A Republican lawmaker on Tuesday took a big step towards making armed federal tax agents a thing of the past.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced legislation to end the practice of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) possessing weapons or ammunition. If enacted, the agency would have 120 days to move any firearms and ammo it possesses to the General Services Administration.
The IRS would then be prohibited from restocking guns or ammunition by the Why Does the IRS Have Guns Act. Further, the IRS Criminal Investigation Division would be relocated to the Justice Department.
Speaking to the Washington Examiner, Ernst declared that “the taxman is fully loaded and funded by the taxpayer.” She expressed her concern that the Biden White House will weaponize the agency as it has done with the Department of Justice.
The Republican called her action a positive step towards ensuring that the administration is blocked from more aggressive deeds.
GOP senator introduces plan to disarm IRS agents | Just The News https://t.co/PlCnk2bmPb
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) June 13, 2023
She noted that it is troubling how Biden seeks to greatly expand the power and scope of the agency. Ernst called it “even more concerning that the IRS is using taxpayer dollars to arm its agents.”
Many are troubled by the IRS track record of spending over $35 million since 2006 on firepower. According to OpenSecrets, that total includes $10 million in weapons and gear just since the 2020 start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Then, in 2021, President Biden announced a massive expansion of the agency through the hiring of an astounding 87,000 new employees.
This overhaul is expected to take a decade and cost a staggering $80 billion for the American public. That same public will see those funds turned against them when the greatly enhanced agency aims this firepower towards the taxpayer.
But it’s real firepower that concerned Ernst this week when she asked why the IRS is arming itself with military-style equipment when it “isn’t going to war.”
The Iowa senator asked who the agents were preparing to battle. That’s clearly the cause when semiautomatic rifles and shotguns along with submachine guns and 5 million rounds of ammunition are acquired.
Adam Andrzjewski, founder and CEO of Open the Books, observed the agency is blurring the lines and looking “more like a SWAT team from a Hollywood thriller.
