressful.” Burns said he had conversations with his spouse, who still works, about whether they could keep their house.
Burns said he’s applied to roles over the last month and is still actively searching, though not as much. He suspected his age had hindered his applications. Burns added that he’s still looking forward to returning to his IRS job, given he said there’s little job security in the private sector.
Burns said he’s still applying to companies in this interim period, including some that support diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives based on his veteran, disability, and sexual preference status. He said his spouse is doing fine in his retirement planning, though Burns is worried about his, as he hadn’t built up a robust 401(k). He’s concerned he may need to work and collect retirement simultaneously.
“I definitely am not wanting to put all my eggs in this basket again,” Burns said. “They kind of put holes in the basket, and I don’t want the eggs to fall out and crack.”
