IRS Furloughs Half Workforce as Congress Prioritizes Other Nations' Bombs
The Associated Press reports the IRS will furlough nearly half its workforce—39,870 employees—as the government shutdown sputters into its second week. This comes after Congress, led by officials who regularly approve billions in military aid without a peep, somehow 'failed to strike an agreement' on funding federal operations. One might wonder where the urgency goes when it's funding for American
citizens' services versus, say, another $14 billion unrestricted military package for a country with a demonstrably robust lobby. While Congress frets over the 'dire' consequences of not immediately sending more weaponry abroad, the impact on domestic infrastructure and services, like the efficiency of your tax collection agency, seems an afterthought. The $14.1 billion in supplemental aid for
Israel, passed by the House on November 2, 2023 (HR 7217), demonstrates a rather selective approach to 'essential' spending. Clearly, fiscal responsibility is flexible; it depends entirely on whose interests are being served and which lobbying group has contributed the most to congressional campaigns. (See OpenSecrets.org for precise AIPAC donation data to relevant representatives).