As Washington braces for what's expected to be a night of historic gains for the GOP, Republicans are preparing to take down both the IRS and the Democrat-supported plan to hire 87,000 new agents, according to the Washington Examiner.
By harnessing public skepticism of increased funding for the IRS, the GOP hopes to regain majorities in the House and the Senate in November and use congressional committees to investigate and oversee the tax agency.
According to the Examiner, Republicans are also playing a long game with legislation — planning to write measures in 2025 to either defund the agency or rein it in.
President Joe Biden approved an $80 billion cash infusion to the IRS when he signed the Inflation Reduction Act earlier this year, in which the funding was included. According to a 2021 Treasury report, the sum could allow the agency to hire 87,000 new employees over the course of 10 years.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who is poised to become speaker of the House if Republicans regain the majority, said last month that the top priority for his party would be axing the billions in new IRS funding.
"On that very first day that we're sworn in, you'll see that it all changes," he said. "Because on our very first bill, we're going to repeal 87,000 IRS agents. Our job is to work for you, not go after you. Our job is to make America stronger."
The issue has resonated with voters in the run-up to the congressional midterm elections on Nov. 8.
The three Republicans angling for the open top spot on the House Ways and Means Committee — Vern Buchanan of Florida, Adrian Smith of Nebraska, and Jason Smith of Missouri — told the Washington Examiner that they would support aggressive oversight of the IRS.
All three candidates said the IRS funding proposal has caused concern among voters and it is the only section of the Inflation Reduction Act that more voters disapprove of than approve, according to a Politico-Morning Consult survey.
An analysis by AdImpact from earlier this month found that Republican groups and candidates have spent more than $12 million since the beginning of August on approximately 24,000 ads warning about the increase in IRS staff.
The GOP is also planning to hold hearings into the leaks of tax records and other issues, according to the Examiner.
Grover Norquist, the head of the anti-tax group Americans for Tax Reform, said Republicans should use the hearings to create contrast for voters.
"I think they're terribly vulnerable," he said of the IRS. "We know scandals exist; we know the Democrats didn't look into it."
"Why would you give them $80 billion when there are these unanswered questions of corruption?" Norquist added.
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