Secretary of State John Merrill to join Waggoner Engineering
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill will be joining Waggoner Engineering as the Director of Public Policy and Strategic Markets for Alabama. Waggoner has its headquarters in Jackson, Mississippi, and more than ten office locations across six states and Washington, D.C. Merrill’s Executive Assistant and Scheduler, Karen Guthrie, will also join the Waggoner team as the Administrator of Alabama and Florida. “I want to take this time to thank the people of Alabama for giving me the opportunity to serve as Alabama’s 53rd Secretary of State for the last eight years. As the longest-serving Republican Secretary of State in Alabama history, it has been my honor to preside over the safest and most secure elections in the United States. Alabama is recognized as the gold standard in election administration by Concerned Women for Good Government, The Heritage Foundation, and the University of Southern California,” said Secretary Merrill. “Since I have been your Secretary, we have registered more than 2.2 million voters and now have a state record of 3.7 million voters. We have broken every record in voter registration and voter participation in Alabama. We have made it easier to vote and harder to cheat in Alabama!” In 2021, Secretary Merrill started the Voter Fraud Reform Task Force. The task force consisted of 15 members, including the Secretary of State as the Chairman. The task force’s goal was to examine voter fraud in Alabama and assess the penalties for voter fraud violations. “In the area of business services, we have reduced the wait time from a seven to nine months delay to a 24-hour turnaround for the last six and one-half years, and we have done so with 25% fewer employees (49 down to 36) because we are no longer moving at the speed of government, but at the speed of business. “Refusing an appropriation from the General Fund and introducing other efficiencies, we have saved you millions of dollars over the last eight years. We are excited to leave this time of public service and enter the private sector once again. Thank you for your support and encouragement as I have seen you during my visits in your counties every year over the last ten years, and I look forward to continuing to see you in my new role.” Merrill is a graduate of Cleburne County High School and The University of Alabama. After college, Merrill worked in several business roles, including as Director of Business Development for the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama in 1993-94 and the Director of Community Relations and Community Education for the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education from 1994-2010. In 2010, he served as the State House Rep. for District 62. In 2014, John was elected as Alabama’s Secretary of State. He and his wife Cindy have two grown children, Brooks and Allie Grace.
Today is Human Trafficking Awareness Day in Alabama
On Wednesday, the Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force is sponsoring Alabama Human Trafficking Awareness Day. The ninth annual Alabama Human Trafficking Awareness Day aligns with the national observation. The Alabama Human Trafficking Summit will be held this year on January 26-27, 2023. This two-day training will be an in-person event at the Renaissance Hotel in Montgomery. The Alabama Human Trafficking task force was established in 2014 by the Alabama state legislature. The mission of the task force is to combat all aspects of human trafficking, including sex trafficking and labor trafficking. The task force pursues a comprehensive response to crimes of human trafficking, coordinates strategies to provide necessary services for victims of human trafficking, focuses prevention efforts to end the demand for human trafficking, and creates awareness through education and community initiatives. Pat McCay Chairs the Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force. Human trafficking is the second largest criminal activity in the world (behind only illegal drugs) and the fastest growing. Even though overall awareness in the United States has increased, human trafficking continues to go underreported due to its nature of isolation, the misconception of the definition of human trafficking, and the lack of awareness of its signs and indicators. Human trafficking occurs when an adult or child is recruited, harbored, obtained, or exported through force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of sexual exploitation, forced labor, involuntary servitude, debt bondage, and other methods of slavery. Since 2019, municipalities across the state have declared themselves Trafficking Free Zones as defined by the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking. In order to become a Trafficking Free Zone, cities commit to training their entire staff, law enforcement and first responders in human trafficking awareness. They commit to a Zero-Tolerance HR Policy regarding soliciting commercial sex, requiring immediate termination; they are asked to educate schools and the community through educational events and awareness and prevention programs. Alabama Trafficking Free Zones now includes the cities of Alexander City, Bessemer, Birmingham, Camp Hill, Center Point, Cullman, Dadeville, Gardendale, Homewood, Hoover, Irondale, Lakeview, Mountain Brook, Northport, Opelika, Oxford, Pinson, Rainbow City, Semmes, South Vinemont, Trussville, and Vestavia Hills. Several organizations and businesses in Alabama have also taken steps to become Trafficking Free Zones, including BH Photography, the Birmingham City Council, Coastal Alabama Community College, the District Attorney’s Office 7th Judicial Circuit of Alabama, Fowler-Davis, LLC, the Jefferson County City Council, the Jefferson County Mayor’s Association, Trafficking Hope, The World Games 2022 Birmingham and the UAB School of Medicine. Municipalities that declared or will be declaring January 2023 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month via proclamations are Albertville, Ashland, Birmingham, Brent, Brundidge, Center Point, Chelsea, Collinsville, Cullman, Daleville, Dora, Elba, Enterprise, Fairhope, Fort Deposit, Fort Payne, Geraldine, Hamilton, Helena, Holly Pond, Killen, Kimberly, Madison, Magnolia Springs, Montevallo, Montgomery, Mountain Brook, Northport, Phenix City, Ragland, Rainbow City, Satsuma, Semmes, Trussville, Tuscaloosa, and Vestavia Hills. The task force meets quarterly. All meetings are open to the public. Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Kay Ivey visits ALEA headquarters to show her appreciation for law enforcement
Governor Kay Ivey on Monday made a surprise visit to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) Headquarters to show her appreciation to members of law enforcement – commemorating National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. Ivey thanked members of the law enforcement community for their commitment to keeping Alabama safe. The governor’s visit came during an operations meeting for the inauguration events on Monday. The governor expressed her appreciation for Secretary Hal Taylor, all those at ALEA, and other entities working to ensure the inauguration is safe for all in attendance. “Every single person in every division of law enforcement puts their lives on the line each time they go to work,” said Gov. Kay Ivey. “I am proud to celebrate them and their service always but especially today on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. Public safety always has and always will be a priority of the Ivey Administration, and under my watch, we will continue to ensure Alabama is the safest place to live, work and raise a family.” Secretary Taylor said that Ivey has made public safety a top priority of her administration. “Law enforcement truly has no greater friend than Governor Kay Ivey,” said Secretary Hal Taylor. “During her administration, public safety has remained a top priority. Her unwavering commitment to support not only the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency but all law enforcement partners across the state has boosted morale for the courageous men and women who serve. I am personally grateful for Governor Ivey’s steadfast support, which has allowed this Agency to fulfill its core mission in every corner of the state and make measurable progress in the law enforcement support and public safety services we employ.” “I want Alabama to show our commitment to the people that wear the badge, not just in word but in action,” Ivey told reporters at an earlier event at the State Capitol with Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) Secretary John Hamm and Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert. “A week from today, we will be marking the start of our next four years in office, and we will not stop pursuing our goal of being the safest state in the nation and a sanctuary for law enforcement,” Ivey said. “Here in Alabama, we will protect our citizens. We will encourage rehabilitation among our inmates. We will enforce the law. We will ensure justice for victims, and we will always have the backs of our law enforcement.” Ivey’s inauguration for her second term will be on Monday. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Katie Britt warns that southern border is an “unprecedented national security and humanitarian crisis”
U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn, Cindy Hyde-Smith, and Katie Britt are on an inspection tour of the troubled U.S. southern border. Following her trip, Britt said that the southern border “is an unprecedented national security and humanitarian crisis.” “What we witnessed these past 24 hours was gut-wrenching,” said Sen. Britt. “The raw numbers alone tell us that there is an unprecedented national security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border. However, seeing it up close was truly eye-opening, underlining the historic magnitude of the problem and giving faces to the very real human cost of the reckless policies that have caused this disaster. This trip was an important opportunity for me to listen to and learn from the people who are facing this every single day, from boots-on-the-ground law enforcement officers to courageous survivors of the cartels’ human and drug trafficking. Now, my team and I will be hard at work formulating and advancing tangible solutions that will help seal and secure the border and defend America’s future.” Sen. Hyde-Smith shared a video from the trip. “Unless you have been here, you don’t know it firsthand,” Sen. Hyde-Smith told Fox News. “The human trafficking industry, the drug industry, they are invading this country. It has been so informative.” “The bad guys that are coming through are wreaking havoc on this country,” Hyde-Smith continued. “We can no longer allow this to happen. It is so amazing that we have laws against this, and they are not enforced.” The trip was led by Sen. Blackburn. “The cartels are in charge of that border – the Mexico side of the border,” Blackburn told Fox News. “Human smuggling has gone from being a half-billion business in the last few years to a $15 billion business.” The senators arrived in the Del Rio Sector Monday evening and immediately attended an operational briefing with leaders from the National Border Patrol Council and officials from the Texas Department of Public Safety. They then went on a nighttime visit to trafficking hotspots along the border, including an area along the banks of the Rio Grande. Early Tuesday morning, the senators went on an additional tour of several border hotspots. In this leg of the trip, they witnessed migrants crossing the Rio Grande and another group of migrants attempting to cross the river. This latter group included several children and a pregnant woman. Afterward, the senators participated in a roundtable on human trafficking that included a survivor, as well as Rosa Maria de la Garza, a former member of the Mexican Congress. That was followed by a tour of a working Texas ranch whose livelihood has been threatened by the influx of migrants traveling across the property. Next, the senators stopped outside of a temporary CBP migrant processing facility that is costing the American taxpayer $16 million per month to operate. The day concluded with a roundtable comprised of local elected officials and law enforcement officers. “The Biden Administration stopped construction of the border wall, halted deportations, suspended ‘Remain in Mexico,’ and stopped enforcing border security policies,” Britt, Blackburn, and Hyde-Smith said in a joint statement. “The first thing President Biden must do is enforce the immigration laws that are currently on the books.” Britt was sworn into the Senate less than a week before the trio’s border visit. She was recently elected to the seat held for decades by Sen. Richard Shelby. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Nathaniel Ledbetter and Greg Reed to lead Alabama Legislature moving forward
On Tuesday, Gov. Kay Ivey congratulated State Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter and State Sen. Greg Reed for their elections to the top two leadership positions in the Alabama Legislature. “Congratulations to our state’s new Speaker of the House @RepLedbetter24, and to @SenatorGregReed on his re-election as Senate President Pro Tem,” Gov. Ivey said on Twitter. “I look forward to working with both of you to serve the people of Alabama in the days and years ahead.” Ledbetter is the former Mayor of Rainsville. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2014. He was elected with broad bipartisan support with 102 votes in an uncontested election in the Alabama House of Representatives during Tuesday’s organizational session of the Alabama Legislature. Former Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon presided over the election of his successor. McCutcheon did not seek re-election. “With 102 votes, the honorable Nathaniel Ledbetter is elected Speaker,” McCutcheon said. Then he administered the oath of office to Ledbetter. “First of all, I would like to thank my wife of 42 years,” Ledbetter said. “I would like to thank my two sons.” He also acknowledged his grandchildren. “One thing I want to recognize is that we have so many people from DeKalb County. I think thirty or forty drove four hours to be here today.” “I pledge to you to work as hard as I am able,” Ledbetter said. “We have some of the finest people in the world serving in this body, working for our shared goal to make an already great state even greater.” “From time to time, we will have different ideals,” Ledbetter said. “But I understand that the speaker’s gavel is not a weapon but a tool.” “When I was growing up in DeKalb County, I did not even know that the Speaker of the House was, but I know now,” Ledbetter said. “This was probably the greatest honor I have ever received in my life.” Greg Reed was first elected to the Alabama Senate as part of the 2010 Republican wave election that took control of the Alabama Legislature after 135 uninterrupted years of Democratic Party domination. Reed was elected to the Alabama Senate in 2021 and was re-elected to the position by the members of the Senate on Tuesday. State Rep. Chris Pringle (R-Mobile) was elected Speaker Pro Tem 103 to 0 in an uncontested election. Pringle served as an aide to both Congressmen Jack Edwards and Sonny Callahan. He was first elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1994 and served through 2002. He returned in 2014 and is now serving in his fifth term. “It has been a long time, a long journey, but I can tell you that I have enjoyed every minute of it,” Pringle said. Republicans have commanding supermajorities in both Houses of the Alabama Legislature. Pringle was joined by his mother and his girlfriend. John Treadwell was selected as the new Clerk of the House on Tuesday. State Rep. Anthony Daniels returns as the House Minority Leader. State Rep. Scott Stadthagen replaces Ledbetter as the House Majority Leader. State Sen. Clay Scofield returns as the Senate Majority Leader. Both bodies passed rules for their individual bodies to operate under for the next four years. The two Houses will meet in a joint meeting on Wednesday to pass joint rules. The Legislature will return in March for the 2023 regular session, where the Legislature will pass the 2024 budgets and consider new legislation. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Steve Flowers: Women rule in Alabama politics
For many years, Alabama has been ridiculed in national publications for having fewer women in political leadership positions than others assumed to be progressive states. States like Colorado, New York, and California were lauded for having an inordinate number of females in public office. Well, folks, take a cursory look around at Alabama’s political landscape, and it is a new day in the Heart of Dixie, and unlike the above-mentioned liberal states, our slate of women leaders are conservative Republicans. Our top two most powerful leaders in the state are Governor Kay Ivey and U.S. Senator Katie Britt. If you include PSC President Twinkle Cavanaugh into the mix, then the three most powerful and popular political leaders in the Heart of Dixie are women Republicans. You can eat your heart out, Colorado. This day did not just happen. These three women have been on the scene and the horizon for a while and arose the old-fashioned way by rising through and within the system to get to the top of the class. Kay Ivey was a student leader at Auburn. She spent a decade or more working with the legislature as the lobbyist for the Alabama Commission on Higher Education; then ran for and was elected State Treasurer and served eight years. She then was elected Lt. Governor, where she served for six years. She has been governor now for almost six years. Twinkle Cavanaugh has been on a leadership track since her high school years in Montgomery. She became Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party at a young age and has been President of the Public Service Commission for over a decade. She is the hardest working political figure in office in Alabama with a hardcore grassroots organization. Katie Britt also won our U.S. Senate seat the old-fashioned way. She worked hard and built a statewide grassroots organization that will hold her in good stead for years to come. All three of these ladies are conservative yet rational and reasonable leaders. They are exemplary of Southern grace, yet decisive, disciplined, and dignified. They are people we can be proud of and excellent role models. All three are Alabama born and bred and know the folks of Alabama. All three are closely aligned with and have proudly been supported by Alabama’s premier and most powerful and respected political organization, the Alabama Farmers Federation (Alfa). Currently, two of the most prominent jurists on the Alabama State Supreme Court are females. Justices Kelli Wise and Sarah Stewart grace the Court. I can see our Supreme Court in Alabama, as well as the United States Supreme Court, being majority female in future years. The majority of law students and graduates throughout the country are female. Women will dominate this profession in the next decade, if not already. The State Senate has two very prominent female leaders. The most powerful and proficient is veteran Mobile State Senator Vivian Figures. Senator April Weaver from Bibb/Shelby is on a fast track in the Alabama Senate. Another sign of women taking their rightful place in the Alabama Legislature is the takeover of Republican House Seats in the Shelby and Baldwin County Republican suburban districts. There were five new Republican women in these two Republican bastions that all took seats previously held by older men. Susan Dubose and Leigh Hulsey will be joining three females from Baldwin County. All three of the Baldwin County GOP seats will be held by female Republicans, including Jennifer Fidler, Donna Givens, and Frances Holk-Jones. Representative Cynthia Almond (R-Tuscaloosa), a relative newcomer, is a star on the horizon. Three of the most prominent leaders in the House of Representatives are women. Representative Margie Wilcox of Mobile is in a leadership position. Representative Ginny Shaver of Cherokee County works extensively on family and adoption issues. Representative Terri Collins of Morgan County is the education guru in the Alabama House. Speaking of education, our Alabama State Board is currently made up of eight female members and only one man. This eight-to-one female majority really becomes nine-to-one because Governor Kay Ivey serves as ex-officiate Chairman of the Board of Education. So, folks, as you can see, women rule in Alabama politics, and my guess is that this trend will not diminish in years to come. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Pentagon drops COVID-19 vaccine mandate for troops
The Pentagon formally dropped its COVID-19 vaccination mandate Tuesday, but a new memo signed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also gives commanders some discretion in how or whether to deploy troops who are not vaccinated. Austin’s memo has been widely anticipated ever since legislation signed into law on December 23 gave him 30 days to rescind the mandate. The Defense Department had already stopped all related personnel actions, such as discharging troops who refused the shot. “The Department will continue to promote and encourage COVID-19 vaccination for all service members,” Austin said in the memo. “Vaccination enhances operational readiness and protects the force.” Austin said that commanders have the authority to maintain unit readiness and a healthy force. He added, however, that other department policies — including mandates for other vaccines — remain in place. That includes, he said, “the ability of commanders to consider, as appropriate, the individual immunization status of personnel in making deployment, assignment, and other operational decisions, including when vaccination is required for travel to, or entry into, a foreign nation.” The contentious political issue, which has divided America, forced more than 8,400 troops out of the military for refusing to obey a lawful order when they declined to get the vaccine. Thousands of others sought religious and medical exemptions. Austin’s memo ends those exemption requests. Austin, who instituted the mandate in August 2021 after the Pfizer vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration and as the coronavirus pandemic raged, was staunch in his desire to maintain it insisting the vaccine was necessary to protect the health of the force. He and other defense leaders argued that for decades troops, particularly those deployed overseas, had been required to get as many as 17 different vaccines. No other vaccine mandates were affected by the new law. But Congress agreed to rescind the mandate, with opponents reluctantly saying that perhaps it had already succeeded in getting the bulk of the force vaccinated. Roughly 99% of active-duty troops in the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps had gotten the vaccine, and 98% of the Army. The Guard and Reserve rates are lower but generally are more than 90%. Austin’s memo was unapologetic in his continued support for the vaccine, and his belief that the mandate kept the force healthy and able to protect America. The Pentagon’s vaccine efforts, he said, “will leave a lasting legacy in the many lives we saved, the world-class force we have been able to field, and the high level of readiness we have maintained, amidst difficult public health conditions.” In addition to ending efforts to discharge troops who refuse the vaccine, Austin’s memo says that those who sought exemptions and were denied will have their records updated, and any letters of reprimand will be removed. Those who were discharged for refusing to obey a lawful order to take the vaccine received either an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions. Austin’s memo says that anyone who was discharged can petition their military service to request a change in the “characterization of their discharge” in their personnel records. It does not, however, say what possible corrections could be awarded. Austin’s decision leaves some discretion to commanders, allowing them to decide whether they can require vaccines in some circumstances, such as certain deployments overseas. Military officials vividly recall the overwhelming crisis of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the Navy aircraft carrier that was knocked out of duty and sidelined in Guam for ten weeks in early 2020 as the emerging virus swept through the ship. More than 1,000 crew members eventually became infected, and one sailor died. Military leaders worry that if troops begin to refuse the vaccine in large numbers, similar outbreaks could occur. The risk is particularly high on small ships or submarines where service members are jammed into close quarters for weeks or months at a time, or on critical combat missions, such as those involving special operations forces that deploy in small teams. According to data compiled by the military as of early December, the Marine Corps leads the services with 3,717 Marines discharged. There have been 2,041 discharged from the Navy, 1,841 from the Army, and 834 from the Air Force. The Air Force data includes the Space Force. What’s not clear is if the services, who are facing recruiting challenges, will want — or be able to — allow any of those service members to return to duty, if they still meet all necessary fitness and other requirements. Lawmakers argued that ending the mandate would help with recruiting. Defense officials have pushed back by saying that while it may help a bit, a department survey during the first nine months of last year found that a large majority said the mandate did not change the likelihood they would consider enlisting. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Nathaniel Ledbetter elected as new Alabama House Speaker
Republican Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter was sworn in Tuesday as the new speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives after being elected to the leadership role without a dissenting vote. Ledbetter, a legislator from Rainsville, secured the leadership position after Republicans, who hold 77 of the 105 House seats, chose him in November as their nominee. House members on Tuesday elected Ledbetter on a 102-0 vote since lawmakers typically follow the majority party’s selection. “I stand before you today, a man that is humbled by the faith you have put in me and the great responsibility you have placed upon my shoulders. I pledge to you, here and now, to work as hard as I am able to justify both,” Ledbetter told House members. He said all representatives share a common goal to make the state a better place, although they may have different ideas on how to accomplish that. Ledbetter said he understood that the speaker’s gavel should be a tool to ensure open debate and not a weapon to stifle it. Ledbetter, 61, replaces former House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, who did not run for reelection. Ledbetter was elected to the Alabama Legislature in 2014. He served as majority leader from 2017 to his election as speaker. At this time, Republicans, firmly in control of the Legislature, pushed through several priority bills, including a 2019 abortion ban. During his tenure, he sponsored legislation to place mental health service coordinators in school systems and a bond issue to improve state parks. Ledbetter is the former mayor of Rainsville. He first ran unsuccessfully for the House as a Democrat. He won four years later after switching to the GOP. Lawmakers began meeting in an organizational session on Tuesday to elect leaders and approve operating rules for the next four years. They return to Montgomery in March for the regular session. On Monday, Sen. Greg Reed of Jasper was reelected as the Senate president pro tempore, the top-ranking position in the Alabama Senate. Reed has been pro tem since 2021, when he took over for longtime Senate leader Del Marsh. Marsh did not run for reelection in 2022. Republican Rep. Chris Pringle of Mobile was elected as speaker pro tempore. Ledbetter said his priorities in the upcoming legislative session will include bills to streamline the adoption process and to stiffen penalties for fentanyl possession. Ledbetter said he also thinks there is legislative support for a possible tax rebate for Alabamians as the state sees a rare budget surplus. “I think we’ve got to be cautious in what we do, but I think at this point in time that the members would support that, and with inflation running away like it is, it certainly gives them an opportunity to help offset that a little bit,” Ledbetter said. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Gary Palmer votes to defund the 87,000 new IRS Agents
On Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act. Congressman Gary Palmer voted in favor of the legislation, that repeals the funding for the 87,000 additional IRS agents passed by Democrats in the Inflation Reduction Act in the last Congress – without any Republican votes in the House. Not funding the IRS agents was promised by Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and House Republicans. “House Republicans made a commitment to repeal President [Joe] Biden’s army of 87,000 IRS agents as soon as we took the majority, and today we made a huge step towards making that a reality,” Rep. Palmer said in a statement. “The biggest problem with our tax collections is the complexity of the tax code. More auditors will not help that. In fact, John Koskinen, the Obama-appointed Commissioner of the IRS, as well as John Dalrymple, the Deputy Commissioner, in two separate Oversight hearings, advised against enforcement by a major increase in audits as planned by the Biden administration. They called increased audits an ‘unduly burdensome’ process that would put a major strain on individuals and businesses, thus causing more harm than good. To put it another way, the IRS can’t ‘audit its way out’ of the tax gap, as Obama IRS Commissioner Koskinen said during his hearing.” “Instead of funding agents for the purpose of harassing hard-working Americans who are having to deal with President Biden’s disastrous economic policies, Congress should get to work on simplifying the tax code,” Palmer said. “This would not only benefit taxpayers, but it would also increase economic growth and create jobs.” “House Republicans just voted unanimously to repeal the Democrats’ army of 87,000 IRS agents,” Speaker McCarthy said on Facebook. “This was our very first act of the new Congress, because government should work for you, not against you. Promises made. Promises kept.” The 117th Congress had raised IRS funding by $80 billion. This bill would cut $71 billion of that. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated Monday that the bill would cost the federal government $186 billion in additional tax revenue that the IRS would collect from increased audits. The net effect CBO estimates would be a $114 billion increase in deficits over the next decade. Democrats criticized the bill. The White House said that the legislation up was a “reckless” bill that would benefit “tax cheats.” “With their first economic legislation of the new Congress, House Republicans are making clear that their top economic priority is to allow the rich and multi-billion dollar corporations to skip out on their taxes while making life harder for ordinary, middle-class families that pay the taxes they owe,” the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement. “That’s their agenda; not lowering costs or cutting taxes for hard-working Americans – as President Biden has consistently advocated.” The bill now moves to the U.S. Senate, where Democrats still have a majority. The White House said that President Biden will veto the bill if it reaches his desk. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
