Republicans have managed to secure faster funding cuts to the IRS in the recently-announced deal with Democrats on top-line spending numbers for a government funding measure, meaning roughly 25 percent of the recent $80 billion funding boost for the IRS will evaporate as quickly as this year.
The Inflation Reduction Act that President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022 initially included around $80 billion to expand the IRS’ budget over ten years. This drew the ire of Republicans, who argued that much of that money would go to hiring an “army” of tax enforcers who would reach for low-hanging fruit and target ordinary Americans rather than wealthier, more financially sophisticated taxpayers who are trickier to audit.
