Nearly half of the 30,000 Internal Revenue Service employees that the Trump administration ordered to work without pay did not report this week, with tax season set to officially begin on Jan. 28, 2 House aides told the Washington Post.

The big picture: Sensing that an out-of-operation IRS could spell disaster for the millions of Americans expecting to receive tax returns, the Trump administration called 60% of the agency's workforce back to the office earlier this month. IRS employees who process tax refunds are among the agency's lowest paid, and are set to miss their second straight paycheck on Day 35 of the government shutdown.