Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) and Terri Sewell (AL-07) introduced the Protecting Taxpayer Resources Act, legislation that would prevent President Trump from reassigning Internal Revenue Service (IRS) criminal investigators to immigration enforcement without proper training and oversight.

In February, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem urged Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to reassign IRS criminal investigators to the southern border to support Trump’s deportation efforts. IRS criminal investigators are highly trained professionals who specialize in investigating financial crimes such as money laundering, tax fraud, identity theft, and terrorist financing. Diverting them from their critical duties weakens tax enforcement and allows tax cheats to get away with not paying their fair share.

The Trump administration and Republicans already have a track record of trying to dismantle the IRS’ ability to investigate financial crimes. The agency has already lost roughly 10 percent of its staff since the beginning of the year, overwhelmingly in its compliance divisions. The administration is reportedly planning another round of IRS staffing cuts by May. Congressional Republicans also cut $20 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funding in the recent continuing resolution that was meant to improve taxpayer services and increase compliance.

“Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Congressional Republicans are on a crusade to dismantle the IRS’ ability to hold wealthy tax cheats accountable. Since coming into office, they have cut significant amounts of staff and resources from the agency. The IRS has proven that with proper investments it can improve customer service and increase tax compliance for the wealthy and well-connected,” said DelBene. “Redirecting IRS agents to the southern border won’t fix our immigration system, but it will undermine tax enforcement and let financial criminals off the hook.”

“In the midst of tax filing season and at a time when we are seeing the closure of almost 100 IRS offices around the country, we should not be diverting resources aimed at holding wealthy tax cheats accountable,” said Sewell. “This legislation is the first step in thwarting the Trump Administration's efforts to weaponize the IRS.”

Protecting Taxpayer Resources Act establishes new safeguards to prevent the misuse of IRS personnel. Specifically, if DHS seeks to reassign IRS employees, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration must first determine:

1. That the reassigned personnel have received proper training to fulfill their new responsibilities.
2. That the reallocation does not hinder the IRS’s ability to fulfill its core responsibilities, including:
   1. Providing quality service to taxpayers to help them understand and meet their tax obligations.
   2. Enforcing tax laws with integrity and fairness.

A copy of the bill text can be found here.