Republicans are planning to launch immediate oversight of the Internal Revenue Service starting next January if they win control of the House of Representatives. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Jason Smith, who is thought to be in a close contest with Buchanan for the top committee spot, argued that even without President Biden's administration pouring money into the IRS, it would still be a prime target for oversight.
"The American people are demanding oversight of this administration," said Jason Smith, the current top Republican on the House Budget Committee. "Over the years, they've seen an IRS that has targeted conservatives. They've seen an IRS that has allowed taxpayer information to be leaked for political gain."
GOP WANTS TO EMPOWER HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE TO CURB SPENDING, $31T NATIONAL DEBT
If they take the majority, Republicans are not just looking to hold hearings and generate news coverage. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has pledged that the first bill Republicans will vote on in January is one written by Adrian Smith to slash funding for the IRS.
"I think it's important that we strategically lay this out in a way that we can get some results through legislation to prevent these bad things from happening again," said Adrian Smith.
"Everyone is worried about what these IRS agents will do, and we're committed to holding the agency accountable," said Rep. Vern Buchanan. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Republicans were quick to note that the Ways and Means Committee would investigate more than just the hiring of additional IRS agents. They said the panel would seek answers as to why the IRS is still bogged down by a document backlog that had caused delays in issuing tax refunds.
"People are claiming the IRS is using equipment from the 1970s to process returns," said Buchanan. "Issues like that are ripe for oversight. So is the level of fraud and taxpayer waste stemming from the agency."
Outside of IRS oversight, Buchanan and the two Smiths said fighting Chinese aggression is another top priority. Republicans want to use the committee's power over tax and trade policy to block companies controlled by the Chinese Communist Party from receiving taxpayer subsidies.
"We need strong oversight over woke corporations that have shed their American identities and become beholden to China," said Jason Smith. "These companies are still demanding handouts from American taxpayers and preferential tax treatment."
Chinese investment within the United States.
"We've been talking about China stealing our technology for 20 years," said Buchanan. "It's still going on today, I think there's a lot of appetite to crack down on China."
