The article addresses a viral claim circulating online alleging that the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will fund the hiring of 87,000 new IRS agents, many of whom will be armed and authorized to use deadly force against average Americans. The article clarifies that this claim is inaccurate and based on a misinterpretation of a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report.
While the IRA does allocate approximately $80 billion to the IRS over ten years, it is intended to modernize the agency, improve taxpayer services, and enhance tax enforcement, particularly targeting wealthy individuals and corporations. The plan anticipates hiring tens of thousands of employees across various roles, not solely armed agents.
The claim that 87,000 new armed IRS agents will target average Americans is unfounded. The IRS Criminal Investigation division, which employs armed agents, is relatively small and focuses primarily on tax fraud, money laundering, and other financial crimes. The vast majority of IRS employees are focused on administrative tasks, taxpayer services, and auditing. The article emphasizes that the funding will likely lead to replacing retiring employees and updating technology, not solely creating a force of armed auditors targeting the middle class.
find the original article here: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/fact-check-breaking-down-claim-230000493.html