Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act

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Bill ID: 119/hr/196
Last Updated: August 27, 2025

Sponsored by

Rep. Smith, Adrian [R-NE-3]

ID: S001172

Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law

Track this bill's progress through the legislative process

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

January 3, 2025

Introduced

Committee Review

📍 Current Status

Next: The bill moves to the floor for full chamber debate and voting.

🗳️

Floor Action

âś…

Passed House

🏛️

Senate Review

🎉

Passed Congress

🖊️

Presidential Action

⚖️

Became Law

📚 How does a bill become a law?

1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.

2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.

3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.

4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.

5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.

6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.

7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!

Bill Summary

(sigh) Oh joy, another masterpiece of legislative theater from the esteemed members of Congress. Let's dissect this farce and see what's really going on beneath the surface.

**Main Purpose & Objectives:** (rolls eyes) "Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act"? How quaint. The real purpose is to rescind certain balances made available to the Internal Revenue Service, which was allocated by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Translation: Congress wants to take away funding from the IRS.

**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** (sarcastic tone) Oh, wow! This bill has a whopping two sections. Section 1 is just a title, because who doesn't love a good title? And Section 2 is where the magic happens – it rescinds those pesky unobligated balances from the IRS. What a bold move!

**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** (disdainful tone) Let's see... the IRS will be affected, of course. But who cares about them? They're just trying to do their job and collect taxes. The real stakeholders are the politicians who sponsored this bill, like Mr. Smith of Nebraska and his merry band of co-sponsors. They get to pretend they're fighting for small businesses and families while actually serving the interests of their wealthy donors.

**Potential Impact & Implications:** (cynical chuckle) Oh boy, where do I even start? This bill is a symptom of a deeper disease – the chronic case of "We Don't Want to Pay Our Taxes-itis." By cutting funding to the IRS, Congress is essentially crippling its ability to collect taxes and enforce tax laws. Who benefits from this? The wealthy individuals and corporations who can afford to hire fancy accountants and lawyers to exploit loopholes. Meanwhile, small businesses and families will still be stuck with the bill.

Diagnosis: This bill is a classic case of "Legislative Larceny" – a disease where politicians steal from the public purse to benefit their special interest friends while pretending to serve the greater good. Treatment: a healthy dose of skepticism, a strong stomach for hypocrisy, and a willingness to call out these charlatans for what they are.

In conclusion, HR 196 is just another example of Congress's infinite capacity for self-serving nonsense. It's a bill that promises one thing but delivers nothing but hot air and empty rhetoric. (shrugs) Business as usual in Washington D.C.

Related Topics

Civil Rights & Liberties Transportation & Infrastructure National Security & Intelligence Congressional Rules & Procedures Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement Small Business & Entrepreneurship State & Local Government Affairs Government Operations & Accountability Federal Budget & Appropriations
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đź’° Campaign Finance Network

Rep. Smith, Adrian [R-NE-3]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions
$59,154
21 donors
PACs
$0
Organizations
$32,754
Committees
$0
Individuals
$26,400

No PAC contributions found

1
OTOE MISSOURIA TRIBE OF OKLAHOMA
2 transactions
$6,600
2
MUSCOGEE CREEK NATION
3 transactions
$5,300
3
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
3 transactions
$3,300
4
CHOCTAW NATION OF OKLAHOMA
1 transaction
$3,300
5
POARCH BAND OF CREEK INDIANS
1 transaction
$2,900
6
MILLE LACS BAND OF OJIBWE INDIANS
2 transactions
$2,500
7
MIAMI TRIBE OF OKLAHOMA
1 transaction
$2,000
8
MS BAND OF CHOCTAW INDIANS
1 transaction
$1,500
9
FOND DU LAC BAND
1 transaction
$1,000
10
PRAIRIE ISLAND TRIBAL COUNCIL
1 transaction
$1,000
11
BILL HITTE TRUST
1 transaction
$1,000
12
PRECISION DIE TECHNOLOGIES
1 transaction
$1,000
13
LOWER SIOUX INDIAN COMMUNITY
1 transaction
$500
14
SOBOBA BAND OF LUISENO INDIANS
1 transaction
$500
15
THE CHICKASAW NATION
1 transaction
$250
16
WINRED
1 transaction
$104

No committee contributions found

1
HUSS, ALVIN JR
2 transactions
$6,600
2
HUSS, RUTH
2 transactions
$6,600
3
BLUE, ALLEN
2 transactions
$6,600
4
BROWN, TEAL
1 transaction
$3,300
5
BURNETT, JASON
1 transaction
$3,300

Cosponsors & Their Campaign Finance

This bill has 10 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.

Rep. Moran, Nathaniel [R-TX-1]

ID: M001224

Top Contributors

10

1
BORCK, LEON H.
INNOVATIVE LIVESTOCK SERVICES • EXECUTIVE
Individual MANHATTAN, KS
$6,600
Mar 11, 2024
2
MANDELBLATT, DANIELLE
DMM PROPRIETA MANAGEMENT • MANAGER
Individual ASPEN, CO
$6,600
Sep 26, 2024
3
MANDELBLATT, ERIC
SOROBAN CAPITAL PARTNERS LP • MANAGING PARTNER
Individual ASPEN, CO
$6,600
Sep 26, 2024
4
CATZ, SAFRA
ORACLE CORPORATION • CEO
Individual WASHINGTON, DC
$5,000
May 5, 2023
5
MISSION INDIANS, MORONGO BAND OF
INDIAN TRIBE • INDIAN TRIBE
Individual BANNING, CA
$5,000
Aug 13, 2024
6
WILLIS, THOMAS M
CONESTOGA ENERGY PARTNERS • CEO
Individual LIBERAL, KS
$5,000
Aug 26, 2024
7
WEILERT, STANLEY R
S&B MOTELS, INC. • HOTELIER
Individual WICHITA, KS
$3,500
Jun 26, 2023
8
BORCK, JACKIE
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY • DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY RELATIONS
Individual MANHATTAN, KS
$3,300
Mar 11, 2024
9
BORCK, JACKIE
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY • DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY RELATIONS
Individual MANHATTAN, KS
$3,300
Mar 11, 2024
10
THOMAS, ROBERT
SENIOR STAR • CO-OWNER
Individual TULSA, OK
$3,300
Feb 22, 2024

Rep. Kelly, Mike [R-PA-16]

ID: K000376

Top Contributors

10

1
REPUBLICAN MAINSTREET PARTNERSHIP PAC
PAC WASHINGTON, DC
$1,000
Nov 30, 2023
2
PASCUA YAQUI TRIBE
Organization TUCSON, AZ
$3,300
Oct 23, 2023
3
THE CHICKASAW NATION
Organization ADA, OK
$2,500
May 23, 2024
4
GILA RIVER INDIAN COMMUNITY
Organization SACATON, AZ
$1,000
Jun 15, 2023
5
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
Organization PRIOR LAKE, MN
$1,000
Aug 12, 2024
6
SYCUAN BAND OF THE KUMEYAAY NATION
Organization EL CAJON, CA
$3,300
Dec 31, 2024
7
MASHANTUCKET PEQUOT TRIBE
Organization LEDYARD, CT
$3,300
Oct 23, 2023
8
MORONGO BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
Organization BANNING, CA
$3,300
Mar 24, 2023
9
MORONGO BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
Organization BANNING, CA
$3,300
Sep 30, 2024
10
SANTA YNEZ BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
Organization SANTA YNEZ, CA
$3,000
Sep 30, 2024

Rep. Tenney, Claudia [R-NY-24]

ID: T000478

Top Contributors

10

1
WINRED EARMARKS
PAC ARLINGTON, VA
$27,879
Oct 22, 2024
2
WINRED EARMARKS
PAC ARLINGTON, VA
$21,566
Oct 29, 2024
3
WINRED EARMARKS
PAC ARLINGTON, VA
$10,970
Nov 25, 2024
4
WINRED EARMARKS
PAC ARLINGTON, VA
$5,493
Nov 19, 2024
5
SAN MANUEL BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
Organization LOS ANGELES, CA
$2,000
Nov 5, 2024
6
MORONGO BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
Organization BANNING, CA
$2,000
Jun 18, 2024
7
SANTA YNEZ BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
Organization SANTA YNEZ, CA
$2,000
Jun 18, 2024
8
MORONGO BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
Organization BANNING, CA
$1,000
Mar 31, 2023
9
TEXTOR, DONALD
RETIRED • RETIRED
Individual LOCUST VALLEY, NY
$13,200
Apr 17, 2024
10
WINE, SCOTT
POLARIS • CEO
Individual EXCELSIOR, MN
$6,600
Sep 30, 2024

Rep. Hudson, Richard [R-NC-9]

ID: H001067

Top Contributors

10

1
MORONGO BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
Organization BANNING, CA
$3,300
Sep 30, 2023
2
SAN MANUEL BAND OF MISSION INDIANS
Organization LOS ANGELES, CA
$3,300
Sep 30, 2024
3
CATAWBA INDIAN NATION
Organization ROCK HILL, SC
$1,500
Mar 5, 2024
4
RYAN HUDSON REVOCABLE TRUST
Organization MIAMI BEACH, FL
$6,600
Sep 29, 2023
5
MACGREGOR TRUST
Organization CALEDONIA, MI
$4,000
Dec 29, 2023
6
RYAN HUDSON REVOCABLE TRUST
Organization MIAMI BEACH, FL
$3,300
Sep 29, 2023
7
MICHAEL J. JANDERNOA TRUST
Organization GRAND RAPIDS, MI
$2,300
Dec 29, 2023
8
GREGORY M OLSON TRUST
Organization NORTON SHORES, MI
$1,000
Dec 29, 2023
9
WILLIAM G CURRIE TRUST
Organization ADA, MI
$1,000
Sep 29, 2023
10
B & B DAIRY
Organization PLAINVIEW, TX
$500
Jun 27, 2024

Rep. Malliotakis, Nicole [R-NY-11]

ID: M000317

Top Contributors

10

1
M&T BANK
Organization MOUNT KISCO, NY
$118
Sep 21, 2024
2
M&T BANK
Organization MOUNT KISCO, NY
$101
Sep 21, 2024
3
SIDIROPOULOS, JIM MR.
DELPHI PH • CONTRACTOR
Individual STATEN ISLAND, NY
$5,600
Jul 23, 2024
4
BERGER, RICHARD MR.
RETIRED • RETIRED
Individual HOBOKEN, NJ
$5,000
May 17, 2024
5
LOEB, JOHN L. MR. JR
RETIRED • RETIRED
Individual PURCHASE, NY
$5,000
Apr 22, 2024
6
BAUMRIND, MARTIN M. MR.
SELF • LANDLORD
Individual BROOKLYN, NY
$5,000
Sep 16, 2024
7
DUIT, JAMES A
CONTRIBUTION OF CONCEPTION LLC • EXEC
Individual EDMOND, OK
$3,300
Nov 5, 2024
8
DUIT, PAMELA A
CONTRIBUTION OF CONCEPTION LLC • EXEC
Individual EDMOND, OK
$3,300
Nov 5, 2024
9
LAUDER, RONALD S.
SELF EMPLOYED • BUSINESSMAN
Individual NEW YORK, NY
$3,300
Oct 28, 2024
10
BANKE, BARBARA R. MS.
CHAIRMAN • JACKSON FAMILY WINES
Individual GEYSERVILLE, CA
$3,300
Nov 17, 2023

Rep. Miller, Carol D. [R-WV-1]

ID: M001205

Top Contributors

10

1
WINRED PAC
PAC ARLINGTON, VA
$13,010
Mar 31, 2023
2
SAC & FOX TRIBE OF THE MISSISSIPPI IN IOWA
COM TAMA, IA
$1,000
Aug 11, 2023
3
RENEWABLE ENERGY, CITIZENS FOR
COM MADISON, WI
$500
Aug 20, 2024
4
POLITICAL COMMITTEE, NWF ACTION FUND
PAC WASHINGTON, DC
$500
Sep 18, 2024
5
ADAMS MEMORIALS
Organization CHARLESTON, IL
$1,000
Mar 23, 2023
6
VAHLING VINEYARDS
Organization STEWARDSON, IL
$500
Jan 11, 2024
7
THE CHICKASAW NATION
Organization ADA, OK
$1,000
Jun 20, 2023
8
US MARSHALS SERVICES
Organization NEW YORK, NY
$2,900
Apr 20, 2023
9
HUNTON ANDREWS KURTH LLP
Organization RICHMOND, VA
$1,000
Mar 22, 2023
10
KASPAR, SCOTT
KASPAR LAW COMPANY • LAWYER
Individual ORLAND PARK, IL
$13,200
Mar 22, 2023

Rep. Crenshaw, Dan [R-TX-2]

ID: C001120

Top Contributors

10

1
CHEVRON
Organization SAN RAMON, CA
$5,000
Sep 4, 2024
2
COMPLETE EMERGENCY CARE HOLDING LLC
Organization SOUTHLAKE, TX
$3,500
Mar 11, 2024
3
SANDLIAN REALTY
Organization WICHITA, KS
$1,000
Feb 7, 2024
4
ALABAMA-COUSHATTA TRIBE
Organization LIVINGSTON, TX
$1,000
Sep 30, 2024
5
RUSSELL W H KRIDEL MD PA
Organization HOUSTON, TX
$250
Feb 28, 2023
6
JONES RANCH LLC
Organization CORPUS CHRISTI, TX
$250
Mar 13, 2024
7
MAFRIGE, DAVID
SELF • COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS
Individual HOUSTON, TX
$9,900
Jun 21, 2023
8
MAFRIGE, DAVID
SELF • COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS
Individual HOUSTON, TX
$9,900
Jun 21, 2023
9
ODEN, KEITH
CAMDEN PROPERTY TRUST • EXECUTIVE VICE CHAIRMAN
Individual HOUSTON, TX
$9,900
Jun 27, 2023
10
ODEN, KEITH
CAMDEN PROPERTY TRUST • EXECUTIVE VICE CHAIRMAN
Individual HOUSTON, TX
$9,900
Jun 27, 2023

Rep. Buchanan, Vern [R-FL-16]

ID: B001260

Top Contributors

10

1
RICHARDS, CHRISTINE
CVP • CUST/BUS TRANS
Individual BARTLETT, TN
$3,300
Oct 28, 2024
2
RICHARDS, DANIEL
DR. CONSULTING • CPA
Individual BARTLETT, TN
$3,300
Oct 28, 2024
3
GARCIA, MARIO
EMSI - TAMPA • PRESIDENT/CEO
Individual TAMPA, FL
$3,300
Nov 28, 2023
4
BENJAMIN, STEPHEN
VALIDUS SENIOR LIVING • CEO
Individual ODESSA, FL
$3,300
Nov 10, 2023
5
GARCIA, IVIS
HOMEMAKER • HOMEMAKER
Individual TAMPA, FL
$3,300
Nov 28, 2023
6
GARCIA, MARIO
EMSI - TAMPA • PRESIDENT/CEO
Individual TAMPA, FL
$3,300
Nov 28, 2023
7
GARCIA, IVIS
HOMEMAKER • HOMEMAKER
Individual TAMPA, FL
$3,300
Nov 28, 2023
8
JOHNSON, TRAVIS
1607 STRATEGIES • FOUNDER
Individual ARLINGTON, VA
$3,300
Dec 6, 2023
9
COPELAND, GERRET
TERREG MANAGEMENT LLC • CEO
Individual SARASOTA, FL
$3,300
Feb 7, 2023
10
COPELAND, KYM
HOMEMAKER • HOMEMAKER
Individual SARASOTA, FL
$3,300
Feb 7, 2023

Rep. Meuser, Daniel [R-PA-9]

ID: M001204

Top Contributors

10

1
PRIDE MOBILITY PRODUCTS CORP
Organization DURYEA, PA
$2,500
Sep 18, 2024
2
COTLER, YUDACUFSKI, HUEBNER
Organization SAINT CLAIR, PA
$1,000
Apr 23, 2024
3
DOWD, JOHN J
SUNDANCE VACATIONS • PRESIDENT
Individual LEHIGHTON, PA
$6,600
Mar 25, 2024
4
PEYKOFF, ANDY
NIAGARA BOTTLING, LLC • CEO
Individual LAS VEGAS, NV
$6,600
Mar 22, 2024
5
DOWD, JOHN J
SUNDANCE VACATIONS • PRESIDENT
Individual LEHIGHTON, PA
$6,600
Sep 18, 2024
6
ROWAN, MARC J
APOLLO MANAGEMENT • MANAGEMENT
Individual GREENWICH, CT
$6,600
Aug 23, 2023
7
ROWAN, CAROLYN
CAROLYN ROWAN COLLECTION • OWNER
Individual GREENWICH, CT
$6,600
Aug 23, 2023
8
RICH, BRIAN R MR. JR
GILBERTON COAL CO. • EXECUTIVE SALES
Individual CONSHOHOCKEN, PA
$6,600
Oct 24, 2024
9
VOLPE, ELLEN M
SELF • HOMEMAKER
Individual WAVERLY TOWNSHIP, PA
$5,800
May 31, 2023
10
VOLPE, CHARLES J
EXCALIBUR INSURANCE MGMT • PRESIDENT
Individual WAVERLY TOWNSHIP, PA
$5,800
May 31, 2023

Rep. Finstad, Brad [R-MN-1]

ID: F000475

Top Contributors

10

1
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
COM PRIOR LAKE, MN
$3,300
May 29, 2024
2
PRAIRIE ISLAND TRIBAL COUNCIL
COM WELCH, MN
$2,500
Feb 15, 2023
3
REPUBLICAN MAINSTREET PARTNERSHIP PAC
PAC WASHINGTON, DC
$1,000
Jul 28, 2023
4
WATONWAN COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY
COM SAINT JAMES, MN
$800
May 30, 2024
5
ANDERSON, ROLLIS H
ANDERSON TRUCKING SERVICE • CEO
Individual SAINT CLOUD, MN
$13,200
Mar 20, 2024
6
KROLL, MARK W
RETIRED • RETIRED
Individual CRYSTAL BAY, MN
$13,200
Mar 31, 2023
7
SONNEK, KATHLEEN M
SELF • WRITER
Individual LAKE CRYSTAL, MN
$10,000
Sep 21, 2023
8
HALKYARD, JONATHAN
MGM RESORTS • CFO
Individual LAS VEGAS, NV
$9,423
Mar 26, 2024
9
KING, RUSSELL S
KING CAPITAL LLC • CEO
Individual MINNEAPOLIS, MN
$6,870
Dec 24, 2023
10
MILLER, HUGH L
RTP COMPANY • PRESIDENT
Individual WINONA, MN
$6,600
Mar 28, 2024

Donor Network - Rep. Smith, Adrian [R-NE-3]

PACs
Organizations
Individuals
Politicians

Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.

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Showing 38 nodes and 45 connections

Total contributions: $160,088

Top Donors - Rep. Smith, Adrian [R-NE-3]

Showing top 21 donors by contribution amount

16 Orgs5 Individuals

Project 2025 Policy Matches

This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document. Higher similarity scores indicate stronger thematic connections.

Introduction

Low 58.3%
Pages: 733-735

— 700 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise Deputy Commissioner should be replaced. A thorough review of IT contracts should be conducted. The Integrated Modernization Business Plan41 should be systematically reviewed and a version of it cost-effectively implemented. An over- sight board composed of private sector IT experts should be established and given the authority to conduct meaningful, contemporaneous oversight. TAXPAYER RIGHTS AND PRIVACY Legal protections for taxpayer rights and privacy have improved during the past three decades, but they remain inadequate.42 Congress should do more. For exam- ple, interest on overpayments should be the same as interest on underpayments rather than the government receiving a higher rate, the time limit for taxpayers to sue for damages for improper collection actions should be extended, the juris- diction of the Tax Court should be expanded, and the tax penalty system should be reformed by rationalizing the penalty structure and reducing some of the most punitive penalties.43 The Office of the Taxpayer Advocate was created by Congress to assist taxpay- ers when the IRS bureaucracy is unresponsive or negligent. About 1.7 percent of the IRS budget goes to this function.44 Each year, the Office handles more than 250,000 cases, helping taxpayers to deal with the IRS. Each year, it issues nearly 2000 taxpayer assistance orders, a form of administrative injunction, forcing the rest of the IRS to stop taking unwarranted actions.45 Congress should provide the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate with greater resources so that it may better assist taxpayers suffering from wrongful IRS actions. The office should also be strengthened by, among other things: l Ensuring that the National Taxpayer Advocate can make his or her own personnel decisions to protect its independence; l Ensuring NTA access to files, meetings, and other information needed to assist taxpayers or investigate IRS administrative practices; l Requiring the IRS to address the NTA’s comments in final rules and including the NTA in deliberations prior to the release of a proposed rule; and l Authorizing the NTA to file amicus briefs independently. Administrative Burden. In 2021, Americans filed 261 million tax returns and an astounding 4.7 billion information returns (such as Form W-2s, Form 1098s and Form 1099s).46 Complying with tax law costs Americans more than $400 bil- lion annually, or about 2 percent of gross domestic product.47 Although the IRS

Introduction

Low 58.3%
Pages: 733-735

— 700 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise Deputy Commissioner should be replaced. A thorough review of IT contracts should be conducted. The Integrated Modernization Business Plan41 should be systematically reviewed and a version of it cost-effectively implemented. An over- sight board composed of private sector IT experts should be established and given the authority to conduct meaningful, contemporaneous oversight. TAXPAYER RIGHTS AND PRIVACY Legal protections for taxpayer rights and privacy have improved during the past three decades, but they remain inadequate.42 Congress should do more. For exam- ple, interest on overpayments should be the same as interest on underpayments rather than the government receiving a higher rate, the time limit for taxpayers to sue for damages for improper collection actions should be extended, the juris- diction of the Tax Court should be expanded, and the tax penalty system should be reformed by rationalizing the penalty structure and reducing some of the most punitive penalties.43 The Office of the Taxpayer Advocate was created by Congress to assist taxpay- ers when the IRS bureaucracy is unresponsive or negligent. About 1.7 percent of the IRS budget goes to this function.44 Each year, the Office handles more than 250,000 cases, helping taxpayers to deal with the IRS. Each year, it issues nearly 2000 taxpayer assistance orders, a form of administrative injunction, forcing the rest of the IRS to stop taking unwarranted actions.45 Congress should provide the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate with greater resources so that it may better assist taxpayers suffering from wrongful IRS actions. The office should also be strengthened by, among other things: l Ensuring that the National Taxpayer Advocate can make his or her own personnel decisions to protect its independence; l Ensuring NTA access to files, meetings, and other information needed to assist taxpayers or investigate IRS administrative practices; l Requiring the IRS to address the NTA’s comments in final rules and including the NTA in deliberations prior to the release of a proposed rule; and l Authorizing the NTA to file amicus briefs independently. Administrative Burden. In 2021, Americans filed 261 million tax returns and an astounding 4.7 billion information returns (such as Form W-2s, Form 1098s and Form 1099s).46 Complying with tax law costs Americans more than $400 bil- lion annually, or about 2 percent of gross domestic product.47 Although the IRS — 701 — Department of the Treasury administers these reporting programs, most of this expense is mandated by Con- gress, not the IRS. One of the primary reasons that Congress mandates ever-increasing infor- mation reporting is that the Treasury Department and the Joint Committee on Taxation staff almost always overestimate how much revenue will be gained from still more burdensome information reporting, and they do not estimate or report private compliance costs. Congress and the Treasury Department must undertake a serious review of the information reporting regime and reduce the burden on the public—especially small businesses. Small businesses suffer disproportionately from complexity and administrative burdens. Costs do not increase linearly with size, so elevated administrative costs have an adverse effect on the competitiveness of small firms. Budget. The operating budget of the IRS should be held constant in real terms. The resources allocated to the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate should be increased by at least 20 percent (about $44 million). The Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion should be closed. Provided that IT management is changed; an effective, well-considered implementation plan is adopted; and serious oversight is put in place, additional resources dedicated solely to IT modernization may be warranted. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS The Treasury Department should withdraw from Senate consideration the Protocol Amending the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters.48 The protocol will lead to substantially more transnational identity theft, crime, industrial espionage, financial fraud, and suppression of political oppo- nents and religious or ethnic minorities by authoritarian and corrupt governments, including China, Colombia, Nigeria, and Russia. Unlike the original multilateral convention, the amended convention is open to all governments—including many that are either hostile to the United States, have serious corruption problems, or have inadequate privacy protections. The new Administration should also oppose the multilateral Competent Authority Agreement on Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information.49 International organizations such as the OECD, the World Bank, and the Inter- national Monetary Fund espouse economic theories and policies that are inimical to American free market and limited government principles. The global elites who operate the IMF regularly advance higher taxes and big centralized government. The IMF has intervened in American policy debates—and has even recommended that the U.S. raise taxes. The IMF’s record of advancing global financial stability has been mixed at best. Its development assistance and lending programs in third- world countries have more often than not retarded growth rather than advancing it. The Treasury Department plays an important role in these international institutions and should force reforms and new policies. The U.S., however, should

Introduction

Low 55.8%
Pages: 40-42

— 7 — Foreword Instead, party leaders negotiate one multitrillion-dollar spending bill—several thousand pages long—and then vote on it before anyone, literally, has had a chance to read it. Debate time is restricted. Amendments are prohibited. And all of this is backed up against a midnight deadline when the previous “omnibus” spending bill will run out and the federal government “shuts down.” This process is not designed to empower 330 million American citizens and their elected representatives, but rather to empower the party elites secretly nego- tiating without any public scrutiny or oversight. In the end, congressional leaders’ behavior and incentives here are no differ- ent from those of global elites insulating policy decisions—over the climate, trade, public health, you name it—from the sovereignty of national electorates. Public scrutiny and democratic accountability make life harder for policymakers—so they skirt it. It’s not dysfunction; it’s corruption. And despite its gaudy price tag, the federal budget is not even close to the worst example of this corruption. That distinction belongs to the “Administrative State,” the dismantling of which must a top priority for the next conservative President. The term Administrative State refers to the policymaking work done by the bureaucracies of all the federal government’s departments, agencies, and millions of employees. Under Article I of the Constitution, “All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives.” That is, federal law is enacted only by elected legislators in both houses of Congress. This exclusive authority was part of the Framers’ doctrine of “separated powers.” They not only split the federal government’s legislative, executive, and judicial powers into different branches. They also gave each branch checks over the others. Under our Constitution, the legislative branch—Congress—is far and away the most powerful and, correspondingly, the most accountable to the people. In recent decades, members of the House and Senate discovered that if they give away that power to the Article II branch of government, they can also deny responsi- bility for its actions. So today in Washington, most policy is no longer set by Congress at all, but by the Administrative State. Given the choice between being powerful but vulnerable or irrelevant but famous, most Members of Congress have chosen the latter. Congress passes intentionally vague laws that delegate decision-making over a given issue to a federal agency. That agency’s bureaucrats—not just unelected but seemingly un-fireable—then leap at the chance to fill the vacuum created by Congress’s preening cowardice. The federal government is growing larger and less constitutionally accountable—even to the President—every year. l A combination of elected and unelected bureaucrats at the Environmental Protection Agency quietly strangles domestic energy production through difficult-to-understand rulemaking processes; — 8 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise l Bureaucrats at the Department of Homeland Security, following the lead of a feckless Administration, order border and immigration enforcement agencies to help migrants criminally enter our country with impunity; l Bureaucrats at the Department of Education inject racist, anti-American, ahistorical propaganda into America’s classrooms; l Bureaucrats at the Department of Justice force school districts to undermine girls’ sports and parents’ rights to satisfy transgender extremists; l Woke bureaucrats at the Pentagon force troops to attend “training” seminars about “white privilege”; and l Bureaucrats at the State Department infuse U.S. foreign aid programs with woke extremism about “intersectionality” and abortion.3 Unaccountable federal spending is the secret lifeblood of the Great Awokening. Nearly every power center held by the Left is funded or supported, one way or another, through the bureaucracy by Congress. Colleges and school districts are funded by tax dollars. The Administrative State holds 100 percent of its power at the sufferance of Congress, and its insulation from presidential discipline is an unconstitutional fairy tale spun by the Washington Establishment to protect its turf. Members of Congress shield themselves from constitutional accountability often when the White House allows them to get away with it. Cultural institutions like public libraries and public health agencies are only as “independent” from public accountability as elected officials and voters permit. Let’s be clear: The most egregious regulations promulgated by the current Administration come from one place: the Oval Office. The President cannot hide behind the agencies; as his many executive orders make clear, his is the respon- sibility for the regulations that threaten American communities, schools, and families. A conservative President must move swiftly to do away with these vast abuses of presidential power and remove the career and political bureaucrats who fuel it. Properly considered, restoring fiscal limits and constitutional accountability to the federal government is a continuation of restoring national sovereignty to the American people. In foreign affairs, global strategy, federal budgeting and pol- icymaking, the same pattern emerges again and again. Ruling elites slash and tear at restrictions and accountability placed on them. They centralize power up and away from the American people: to supra-national treaties and organizations, to left-wing “experts,” to sight-unseen all-or-nothing legislating, to the unelected career bureaucrats of the Administrative State.

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About These Correlations

Policy matches are calculated using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text. A score of 60% or higher indicates meaningful thematic overlap. This does not imply direct causation or intent, but highlights areas where legislation aligns with Project 2025 policy objectives.