Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Agriculture, Rural Development, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. JACKSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my amendment to H.R. 4502, which would block the IRS from targeting people or groups based on their political beliefs.

Unelected bureaucrats at the IRS have a history of weaponizing their power to go after conservatives. Mr. Speaker, you may recall the Lois Lerner scandal that happened during the Obama-Biden administration. In that case, the IRS targeted conservative groups by subjecting their application for tax-exempt status to increased and unnecessary scrutiny, effectively trying to silence their political beliefs.

Now, as President Biden, Joe Biden, has made it clear, his administration will weaponize big tech to go after conservatives, too. There is a trend here, and Congress must act. People and organizations should not be silenced because of their political beliefs.

If it can happen to conservatives, then it can happen to liberals too, so every Member in this body has a duty to protect their constituents from potential IRS abuse. My amendment would help make sure things like the Lois Lerner scandal never happen again at the IRS.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in voting for this commonsense amendment.

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