John,

We’ve seen the damage that lies and disinformation can do to our country.

Donald Trump’s “Big Lie” led to the deadly January 6th attack on our Capitol. Recent lies around the FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort for classified documents have led to threats and violence against FBI agents.

Now, Republican lies about increased funding for the Internal Revenue Service, intended to scare American taxpayers, risk inciting even more violence.

In order to avoid another violent attack on our democracy, sign the petition to demand social media companies, including Facebook, crack down on Republican lies and disinformation about the modernization of the IRS.

Congressional Republicans are spreading dangerous disinformation about the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act. Just look at this tweet from Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX):

Cruz isn’t alone. Speaking on Fox News this month, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) implied that the IRS is “going to have a strike force that goes in with AK-15s [sic] already loaded, ready to shoot some small-business person in Iowa.”[1]

Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) claimed that “the IRS is making it very clear that [newly hired auditors] not only need to be ready to audit and investigate your fellow hardworking Americans, your neighbors and friends, you need to be ready and, to use the IRS’s words, willing, to kill them.”[2]

Republicans think this is how they’ll win the November election, but just like the Big Lie in 2020, they’re unleashing a violent force they can’t control by riling up an army of armed vigilantes.

The truth is, there’s no army of 87,000 IRS agents coming for you. Democrats’ new Inflation Reduction Act will increase IRS funding by $80 billion over 10 years to modernize its technology, improve customer service, and crack down on millionaire and billionaire tax cheats who aren’t paying $160 billion in taxes each year that they already owe.[3]

Numerous fact check services have debunked Republican claims about the $80 billion in new funding for the IRS creating a “shadow army of 87,000 IRS agents”:  

• AP Fact Check: “GOP skews budget bill’s impact on IRS, taxes”

• Washington Post Fact Checker: “Hyperbolic GOP claims about IRS agents and audits”

• Time: “Trump Allies Are Attacking Biden For a Plan to Hire 87,000 New IRS Agents That Doesn't Exist”

• PolitiFact, 3 Pinnochios: “Kevin McCarthy’s mostly false claim about an army of 87,000 IRS agents”

Since 2010, Republican budget cuts have slashed IRS funding by 20% and cut enforcement staff by 30%.[4] This has resulted in 54% fewer audits of large corporations and 70% fewer audits of millionaires. Wealthy and corporate tax cheats are getting away scot-free while the rest of us pay what we owe. It needs to stop.

What are Republicans afraid of? Who are they trying to protect? The answer is obvious: their billionaire and corporate donors. So they try to divert the public’s focus through lies and fear. It’s their usual playbook, but this time they are openly inciting deadly violence.

Sign the petition to demand social media platforms immediately crack down on Republican lies and disinformation about the IRS, which are manipulating and agitating dangerous elements of our society.

Thank you for defending our democracy and holding wealthy and corporate tax cheats accountable.

Frank Clemente
Executive Director
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund

[1] “Chuck Grassley bashed for warning of armed IRS agents 'ready to shoot’ business owners,” Sioux City Journal, Aug. 17, 2022
[2] “IRS isn’t hiring 87,000 agents willing ‘to kill’ fellow Americans. Sen. Scott, stop trying to scare people | Editorial,” Miami Herald, Aug. 25, 2022
[3] “The Case for a Robust Attack on the Tax Gap,” U.S. Department of Treasury, Sept. 7, 2021”
[4] “Congress Needs to Take Two Steps to Fund the IRS for the Short and Long Term,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Feb. 1, 2022