(Washington, D.C.) – Last night, Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R – Richvale) voted for H.R. 23, the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act, to defund the Biden Administration’s plan to hire 87,000 new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents and block efforts to harass and target lower- and middle-income earners. The $80 billion designated to the IRS in the 2022 Inflation “Reduction” Act would effectively double the size and intrusiveness of the IRS, having them monitor every financial transaction down to $600.
The IRS has a well-documented history of ideological abuses including targeted leaks of protected taxpayer information. In 2017, the U.S. Justice Department reached a settlement with dozens of conservative groups that claimed the IRS unfairly scrutinized them as early as 2010 based on their political leanings when they sought a tax-exempt status. In 2019, the IRS denied a faith-based organization tax-exempt status as a nonprofit, arguing that “[B]ible teachings are typically affiliated with the [Republican] Party and candidates”. At the same time, the IRS has had no problem approving far-left environmental organizations’ applications.
“The government should not be monitoring anyone’s financial transactions without a warrant presented to a court and probable cause. Unleashing an army of IRS agents to hound middle- and lower-income Americans who are struggling under the weight of Biden-inflation looks like a reverse of ‘Robin Hood’. Last night’s vote was first of a long list of priorities we will champion to roll back big government, bring back accountability, and put the well-being of the American people first,” said Congressman LaMalfa.
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba Counties.
