House Republicans, in their first legislative victory following a messy start, have voted in favor of cutting roughly $71 billion in IRS funding, but will it pass in the Senate?
The GOP made the vote on Monday to cut funding for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as part of their efforts to oppose Democrats' attempts to crack down on tax cheats. While the majority of House Republicans support the measure, it does not have enough votes to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate, preventing it from reaching President Joe Biden.
Cutting Roughly $71 Billion in IRS Funding
The measure passed in the House with a final tally of 221 to 210 along party lines as every single Democrat voted in opposition and Republicans applauded upon passage. The legislation also serves as an opening salvo from the new GOP majority, which aims to undercut the policy accomplishments of the left over the last two years when they had control of both Congress and the House.
On Monday, the Biden administration issued a statement of policy confirming that the president would veto the measure and dismiss it as a "reckless bill." Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said that the passing of the measure in the House was a giveaway to the multimillionaires and big corporations, as per the New York Times.
The GOP's focus on the IRS and its funding comes after years of complaints from the party that the agency unfairly targeted conservative groups and harangued small businesses and middle-class families.
Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, who won the chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee on Monday, said that the IRS did not need a raise, but rather, a reckoning. He added in a separate statement that Biden's nominee to serve as the next IRS commissioner, Daniel Werfel, should plan to spend time before the committee to answer questions related to the leaking of sensitive taxpayer information.
Kevin McCarthy, shortly after securing the position of House speaker after 15 rounds of voting, reiterated his pledge to make defunding the IRS the first bill of the Republican majority. He said that the government should be here to help the American people and not go after them.
Democrats vs. Republicans
According to the Washington Post, the nearly $80 billion fund that Republicans are targeting was issued by Democrats to boost taxpayer services. It sought to quicken agency response times while also upgrading its aging computer systems.
The funds also included more than $45 billion for enforcement, since party lawmakers hoped to support the IRS to find and collect unpaid federal taxes, particularly from high-earning individuals and businesses.
But Republican lawmakers, who unanimously opposed the Inflation Reduction Act, seized on the spending starting last year. They turned it into an election-year cudgel and accused Democrats of prying into innocent Americans' financial situations.
The battle over the IRS funding comes after a shaky speakership vote for the Republican Party. McCarthy was only able to secure enough votes to win after making concessions with a group of conservative lawmakers. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina said that she wanted more details on what deals were made last week, Politico reported.
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