A group of Republican lawmakers introduced legislation that would give Congress a direct say in how new funding for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will be deployed.
Specifically, the IRS Funding Accountability Act would give Congress a say in how the $80 billion set aside for the IRS through the Inflation Reduction Act will be spent.
“The Democrats’ attempt to supersize the IRS without holding the agency accountable to Congress and American taxpayers is dangerous and irresponsible,” U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) said. “This legislation would provide much-needed oversight of the unprecedented $80 billion in funding to the agency, more than half of which Democrats have directed toward enforcement-related measures, including audits. If our bill becomes law, the Biden administration’s IRS would have to answer to the American people, not Washington bureaucrats.”
Thune and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) are sponsoring the bill in the senate (S.338), while U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) sponsors the House version (H.R.888) of the bill.
“Government, especially when it comes to the treatment of taxpayers, needs to be accountable and transparent to the American people,” Grassley said. “When Democrats’ partisan spending bill gave the IRS an extra 80 billion dollars last year, their legislation included no oversight and accountability mechanisms whatsoever.”
The legislation would require the IRS to provide Congress with an annual plan for how the agency intends to use the new IRA funds, subject to a new joint resolution of disapproval. Further, it would require quarterly updates from the IRS and the U.S. Department of the Treasury to enable evaluation of the plans. Failure to submit timely and thorough plans or reports would result in financial penalties.
“The goal of my legislation is to provide much-needed oversight and accountability that the Inflation Reduction Act lacks. This will hold government accountable to the American people and ensure the IRS is properly using taxpayer dollars,” Kelly said.