The IRS and other federal agencies continue to militarize at an alarmingly rapid rate. These agencies would be demilitarized immediately if elected officials were reasonable.
A new report from the watchdog organization Open The Books details the situation. A recent report indicates that there are now more federal agents with arrest and firearms authority than U.S. Marines (186,000).
IRS Confiscatory Powers
There has been a $400,000 investment in tactical combat equipment and an $85,000 investment in ballistic plates and body armor by the Department of Health and Human Services since the year 2020. About 500 armed agents are used.
It has spent $154 million on firearms, ammunition, and military-style equipment since 2006. The numbers are even higher at the IRS, which has confiscatory powers against taxpayers, is almost immune to appeals, and is unwilling to provide redress for even legitimate complaints.
Approximately 2,100 armed agents are employed, and another 600 will be hired shortly. A further three thousand tactical holsters and weapon lighting systems compatible with optics were also purchased.
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Expanding Armed Government Agents
As I first noted in 2010, the overcoming of federal domestic agencies has been an issue for a long time, sometimes with tragic consequences for innocent victims.
Numerous armed agents have joined the IRS and HHS, as well as the Postal Inspection Service, the Agriculture, Labor, and Veterans Affairs departments, the bureaus of Land Management and Indian Affairs, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Small Business Administration, and the Railroad Retirement Board.
As the new Open The Books report details, the problem, namely the growing threat to the civil liberties of average citizens, is worsening.
It is beneficial to support the daily work and strength of local law enforcement. It is terrible to reside in a nationalized police state.
Armed federal agents should be the exception rather than the rule, with strict oversight and frequent duties to justify their existence.
Otherwise, the terrifying reality of a police state will continue to creep ever closer.
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