Steel, Ways and Means leaders introduce bill to block Biden Administration’s plan to hire 87,000 new IRS Agents

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Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA) and Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE), Republican Leader of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, introduced a bill to prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from using its massive, $80 billion infusion of taxpayer dollars to squeeze more revenue out of American taxpayers, by repealing all enforcement funding from Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act. The bill leaves in place funding enhancing the IRS’s customer service and information technology systems.

“The so-called ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ certainly hasn’t reduced inflation, but it has cost taxpayers more than $700 billion and doubled the size of the IRS to target middle- and low-income families and small businesses with a flood of audits and draconian ‘enforcement’ activities,” said Rep. Steel. “The IRS has lost tens of billions of dollars to fraud and mismanagement, and I’m proud to introduce this legislation with Rep. Smith to protect the taxpayers, rein in an unaccountable federal agency, and reverse course from this dangerous path of growing bureaucracy and heavy-handed federal government.”

“It’s clear the IRS has long lost touch with its mission: to serve taxpayers,” said Rep. Smith. “Democrats’ Inflation Act would result in more audits for those who can least afford it, plain and simple. American families don’t need more audits and red tape, and this bill will help ensure hardworking taxpayers receive satisfactory customer service without having to fear a supercharged IRS.”

“Democrats want to expand the IRS with 87,000 new IRS agents to squeeze hardworking Americans who can least afford new audits,” said Rep. Kevin Brady, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee. “By restricting new funding for the agency to customer service and improving its technology, we are protecting middle-class workers from a supercharged IRS and ensuring that they get the help they need.”

The legislation would defund the Biden Administration’s plan to hire 87,000 new IRS agents and block efforts to drastically increase audits on middle class families while preserving funding for customer service and IT modernization.

For bill text, click here.