Press Releases

Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after the House passed his amendment prohibiting bonuses for senior executive service employees at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The amendment passed with a bipartisan vote of 282-138, with one member voting present, and was attached to the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2015:

“I was pleased to see 57 members on the other side of the aisle break rank and join me in holding a rogue agency accountable. Despite President Obama’s insistence that there is ‘not a smidgen of corruption’ at the IRS, nearly 30% of House Democrats voted to prohibit bonuses for senior executive employees. This bipartisan vote is a stunning rebuke to the President, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, Lois Lerner, and all management within the agency.

“As I have said, the power wielded by the IRS is arguably matched only by the Department of Defense, because—as we all know—the power to tax is the power to destroy. That vital trust between the American people and the IRS has not only been questioned, it has been annihilated.

“This year, House Republicans have gone above and beyond to hold the President and his lawless administration accountable for their actions and inactions. This amendment was another opportunity to act rather than simply speak. The IRS has not only failed to live up to its responsibilities, it has blatantly violated the rights of countless American citizens.

“Giving out bonuses to senior management in the middle of one of the largest and most significant scandals in modern American history is a slap in the face to the American public. As long as I remain a member of Congress, and until the American people have closure on this dark chapter in our history, I will seek to ensure this policy becomes law—each and every fiscal year.”

Background:

Appropriations Financial Services and General Government  Subcommittee Chairman Ander Crenshaw pointed out while speaking in favor of the Gosar amendment, that the previous Acting IRS Commissioner, Steven Miller, even said it was inappropriate to give bonuses while the agency was under intense investigation. 

However current IRS Commissioner, John Koskinen, disagreed and doled out nearly $63 million in bonuses last year to “boost morale” at the agency.