House Appropriations Bill Cuts IRS Budget
Some good news
Here’s some change we can all believe in — an appropriations bill that slices federal funding to the IRS.
Passing the House yesterday, the bill trims the IRS’ 2017 budget by $236 million and provides a total budget that’s $2.7 billion below the budget President Obama requested.
Ryan Ellis explains at Forbes:
Basically, this backs out the one-time spending approved last year to fight identity theft and continues a hard budget freeze at the agency.
Keeping spending at this level means that the IRS will have to prioritize their resources away from things like Obamacare implementation and harassing ordinary families and small businesses. The IRS will still have plenty of money to go after actual criminals and tax cheats, but hopefully not enough money for fishing expeditions elsewhere.
The bill also imposes several restrictions on our tax collecting overlords:
There are also several important policy riders attached to this bill which will help constrain the IRS from any more Lois Lerner-type inappropriate political activities. These include:
- Prohibiting the IRS from finalizing regulations regarding the tax-exempt status of 501(c)(4) groups. The fear here is that these rules will be used to unfairly target conservative non-profits
- Prohibiting bonuses and awards to IRS employees unless conduct and tax compliance is given consideration
- Prohibiting the IRS from targeting organizations for their political beliefs and citizens for exercising their First Amendment rights
- Prohibiting funds for inappropriate videos and conferences (anyone remember the Star Trek video?)
- Prohibiting the White House from directing an IRS investigation of an organization
- Prohibiting the transfer of funds to the IRS for Obamacare implementation
- Prohibiting funds to implement Obamacare’s individual mandate
- Prohibiting the IRS from auditing a church
Shortly after the bill was introduced last month, President Veto threatened, well, to veto. The Washington Examiner wrote:
President Obama would veto a Republican spending bill that would cut funding for the IRS and financial agencies, as well as overhaul the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the White House said Tuesday.
The Office of Management and Budget issued the veto threat for the House financial services appropriations bill Tuesday evening as it worked its way toward the House floor.
The bill would “exacerbate the damaging reductions inflicted on the IRS since 2010, and irresponsibly cut funding for the agencies charged with implementing Wall Street reform,” the White House warned.
It also decried the “problematic ideological” riders attached to the spending bill, including the changes to the consumer bureau that would bring the agency further within Congress’ oversight.
“But we won’t get to further regulate the private sector, waste tax-payer dollars, and unfairly target private citizens!”
Boo freaking hoo.
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Comments
It would be a little more relevant to me if you could compare that to the 2016 budget.
I cannot determine if any cuts were made at all.
Thanks,
Mark
Totally justified cynicism talking.
4 months to go to an election that has to be gotten through. Meanwhile Obama still has the veto pen as pointed out.
The IRS is not a liked organization. If Obama were to veto this bill the GOP could, if they had any balls, use it to attack the democrats. Can you see some ads along the line of “IRS employees who haven’t paid taxes in many years still get awards and bonuses. And the democrats won’t support the bill to stop this abuse.”
Well, you nailed it: the GOPe does not have any “balls.”
But we shouldn’t misinterpret having no balls with corruption: the GOPe is as corrupt as the democrat party, but without the balls to dig-in to the money pile as brazenly as the democrats do.
In other words, the GOPe is a collective follower of the democrats.
Why any of us continue to support any of these GOPe clowns is as great as a phenomenon as the cultism – and cognitive disconnect – of the majority of the ignorant, blind followers of the democrat party.
We got rid of canter, boehner, and a GOPe presidential nominee. We even got George Will to quit the GOP. We can do this.
How long before the GOP caves? 3-2-1…
A budget cut to 0 would even be better.
If Tyrant Obama the Liar vetoes the IRS budget then the house should pass the same with further cuts to the IRS and no continuation funding.
That’s what I keep saying. If the GOP had any spine, they’d make it absolutely crystal clear that the budget bill currently on the table is the most favorable one that will be offered. If vetoed, the next one will include more cuts.
Constitutionally, this fits the Founders’ intent; the House is to have the power to craft the budget — the “power of the purse” — and the Executive can take their bill or leave it.
Now if we only had a Congress willing to exercise its rightful authority….
McConnell is the real democrats in Republican clothing.
Unless there is specific language in the bill the Democrats in charge at the IRS will move the money around to suit themselves.
The IRS will still have plenty of money to go after actual criminals and tax cheats, but hopefully not enough money for fishing expeditions elsewhere.
Anyone out there stupid enough to believe that they would actually do this, though?
When it comes to a final vote, how many here believe that the Republicans will not give Obama everything he asks for and then tack on a bonus as reparations for talking back at him with this bill?
Again:
Why any of us continue to support any of these GOPe clowns is as great as a phenomenon as the cultism – and cognitive disconnect – of the majority of the ignorant, blind followers of the democrat party.
Good! I hope they just keep cutting the IRS funding. Run those thugs out of business.