Since 2020, the IRS has stocked up on weapons, ammunition, and combat gear to the tune of $10 million, according to a new report.
OpenTheBooks, an organization that monitors government spending, disclosed last week that the IRS spent more than $5 million in 2021 to bolster its arsenal for its increasingly militarized agents.
IRS Defends Its Spending
Since 2020, the IRS has spent $2.3 million on ammunition, $1.2 million on ballistic shields, $474,000 on Smith & Wesson rifles, $463,000 on Beretta 1301 tactical shotguns, and $233,000 on body armor vests, according to the findings of the oversight group.
Among the numerous other line-item expenditures is a mysterious $1,300,000 for “various other equipment for criminal investigation agents.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency that collects taxes has also stocked up on tactical lighting, gear bags, holsters, ballistic helmets, and optic sights for weapons, according to the report.
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Controversy Surrounding New Funding
Prior to the agency’s recent spending spree, gun lockers at the IRS appeared to be well-stocked. Prior to 2020, the IRS had amassed 5 million rounds of ammunition for its 2,159 special agents. At the time, the agency had access to 4,500 firearms, including 539 semi-automatic rifles, 621 pump action and semi-automatic shotguns, and 15 submachine guns.
Adjusted for inflation, the agency has spent $35,2 million since 2006 on firearms, ammunition, and military-style equipment. The IRS is also currently hiring 360 criminal investigators based in each of the 50 states.
The organization requires applicants to carry a firearm, be prepared to defend themselves or others against physical attacks at any time and without warning, use firearms in life-threatening situations, and use force up to and including deadly force.
The IRS has stated that its special agents are armed because they are frequently involved in investigations involving organized crime, drugs, and gangs.
As part of the $739 billion Inflation Reduction Act that he signed in August, President Biden provided the agency with over $80 billion in new funding.
Over the next decade, the agency says it needs to hire 86,852 new employees; conservatives say these new hires will be used to target low- and middle-income Americans.
Kevin McCarthy (R-California), the speaker of the House, has referred to the proposed hires as the Democrats’ army of 87,000 IRS agents.
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