Internal Revenue Service by Joshua Doubek is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

The IRS has repeatedly demonstrated that it does not meet the standards it demands of American taxpayers. Yet, every single democrat in Washington voted in favor of the Inflation Reduction Act, which will add $80 billion in new funding to the IRS budget. So, it’s fair to ask Katie Porter, Abigail Spanberger, and dozens of other Democrats– how can you voice your support for an agency that targets America’s middle-class and small business owners? 

Virginia Democrat Rep. Abigail Spanberger recently tried to deny the fact that there would be 87,000 agents coming for middle-class Americans: “I’ve been very clear in the danger that exists when people are so willing to lean into lies, like the lie of 87,000 armed IRS agents. That is not real. That is not true”, Spanberger claims.  

However, Spanberger’s claims contradict a report issued by President Biden’s Treasury Department detailing the Biden administration’s “Tax Compliance Agenda,” in which the 87,000 agents figure can be found on page 16. 

California Rep. Katie Porter’s arguments are not any more credible either, stating that “The number one agency that the American people would like to have — have more agents, be more helpful, pick up the phone, build better technology, be more responsive — is the IRS.”  

That’s ironic, Porter, because only $3.2 billion of IRS funding provided by the Inflation-Reduction Act is going toward customer service, while a whopping $45.6 billion is going toward IRS enforcement. And this enforcement will target none other than middle-class Americans and small-business owners, as the 87,000 new agents will be used to increase the number of middle-class and small business audits by 50 percent.  

Unfortunately, the agency has done little to prove that it will put this increased funding to good use. Let’s look at some examples of corruption that have occurred in recent years:   

  • The IRS Destroyed 30 Million Taxpayer Documents— The IRS purposefully destroyed 30 million taxpayer documents, according to an audit by the Treasury Inspector General. Rather than work through its backlog, agency brass decided to destroy the documents.  
  • The IRS Has 4,600 Guns and Five Million Rounds of Ammo— The IRS has 4,600 guns and five million rounds of ammunition. There are several reasons to be concerned about the IRS having more power, more money, and more guns. First, the IRS fails to ensure that armed agents receive the required firearms training. Second, IRS agents accidentally fire their weapons more often than they intentionally fire them. Third, the IRS conceals details of accidental gun discharges. Fourth, IRS agents do not always undergo remedial training after discharges due to agent negligence. Fifth, the IRS has a history of violating fundamental due process rights. Sixth, the IRS has appalling evidence of storage habits. And lastly, the IRS has conducted many armed raids on innocent Americans.    
  • The IRS Failed to Address Nearly 2,000 Security Vulnerabilities in Child Tax Credit Portal— The American Rescue Plan of 2021, enacted by President Biden and Congressional Democrats, turned the Child tax credit (CTC) into a monthly welfare payment. This required the IRS to establish the CTC Update Portal, which was deployed in June of 2021 to distribute payments. Unfortunately, several security vulnerabilities were identified in this new portal, potentially putting taxpayer dollars and taxpayer data at risk. Worse, the vulnerabilities identified were not remediated promptly.  
  • The IRS targeted conservative organizations leading up to the 2012 presidential election— Although the government assured taxpayers that there would be a thorough investigation, the IRS was already destroying evidence behind closed doors; 422 backup tapes holding 24,000 emails from Lois Lerner, the IRS official in charge of the targeting scheme, were erased. Despite the overwhelming amount of evidence, not a single IRS employee ever faced charges, even after the case was referred to Obama’s Justice Department. And just two months after the scandal, Lerner received a $42,000 bonus and retired with a full pension funded by taxpayers. 

These recent actions of the IRS have proven the immense corruption present within the agency. Sadly, this didn’t stop representatives like Porter and Spanberger from voting in favor of supersizing the IRS. By adding $80 billion to the agency’s budget, the IRS will purchase new cars and offices, and make even more generous donations to Democrat campaigns, the consequences of which will fall heavily on none other than middle-class Americans. Thanks a lot, Democrats.