House GOP demands IRS budget cuts to pay for Israel aid

[abby97]

We lefties are willing to raise taxes to pay for the things we agree to spend money on to avoid going deeper in debt.

Are you, are you really? Please tell me the last time the dems balanced the budget? (I mean actually balanced the budget) You dems have no trouble raising taxes that's true, but you never care about paying for what you want. You simply plunge the country deeper and deeper into debt.

 

[abby97]

You're the mental midget that others are talking about.

If this is your best attempt at clever repartee, you might consider rethinking your posting game........

 

[IACub]

If this is your best attempt at clever repartee, you might consider rethinking your posting game........

No, this time I wasn't trying to be clever, I was simply insulting you.

 

[hawkeyeandy]

Are you, are you really? Please tell me the last time the dems balanced the budget? (I mean actually balanced the budget) You dems have no trouble raising taxes that's true, but you never care about paying for what you want. You simply plunge the country deeper and deeper into debt.

All right. I'll bite. Bill Clinton 1998-2001.

U.S. Budget Deficit by President

Here are the budget deficits for each president back to Woodrow Wilson. Obama had the highest dollar increase, but Wilson had the biggest percentage rise.

www.thebalancemoney.com

 

[Here_4_a_Day]

Must. Protect. Wealthy.

Because ditch diggers like you matter?

 

[cigaretteman]

Wasn't Ciggy marching with the anti-Israel crowd a week ago? Who you crappin?

Not anti-Israel, anti-Netanyahu and his deplorable right wing coalition.

 

[abby97]

All right. I'll bite. Bill Clinton 1998-2001.

U.S. Budget Deficit by President

Here are the budget deficits for each president back to Woodrow Wilson. Obama had the highest dollar increase, but Wilson had the biggest percentage rise.

www.thebalancemoney.com

Wrong, Andrew Jackson. A democrat but a few years eariler. Please don't waste our time with ya buts and what if's. Oh, and by the way, the only reason Clinton even tried was because Gingrich and the Republican House forced him to be financially more responsible.

 

[abby97]

Not anti-Israel, anti-Netanyahu and his deplorable right wing coalition.

Sounds antisemitic to me.

 

[IACub]

Sounds antisemitic to me.

Because you're an idiot.

 

[binsfeldcyhawk2]

All right. I'll bite. Bill Clinton 1998-2001.

U.S. Budget Deficit by President

Here are the budget deficits for each president back to Woodrow Wilson. Obama had the highest dollar increase, but Wilson had the biggest percentage rise.

www.thebalancemoney.com

Republican house.

 

[TheCainer]

Sounds antisemitic to me.

You sound anti-smart.

 

[Tom Paris]

Republican house.

Simpleton. Thinker.

 

[BioHawk]

Where's Faulty? They complain constantly about immigration so the first thing they do is hold aid for Israel up so rich people can have an easier time cheating on their taxes. Shows where their priorities lie.

 

[hawkland14]

For the life of me, I'll never understand why the GOP is so opposed to properly funding the IRS

Because the IRS has proven time and time again they aren’t going after the wealthy they are going after the middle class. Recent audit numbers indicate this.

 

[hawkland14]

Turns Out the IRS Is After You, After All

When it was first revealed that the so-called “Inflation Reduction Act” provided funding for 87,000 new IRS agents, Biden administration officials told Americans not to worry. They promised at every turn that these agents would only be set upon those earning over $400,000 a year. But the Act has...

www.heritage.org

 

[Funky Bunch]

Turns Out the IRS Is After You, After All

When it was first revealed that the so-called “Inflation Reduction Act” provided funding for 87,000 new IRS agents, Biden administration officials told Americans not to worry. They promised at every turn that these agents would only be set upon those earning over $400,000 a year. But the Act has...

www.heritage.org

You are the mark for this bullshit

 

[hawkland14]

You are the mark for this bullshit

lol. I can tell you didn’t read the article and just looked at the source. The IRS isn’t the friend of the middle class and you should and do know this.

Who do you think has tue resources to hide their money the middle class or the rich? We know how inept the agency is as well as how complicated the tax system is in this country. They will always go for the low hanging fruit and statistics show that. But keep carrying that water for Team Blue.

 

[Funky Bunch]

lol. I can tell you didn’t read the article and just looked at the source. The IRS isn’t the friend of the middle class and you should and do know this.

Who do you think has tue resources to hide their money the middle class or the rich? We know how inept the agency is as well as how complicated the tax system is in this country. They will always go for the low hanging fruit and statistics show that. But keep carrying that water for Team Blue.

"An army of 87,000 IRS agents" . Seriously, this shit again?
People making less than 400k will always be the highest percentage of total audits. This guy wants you to think Biden promised they wouldn't be audited at all and dumbasses like you eat it up.

 

[hawkland14]

"An army of 87,000 IRS agents" . Seriously, this shit again?
People making less than 400k will always be the highest percentage of total audits. This guy wants you to think Biden promised they wouldn't be audited at all and dumbasses like you eat it up.

No but Biden did say they wouldn’t increase which again has proven to be wrong.

The IRS is a corrupt agency that has long protected the establishment/wealthy in this country. When you are ready to refute what’s in the articles go for it.

In 2022, the IRS Went After the Very Poorest Taxpayers

The newly-enriched IRS continued historic trends of primarily hassling low-income taxpayers (not the millionaires and billionaires it claimed).

reason.com

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

lol. I can tell you didn’t read the article and just looked at the source. The IRS isn’t the friend of the middle class and you should and do know this.

Who do you think has tue resources to hide their money the middle class or the rich? We know how inept the agency is as well as how complicated the tax system is in this country. They will always go for the low hanging fruit and statistics show that. But keep carrying that water for Team Blue.

The whole point is to beef up to go after the heavy hitter tax cheats.

 

[NoleinATL]

lol. I can tell you didn’t read the article and just looked at the source. The IRS isn’t the friend of the middle class and you should and do know this.

Here are the relevant sections of the report, the wording in the actual report differs from the author's comments. The issue looks to be the definition but not the stated goal.
I wonder why the author jumped to rec 5 and skipped rec 4

Recommendation 4: The Commissioners, SB/SE and LB&I Divisions, should coordinate examination planning to ensure that the examination plans will follow the Secretary of the Treasury Directive to prioritize coverage of individual high-income earners over $400,000. Management’s Response: The IRS agreed with this recommendation. The IRS agreed to ensure that the enterprise examination plan will follow the Treasury Secretary’s directive to not increase audit rates above historic levels for households making less than $400,000 and small businesses.


The IRS Commissioner should:
Recommendation 5: Establish a definition for high-income taxpayers in reference to examination compliance for purposes of focusing on income levels above which taxpayers have unique and varied opportunities for tax avoidance.
Management’s Response: The IRS disagreed with this recommendation. It asserted that a static and overly proscriptive definition of high-income taxpayers for purposes of focusing on income levels above which taxpayers have unique and varied opportunities for tax would serve to deprive the IRS of the agility to address emerging issues and trends.
Office of Audit Comment: The definition of high-income taxpayers does not have to be static. In fact, as demonstrated in this audit, the income threshold amount should be adjusted accordingly based on economic and complexity factors. In addition, as we have demonstrated in prior audits (such as TIGTA’s report Improvements Are Needed in Resource Allocation and Management Controls for Audits of High-Income Taxpayers (Report No. 2015-30-078) in which the IRS agreed to study the appropriate high-income thresholds and make changes accordingly) when the high-income thresholds are set too low, the result can be higher numbers of inefficient examinations. When the definition is too low, the base of taxpayers earning those incomes is wider so that the IRS does many more audits in that category in order to achieve desired audit coverage, yet Page 24 The IRS Needs to Leverage the Most Effective Training for Revenue Agents Examining High-Income Taxpayers the audits are less productive because there is less opportunity for tax avoidance at lower incomes. Currently, the high-income terminology is being used loosely inside the IRS with no common understanding of what the term means. At a minimum, the IRS should accept the Treasury Secretary’s $400,000 directive as the new high-income floor on which IRS leadership can focus enforcement efforts.


TREASURY INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR TAX ADMINISTRATION

 

[HawkeyeShawn]

The GOP is all about freedom, don't you see? Limited government interference. Keep government out of our private lives.




Oh, except for abortion, transgender issues, the books kids should read, CRT, smoking weed - you know, stuff like that.

Pretty much all the reasons I left the party.

 

[ft254]

Are you, are you really? Please tell me the last time the dems balanced the budget? (I mean actually balanced the budget) You dems have no trouble raising taxes that's true, but you never care about paying for what you want. You simply plunge the country deeper and deeper into debt.

Dems are honest and realize the nature of paying what's owed.

It's wingnuts that won't pay for anything. Cheating, crooked assholes. Tell us when is the last time the Reps balanced the budget? (I mean actually fully balanced the budget)?


"To balance the federal budget, government revenue must meet or exceed government spending. That's happened only twice in the past half-century: President Lyndon Johnson did it in 1969, and President Bill Clinton from 1998 to 2001. These days, the federal budget is far from"

The most recent presidents that have balanced the budget were:

Clinton (D) (balanced for 4 years, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)

Johnson (D) (balanced for 1 year, 1969)

Eisenhower (R) (balanced for 3 years: 1956, 1957, 1960)

Truman (D) (balanced for 4 years, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951)

Goddam, facts can be a bitch.

 

[Funky Bunch]

No but Biden did say they wouldn’t increase which again has proven to be wrong.

The IRS is a corrupt agency that has long protected the establishment/wealthy in this country. When you are ready to refute what’s in the articles go for it.

In 2022, the IRS Went After the Very Poorest Taxpayers

The newly-enriched IRS continued historic trends of primarily hassling low-income taxpayers (not the millionaires and billionaires it claimed).

reason.com

So now we're comparing people making over a million with those making less? 99% of returns filed are those making less than a million. So the percentage is higher with those 99% huh? Maybe the IRS needs to hire people with the skills to tackle those other 1% of returns that are more complex. But the stuff you read says they're going to be armed agents coming to shoot you. It's comical what you magats will believe.

 

[joelbc1]

The Speaker’s proposal to finance Israel doesn’t come cheap. The $80 B is takes from the IRS will result in a new revenue loss for the Treasury...plus, other losers in this proposal would include Ukraine in their fight against Russia, Taiwan as fight to maintain their defenses against Red China, and the southern border states of the US who lose money in their fight against the “invasion of illegals”...
So this proposal exposes who MAGA Republicans support...they are actively supporting the enemies of the US (Russia, China, Iran) and they support those who strive to cheat the US Treasury by not paying their tax bills.
If Democrats were smart....

 

[joelbc1]

Wrong, Andrew Jackson. A democrat but a few years eariler. Please don't waste our time with ya buts and what if's. Oh, and by the way, the only reason Clinton even tried was because Gingrich and the Republican House forced him to be financially more responsible.

Not really Abby. You forget...Clinton negotiated higher tax rates for the rich and Clinton insisted on “pay-go” so Newt’s tax cuts would be offset with new sources of revenue. Clinton played Newt and the House Republicans like a Red-headed step-child.
It all unraveled when Bill left town, and Newt and Junior “refunded” America the tax surplus (awhopping $100/ household!), and the GOP ended “pay-go”. Throw in Juniors stupid tax cut, starting 2 wars halfway around the world and VIOLA! We got on to the track we are on now...oh..then throw in the “Tea Party” morons who gave way to Trump’s MAGAts...

 

[binsfeldcyhawk2]

CNN —
New House Speaker Mike Johnson is already tying Washington in new partisan knots.

The Republican majority’s rookie leader is painting deep red conservative lines on the blank page of his career in top-level politics, staking out a risky showdown with Democrats and even Senate Republicans over Israel funding that could either build his power base or fracture his authority from the start.

Johnson’s tactics suggest that he is either likely to be as much a hostage to hard-right conservatives as his predecessor Kevin McCarthy was – or that, as one of them himself, he is resolved to use his tenure to stoke fresh chaos and confrontation.

Loading…

www.cnn.com

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

I would say, Find another place to cut it, raise taxes or we're not going to back Israel.

Also if a Ukraine deal doesn't go through we're not going to back Israel.

I want to back Israel but they will do fine without our assistance. Ukraine will fall and I'm not going to let the rich get away with more tax cheating because Republicans hate it when rich people pay taxes.

 

[hawkland14]

I would say, Find another place to cut it, raise taxes or we're not going to back Israel.

Also if a Ukraine deal doesn't go through we're not going to back Israel.

I want to back Israel but they will do fine without our assistance. Ukraine will fall and I'm not going to let the rich get away with more tax cheating because Republicans hate it when rich people pay taxes.

Yikes.

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

Yikes.

I mean seriously it's the R's who are usually the more gung ho Israeli fans anyway. They are just trying to extract concessions out of the D's for something they already want to do. Call their bluff. Find another place to cut it, raise taxes, give us a clean Israel backing bill, or we just don't back Israel. Those are their options. Along with that we need to pass a Ukraine bill too.

Israel is going to do what they do and be ok without our help. They already have better troops, more troops, better equipment and more equipment. I mean Israel's whole population has military training. They have duked it out and won against 4 of their neighbors at the same time.

Ukraine is only holding on because they have better equipment supplied by us. You cut that supply off for too long and they won't be able to hold up because the Russians still outnumber them vastly.

 

[hawkeyetraveler]

CNN —
New House Speaker Mike Johnson is already tying Washington in new partisan knots.

The Republican majority’s rookie leader is painting deep red conservative lines on the blank page of his career in top-level politics, staking out a risky showdown with Democrats and even Senate Republicans over Israel funding that could either build his power base or fracture his authority from the start.

Johnson’s tactics suggest that he is either likely to be as much a hostage to hard-right conservatives as his predecessor Kevin McCarthy was – or that, as one of them himself, he is resolved to use his tenure to stoke fresh chaos and confrontation.

Loading…

www.cnn.com

I find the move to tie these together a bizarre political misstep. It is DOA in the senate and this at a time when house Republicans need to show they could actually do something. Instead they look petty and unconstructive to everyone but the conservative base.

Why can’t house conservatives figure out that moderates want outcomes over social media “gotcha” talking points? F*cking govern or get yourselves voted out next year.

 

[goldmom]

Dems are honest and realize the nature of paying what's owed.

It's wingnuts that won't pay for anything. Cheating, crooked assholes. Tell us when is the last time the Reps balanced the budget? (I mean actually fully balanced the budget)?


"To balance the federal budget, government revenue must meet or exceed government spending. That's happened only twice in the past half-century: President Lyndon Johnson did it in 1969, and President Bill Clinton from 1998 to 2001. These days, the federal budget is far from"

The most recent presidents that have balanced the budget were:

Clinton (D) (balanced for 4 years, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)

Johnson (D) (balanced for 1 year, 1969)

Eisenhower (R) (balanced for 3 years: 1956, 1957, 1960)

Truman (D) (balanced for 4 years, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951)

Goddam, facts can be a bitch.

This is just so entertaining.

 

[goldmom]

Because the IRS has proven time and time again they aren’t going after the wealthy they are going after the middle class. Recent audit numbers indicate this.

There are far more of us in that group and the old saying “that’s where the money is” is largely true.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

There are far more of us in that group and the old saying “that’s where the money is” is largely true.

I think they should keep going after middle-class and upper-middle-class tax cheats as well. The IRS had acknowledged they simply don’t have the skills and resources to go after the worst cheats at the top of the pyramid. This funding should allow them to do that.

Why would anyone want to let any tax cheats off the hook?

 

[joelbc1]

Because the IRS has proven time and time again they aren’t going after the wealthy they are going after the middle class. Recent audit numbers indicate this.

Hawkland...you are just full of shit. When you go after tax cheats, you go after tax cheats...the big fish can nullify efforts via lawyers...right now, the man-power drain on the IRS because of this tactic, has tilted the field decidedly in favor of the tax cheats.

 

[Funky Bunch]

There are far more of us in that group and the old saying “that’s where the money is” is largely true.

And a big reason the audit rates are going to be high for lower income people is because there's so much fraud with EITC. The only people that can claim that credit are people making less than 60K. It's not even an option to not fight this fraud.

 

[binsfeldcyhawk2]

Deep split erupts between Democrats on Israel-Hamas war​

The growing and personal Democratic split over the Israel-Hamas war is about to spill onto the House floor, with leaders bracing for fights on Israel-related legislation between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel members of Congress.

Why it matters: "Things could not possibly be any worse than they are right now," one House Democrat lamented.

• Democratic aides and lawmakers told Axios that the upcoming votes on half dozen votes are exacerbating a tense situation.
• A top aide to another Democrat said their office has been inundated with a "constant" battery of phone calls on the issue.

Several of these bills, despite having Democratic co-sponsors, are poised to split the party.

• The liberal group J Street is pressing House Democrats to vote against a GOP-led resolution condemning "the support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations" on college campuses.
• It also urges Democrats to vote against new sanctions on Iran and a resolution declaring it "not acceptable" for Iran to have nuclear weapons.

The big picture: President Biden's initial response to the Israel-Hamas war sparked some of the harshest criticism he's received from progressives and people of color in his party — and those lawmakers think the party's base is on their side.

• Members of the Squad, the high-profile group of House progressives, accused the White House of empowering Israel to retaliate in a way that has put the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza at risk.
• "I want [Biden] to know as a Palestinian American and also someone of Muslim faith, I'm not going to forget this," said Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the first Palestinian-American woman in Congress, at a recent rally protesting the White House's response.
• The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Zoom in: Nine House Democrats voted against a resolution last week that condemned Hamas and supported Israel, and another six voted "present."

The vote sparked intra-party public feuds.

• Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) called Rep. Josh Gottheimer a "punk" and "cowardly"after the New Jersey Democrat wrote on X that the Democrats who voted against the resolution supporting Israel and condemning Hamas were "despicable," CNN reports.
• Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) said "it's not us without a soul" after Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) suggested people who haven't condemned Hamas' slaughter of Israeli civilians "don't have a soul," the New York Times reports.

Between the lines: One area of Democratic unity is on a resolution, expected to get a vote this week, to censure Tlaib for her history of comments on Israel and her speech to a protest at the Capitol complex pressing for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The growing and personal Democratic split over the Israel-Hamas war is about to spill onto the House floor, with leaders bracing for fights on Israel-related legislation between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel members of Congress.




https://www.axios.com/2023/11/01/israel-hamas-war-congress-democrats-bid

 

[THE_DEVIL]

Good.
There needs to be a debate/discourse on this.
War is hell and rubber stamping it is not the way to go.

 

[onlyTheObvious]

In 10 years my guess is AI replaces IRS.

Every shred of info for most filers is electronic and online. I wish they could just generate your results and if you want to challenge those you can file a return.

 

[Funky Bunch]

In 10 years my guess is AI replaces IRS.

Every shred of info for most filers is electronic and online. I wish they could just generate your results and if you want to challenge those you can file a return.

Not sure if serious