The majority of likely general election voters approve Congress taking action to prevent the hiring of 87,000 new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents, according to a newly released Convention of States Action / Trafalgar poll.
The House Republicans passed the The Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act on Jan. 9 partly in effort to stop funding for hiring almost 87,000 new IRS agents through a Democrat-led 2022 spending bill. Poll respondents, sampled between Jan. 9 and Jan. 12, expressed support for Congress preventing the hirings by a roughly 60.1% to 28% margin.
The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in 2022, allocated close to $80 billion in new funding to the IRS through 2031, allowing the agency to hire more than 86,000 estimated full-time employees across that period, based on a May 2021 Treasury Department publication.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 10: House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) (3rd L) talks during a news conference with (L-R) Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), Rep. Michael Cloud (R-LA), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE) for a news conference following a GOP caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on January 10, 2023 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Just over 51% of Democratic voters surveyed opposed House action against the hiring of 87,000 new IRS agents, while about 88.4% of Republicans and 61.4% of independents were in favor. (RELATED: IRS Delays $600 Online Transaction Reporting Requirement)
“This data shows the public–regardless of party–is overwhelmingly supportive of the measure forwarded by the House of Representatives to get this reversed,” Convention of States President Mark Meckler said.
The GOP has heavily criticized the hiring of the agents, while Republican Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter has introduced a bill to abolish the IRS and establish a national sales tax instead. The newly-approved Republican-led House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government could investigate the agency, according to Politico.
The poll had 1,079 respondents with a 2.9% margin of error.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.