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Groups Say No More IRS Funding Should Be in Infrastructure Deals

JUL. 7, 2021

Groups Say No More IRS Funding Should Be in Infrastructure Deals

DATED JUL. 7, 2021
DOCUMENT ATTRIBUTES
  • Authors
    Moore, Stephen
    Walton, Bill
    Norquist, Grover
    Brandon, Adam
    Blackwell, Morton
    Forbes, Steve
  • Institutional Authors
    Committee to Unleash Prosperity
    Conservative Action Project
    Leadership Institute
    Americans for Tax Reform
    FreedomWorks
  • Subject Area/Tax Topics
  • Jurisdictions
  • Tax Analysts Document Number
    2021-27040
  • Tax Analysts Electronic Citation
    2021 TNTF 130-9
    2021 TNTG 130-27

July 7, 2021

Dear Conservative Member of Congress:

As conservative leaders, we are troubled that Republicans fell into the Democratic trap on an infrastructure spending bill. The $1.2 “bipartisan” package that was announced last week was a betrayal of basic conservative values of fiscal responsibility. The bill mostly funds the Green New Deal and expensive and underused mass transit systems, not roads, bridges, and airports.

With the Covid crisis over, the economy recovering, and the national debt crashing toward $30 trillion, Congress should be aggressively CUTTING spending right now — not adding to the record size and scope of government.

The good news is that Biden announced his “double cross” of Republicans only hours after the handshake deal was done. The true intentions of this White House and the progressives who are running Congress are now transparent to everyone. This budget-busting bill is only the gateway to another $2 trillion spending bill and a $3 trillion tax hike.

It is our hope that this classic bait and switch will allow Republicans to push the reset button.

Any infrastructure deal with the Democrats must contain four preconditions for any Republican agreement:

1. Every dollar of new spending must be paid for by reprogramming some $2 trillion of federal funds already approved by Congress this year.

2. Any infrastructure bill MUST include authorization of the Keystone XL Pipeline authorization. There is no infrastructure more urgently needed today than pipelines to transport our energy resources across the U.S. and the world. This project costs taxpayers nothing.

3. No money for Green New Deal projects. Every penny must be for real infrastructure: roads, bridges, pipelines, and airports.

4. No additional funding for the Internal Revenue Service, especially given its multiple scandals over the past decade. We have not forgotten about Lois Lerner's tactics of using IRS enforcement to harass conservative groups and donors. Republicans in Congress shouldn't either.

Republicans should not return to the negotiating table unless and until these conditions are met.

Sincerely,

Stephen Moore, Committee to Unleash Prosperity

Bill Walton, Conservative Action Project

Morton Blackwell, Leadership Institute

Grover Norquist Americans for Tax Reform

Adam Brandon, Freedomworks

Steve Forbes

DOCUMENT ATTRIBUTES
  • Authors
    Moore, Stephen
    Walton, Bill
    Norquist, Grover
    Brandon, Adam
    Blackwell, Morton
    Forbes, Steve
  • Institutional Authors
    Committee to Unleash Prosperity
    Conservative Action Project
    Leadership Institute
    Americans for Tax Reform
    FreedomWorks
  • Subject Area/Tax Topics
  • Jurisdictions
  • Tax Analysts Document Number
    2021-27040
  • Tax Analysts Electronic Citation
    2021 TNTF 130-9
    2021 TNTG 130-27
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