Treasury's Yellen calls Republican effort to cut IRS funding for Israel 'damaging and irresponsible'
The IRS commissioner says for the agency to keep building on its customer service and enforcement priorities it needs a reliable funding stream
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called Republicans' most recent round of proposed funding cuts to the IRS “damaging and irresponsible" during a Tuesday event meant to commemorate new customer service improvements to the agency.
“Playing politics with IRS funding is unacceptable,” Yellen said, referring to an aid bill that passed the House last week that would cut $14 billion from the nation’s tax collector in exchange for providing assistance to Israel as it pursues a war against militant Hamas in Gaza. The bill is unlikely to be approved by the Democratic-controlled Senate.
While House Republicans say the IRS cuts would save taxpayer money and offset spending, independent budget analysts say the cuts would cost taxpayers billions of dollars from uncollected tax revenues.
President Joe Biden has said he would veto the bill if it reaches his desk.
“The current proposals to cut funding for the IRS make this an especially crucial time to talk about the importance of this work," Yellen said in a speech at IRS headquarters in Washington.
The $80 billion the agency received last summer through Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act has been vulnerable to cuts, but Yellen and the Treasury Department are trying to keep the focus on what the allotted funds are doing for taxpayers.
One new announcement is that taxpayers will be able to submit all sorts of tax documents and other communications to the IRS digitally months earlier than originally planned under a new timetable for paperless taxpayer communications announced Tuesday by Yellen.
“The impact will be significant and
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