In a series of stories over the coming days, we will lay out numerous examples of how President Donald Trump has implemented Project 2025 proposals and how at times he diverged from the document. We start today with the document’s promise to “dismantle the administrative state.”
Issues: IRS
IRS Funding Cut Doesn’t Offset Israel Aid in GOP Bill
FactChecking Haley’s CNN Town Hall
FactChecking the House Speaker Election
The Whoppers of 2022
Florida GOP Attacks Crist with Misleading Claims About the IRS and Police
President Biden and Democrat Charlie Crist have said that they don’t support calls to defund the police. And a law that both men supported provides funding for the IRS to potentially hire tens of thousands of new employees — mostly in customer service, not tax auditing, bureau officials have said. But a Florida GOP ad makes distorted claims about both issues.
Trump Distorts Facts in Pennsylvania Rally
Posts Fabricate Claim that Congress Voted to Exempt Members from IRS Audits
After Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes funding to increase staff at the IRS, social media posts falsely claimed members of Congress “voted to exempt themselves from IRS auditing of their personal finances.” An IRS spokesperson told us “there is no such special exemption,” and we found no such vote had been taken.
Images Show IRS Educational Program, Not Training of Agents
The IRS Criminal Investigation division’s “Adrian Project” educates the public about the IRS through community outreach sessions with high school and college students. Posts on social media are sharing a video from one of the sessions to falsely claim it shows agents in training. The images were posted by a New Jersey university in 2017 and earlier this year.
IRS Will Target ‘High-Income’ Tax Evaders with New Funding, Contrary to Social Media Posts
The Inflation Reduction Act includes $79 billion for the IRS. Social media posts misleadingly claim the IRS will now hire “87,000 new agents” to investigate average citizens. But most new hires will provide customer services, and enforcement efforts will be aimed at “high-income and corporate tax evaders,” a Treasury Department spokesperson said.