The Republican-controlled House passed a bill Monday night that would slash tens of billions of funding dollars for the Internal Revenue Service.
Why it matters: The bill is unlikely to pass the Democratic-led Senate, but its presence at the top of the House GOP agenda suggests that IRS funding could be a reoccurring sticking point in future budget clashes.
- It's the first piece of legislation passed in the 118th Congress.
Driving the news: The bill that passed 221-210 along party lines targets the IRS funding boost in the Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act passed last year.
The big picture: Republican lawmakers during last year's midterm election zeroed in on the increase in IRS funding — about $80 billion over 10 years.
- GOP lawmakers falsely claimed that President Biden was hiring 87,000 IRS agents to investigate everyday Americans, per the New York Times.
Between the lines: The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released a report that found House Republicans' IRS legislation would increase the budget deficit by $114 billion over 10 years.
What they're saying: The White House criticized the measure as "reckless" in a statement Monday before the vote.
- "House Republicans are making clear that their top economic priority is to allow the rich and multibillion-dollar corporations to skip out on their taxes, while making life harder for ordinary, middle-class families that pay the taxes they owe," the White House said.
Go deeper: White House fights for extra IRS funding
Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional details throughout.
