Sixth District Perspectives with Congressman Ben Cline: Reining in the IRS

This week, the House Republican majority started delivering for the American people. We passed legislation to repeal funding for President Biden’s army of 87,000 new IRS agents and staff, as well as legislation to ensure American oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve will no longer be sold to the Chinese Communist Party. Further, House Republicans stood to defend life by condemning the recent attacks on pro-life individuals and organizations, and we passed legislation that would ensure protections for babies who survive abortions. Finally, I introduced legislation to rein in our bureaucracy and ensure federal agencies are held accountable to taxpayers and small businesses during the rulemaking process. Rest assured, my colleagues and I will continue to fight for the American people and restore responsible and commonsense government, while advancing freedom for all Americans. 

Reining in the IRS

This week, House Republicans delivered on our promise to try and block President Biden from unleashing 87,000 new IRS employees on American families and businesses. Last Congress, as part of the Inflation ‘Acceleration’ Act, Democrats voted to supercharge the IRS with 80 billion of taxpayer dollars focused on IRS enforcement and hiring more auditors to squeeze taxpayers, middle and lower-income families and small businesses especially. As much as 90% of the funds raised by these new audits will be from taxpayers making less than $200,000 a year. As record-high inflation has driven up the cost of everything from food to fuel, the last thing working families need is to be targeted by IRS audits. The IRS exists to collect revenue and serve the taxpayers, not spy on Americans’ Venmo or Paypal accounts to squeeze more money out of their pockets. The American people want a government that works for them, and passing a bill to repeal this funding was a great first step in the right direction.

No Oil for China  

In an election-year stunt, President Biden rejected calls to restore American energy independence and instead raided oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve — depleting it to its lowest level in decades and allowing it to be sold to a company affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party. Selling off American oil to the Chinese Communist Party for its own strategic use poses a direct threat to our national security. The Petroleum Reserve is our insurance card — it is to be used to protect our country during national emergencies or weather events, neither of which occurred last fall. That is why the House passed the Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act. This important legislation, which I cosponsored, will stop this outrageous practice of sending oil to our enemies that would hate us for free.

Condemning Attacks on Pro-Life Centers & Protecting Abortion Survivors

I will always stand for life, and I was pleased that the House took two actions to protect life this week. First, we passed a resolution condemning the nationwide wave of violence, vandalism, and intimidation by pro-abortion anarchists following the Supreme Court heeding the Constitution and overturning Roe v. Wade. The recent attacks on pro-life centers hit close to home, as the Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center in Lynchburg faced property damage and vandalism less than 24 hours after SCOTUS’ ruling. House Republicans sent a clear message that these attacks will not be tolerated & the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

Additionally, the House of Representatives passed one of the single most important pieces of pro-life legislation in modern times: the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Contrary to House Democrats and the Biden administration, the American people overwhelmingly believe babies who are born alive should be protected. A baby born alive, even after an attempted abortion, should be afforded the same protections as every other American. This legislation requires appropriate medical care for children who survive abortion procedures and imposes strong criminal penalties for failure to provide such care. 

Easing Regulations and Restoring Accountability to Federal Rulemaking

This week I introduced two pieces of legislation to attack waste in our bureaucracy and ensure federal agencies are held accountable to private citizens and small businesses during the rulemaking process. Too often, federal agencies impose one-size-fits-all mandates and unnecessary costs on small businesses. In fact, just in 2022, studies have shown that federal agencies collectively amassed $117.1 billion in net regulatory costs that businesses had to bear, and businesses were further burdened with over 86 million hours of regulatory paperwork. My Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvement Act (H.R. 358) would ensure that federal agencies consider the actual impact of proposed new rules on small businesses before they are implemented. Additionally, unelected bureaucrats often make the rules with no oversight on carrying out the intent of laws passed by Congress. My Ensuring Accountability in Agency Rulemaking Act (H.R. 357) would uphold the constitutionality of federal rulemaking and keep regulators in check.

I will keep you updated on the progress of these pieces of legislation as the 118th Congress moves forward and House Republicans continue to deliver on our commitment to America.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Congressman. If my office can ever be of assistance, please contact my Washington office at (202) 225-5431. 

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Congressman Ben Cline