Republicans in House of Representatives voted to cut IRS budget

The Republicans who won the majority in the House of Representatives demonstrated this by approving a bill that would eliminate nearly $71 billion in IRS funding previously appropriated by Congress.

By taking this step, Republicans have fulfilled a campaign promise, though the bill is unlikely to pass further.

“Our first bill eliminates funding for 87,000 new IRS agents because the government is supposed to help you, not come after you,” said House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, just elected to office.

Shortly before the vote, the Congressional Budget Office released a projection that stripping the IRS of those funds would increase the budget deficit by more than $114 billion over the next decade.

Republicans said the revenue collected by increasing the service’s staff would help fund what they call reckless spending.