The IRS Is Growing By Numbers And Ammunition
Sarah Lee for Red State August 10, 2022 4:43 PM ET
Following the passage of the rather hilariously named Inflation Reduction Act — passed by Senate Democrats with a never-to-be-forgotten tie-breaking yay from VP Harris herself — pundits paying attention told us the news: the new legislation would increase the workforce at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by something like 92%. In plain terms, the Biden administration wants to hire 86,852 new IRS employees.
It’s not wise, but it is possible. And that is what 50 Senate Democrats, along with tiebreaking Vice President Kamala Harris, did when they passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which gives roughly $80 billion to the IRS between now and 2031. (The name, “Inflation Reduction Act,” was a ruse to convince gullible voters that Democrats are actually doing something about inflation. The bill itself is made up of expensive climate measures, plus prescription drug provisions, tax increases, and the initiative to increase IRS enforcement.)
For context, a helpful Twitter account gave us an idea of just what that kind of manpower — all dedicated to making sure the federal government gets the money they say you owe them — looks like. Prepare to have your eyes opened…it’ll be uncomfortable.
That’s a helluva an image. And just in time for football season. Especially when considering that IRS agents housed in the criminal division can be armed. And in a job posting (that has been weirdly deleted but lives on because the internet is forever), the agency is playing up the gun thing. Strange emphasis at a time when the party of gun control holds the levers of power, no?
The backdrop of this new crime fighting force (what else would you call it?) is news that in 2022, over the course of 4 months, the IRS paid more for ammunition than it had generally spent over the course of entire years under previous administrations.
On July 1, Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) introduced the “Disarm the IRS Act,” which would prohibit the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from acquiring ammunition.
…Between March 1 and June 1, 2022, the criminal division of the IRS ordered $696,000 in ammunition, the IRS told VERIFY in an email.
The order was for the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) division, which is a federal law enforcement agency that conducts criminal investigations including tax violations, money laundering, cyber crimes, and organized crime involving drugs and gangs. There are more than 2,000 sworn special agents in the division.
“Many of these cases are typically worked in conjunction with other state and federal law enforcement agencies. IRS-CI special agents have been carrying firearms throughout the more than 100-year history of the agency, and have found themselves dealing with some of the most dangerous criminals,” an IRS spokesperson told VERIFY.
And of course it’s wise to believe, despite protestations from the White House press conference podium, that all this firepower is intended for more than just keeping the small number of ultra-wealthy paying their “fair share.”
After all, the ACTUAL federal police force isn’t doing so well after making the overzealous decision to raid a former President’s home in what looks like a frighteningly political move. And, should the GOP regain power in November, the FBI — unless they come us with a really compelling reason unconnected to what looks like Democrat leadership intimidation tactics — may find themselves scattered to the wind.
Are Democrats laying the groundwork to replace a too-corrupted FBI with a newly armed IRS? As always with politics, Americans will have to wait and see. There’s little else to be done at the current moment. But the question, while we’re waiting for the real answer is: would you put it past them? Most Americans, watching events play out over the last few years, wouldn’t either.
Frankly, it is very questionable as to which is worse; an army of armed IRS agents or the politicalized FBI.