As congressional Republicans reportedly debate the diminishing likelihood of a third budget reconciliation package, they should focus on the fact that such legislation could offer them a historic opportunity to rectify a decades-old injustice in the federal tax code that costs Americans billions of dollars every year.
If they act, they will demonstrate their genuine commitment to reducing the cost of living. In doing so, they will greatly improve their chances of retaining control of Congress in the midterm elections.
The federal income tax that we know and love today became law in October 1913, following ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Initially, the economic impact of the tax was quite limited. As a result of a low flat rate of just 1%, and numerous exemptions, only about 2% of households were covered. Those subject to the new tax paid all they owed at once on April 15 each year.
Years later, with the onset of World War II, the federal income tax changed radically as the government’s need for revenue soared. Congress passed legislation to significantly increase tax rates and greatly expand the number of individuals subject to the tax.
The Roosevelt administration was concerned that increased tax burdens could produce political blowback that might undermine the war effort. The administration was also concerned that many taxpayers might not be able to make the large annual lump sum payments needed on April 15 to comply with their increased obligations.
And even if taxpayers complied, the administration was concerned that significant revenue fluctuations from annual tax payments would complicate the management of government finances.
In the summer of 1942, in testimony to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, Mr. Beardsley Ruml presented a proposal to address the government’s concerns. Ruml, treasurer of Macy’s Department Store and chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, proposed that employers be required to withhold estimated income taxes from the paychecks of their employees and send the money withheld to the government each quarter.
By collecting income taxes in increments each pay period well before they were due, the government could accelerate and smooth its cash receipts and improve taxpayer compliance by reducing the risk of default on large year-end tax bills.
And, by focusing the attention of taxpayers on the net-of-tax take-home pay contained in their paychecks, the government could obscure the increased income tax burden it was imposing.
The government eagerly embraced Ruml’s proposal, and Congress enacted it into law by the Current Tax Payment Act of 1943. While Ruml’s paycheck withholding plan effectively addressed the government’s concerns, it imposed an enormous cost on taxpayers, an onerous burden that we continue to bear today.
Throughout 2025, taxpayers had more than $2.6 trillion withheld from their paychecks for income tax returns due on April 15, 2026. This was a vast amount of money that the government took from taxpayers and drained from the private economy.
In the absence of paycheck withholding, taxpayers could have made productive use of that cash throughout the year. They could have saved it to pay their 2025 taxes and earned billions of dollars of interest in the meantime. They could have used some of it to make short-term productive investments in the private sector, boosting the economy and benefiting everyone. The government provides no compensation for these lost economic opportunities.
If a taxpayer fails to pay his or her taxes on time, the Internal Revenue Service immediately begins charging interest, which compounds daily until the late payment is made. However, the IRS does not pay a penny of interest on the trillions of dollars withheld during the year for returns due the following April.
This is because, under current law, income taxes are payable when you receive your income and not when you file your return next April. Therefore, the government does not consider deductions from paychecks to be early payments. But paycheck deductions are enormous cash advances to the government that come at a real and significant economic cost to taxpayers.
The Republicans can, and should, use a third budget reconciliation bill to correct this unjust one-way flow of interest payments and mandate economic neutrality in the income tax withholding system. They should direct the IRS to develop regulations that provide for interest payments to taxpayers on wages withheld and advanced to the government, with those interest payments calculated using the same percentage interest rate the government uses to calculate interest payments due from taxpayers who miss an IRS deadline.
The development of regulations by the IRS, or any government agency, is a complex process. There will be many details to work out. But Republicans can clearly set the direction of the process with legislation that establishes the fundamental principle that taxpayers must be compensated fairly for the significant economic burden they bear due to paycheck withholding.
The government gets many valuable benefits from paycheck withholding. It is only fair to make the government pay for those benefits.
***
J. Kennerly Davis has worked as a finance executive for a Fortune 500 company and has served as a Deputy Attorney General for Virginia.

US Tax forms focused on the Amount You Owe line

How The IRS Is Stealing Your Money And Charging You For It

DW Opinion

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Tax reform

Tax withholding

WASHINGTON, May 22 (Reuters) &#8211; The Internal Revenue Service is debating whether to require taxpayers to disclose their citizenship status on next year&#8217;s tax forms, according to three people familiar with the situation, as the Trump administration intensifies its attempts to link federal agencies to its sprawling immigration enforcement and anti-fraud drive.
IRS officials are considering two versions of Form 1040, the primary paperwork individuals use to report earnings and claim tax benefits, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of professional reprisals.
The first version contains minor updates to reflect changes in tax laws. The second includes those updates and a check-box labeled: &#8220;Check this box if you are a non-U.S. citizen or have dual citizenship.&#8221;
Representatives from the Treasury Department &#8211; the IRS&#8217;s parent agency &#8211; declined to comment on Friday.
Immigrants, including those in the United States illegally, are required to file taxes and use the same IRS forms as tax filers with citizenship. Paying taxes has long been seen as a key factor for illegal immigrants to obtain legal status.
&#8220;It’s just an effort to once again terrorize people with certain immigration statuses, and it’s another step of turning the IRS into an agency that collaborates with immigration authorities rather than being an agency that enforces and administers the tax laws,&#8221; said Nina Olson, executive director of the Center for Taxpayer Rights, an advocacy and low-income tax assistance organization.
The Treasury Department and the Department of Homeland Security spent much of 2025 attempting to collaborate, sharing confidential taxpayer data with immigration officials to assist in the Trump administration&#8217;s deportation campaign.
Olson&#8217;s organization filed a lawsuit, and a federal judge blocked the IRS from disclosing that data in November. The federal government has appealed the ruling.
In February, the IRS admitted to the court that it had erroneously shared the data of more than 42,000 taxpayers with DHS.
Disclosing a taxpayer&#8217;s personal information &#8212; including a name or address &#8212; outside of narrow legal exceptions carries stiff penalties, including jail time. President Donald Trump recently dropped a lawsuit against the IRS seeking $10 billion in damages after a tax agency contractor leaked his tax returns to media outlets. The contractor, Charles Littlejohn, is serving a five-year prison sentence.
In exchange for dropping the suit, the Justice Department created a nearly $1.8 billion fund to pay supposed victims of &#8220;government weaponization.&#8221; As part of the settlement, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an agreement permanently barring the IRS from pursuing tax claims against Trump, his family or his businesses.
The Trump administration has sought to aggressively police government benefits awarded to non-citizens. Federal law already prohibits undocumented immigrants from many entitlement programs, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other benefits covering education and housing. Non-citizens, though, pay into those programs through income, payroll and sales taxes.
Tax preparers nationwide reported encountering clients who said they were frightened to file their taxes in 2025 due to the IRS&#8217;s collaboration with immigration enforcement. That fear has fiscal consequences for the United States government. The Yale Budget Lab estimated that lower tax compliance rates among immigrant communities could lead to a $313 billion loss in federal revenue over the next decade.
The IRS is considering other methods of determining a taxpayer&#8217;s citizenship status. Non-citizens can file taxes using a nine-digit &#8220;individual tax identification number&#8221; in place of a Social Security number. Tax officials have discussed differentiating codes to denote a filer&#8217;s immigration status, the people said. The New York Times first reported those deliberations.
(Reporting by Jacob Bogage; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Rosalba O&#8217;Brien and Nick Zieminski)

FILE PHOTO: The Internal Revenue Service building is seen in Washington

Trump IRS Considers New Requirement As Immigration Crackdown Expands

illegal immigrants

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

Income tax

Taxes

Hospitality workers across the country say they’re seeing bigger tax refunds this year, but many told The Daily Wire they had never heard of President Trump’s &#8220;No Tax On Tips&#8221; policy.
“Really? No, I did not know that,” one person said. Another reacted with disbelief: “What? Oh my gosh.”
The Daily Wire asked one waitress at Pearl Dive Oyster Bar, “Was your refund better than last year&#8217;s?” She said she received a refund this year, whereas last year, she had to pay taxes. When we asked her why she believed her tax situation suddenly changed, the waitress guessed that she must have made more money at her old job. We followed up by asking her if she thought it could be because her tips weren’t taxed this year, and the waitress said she had never heard of the policy.
“Is that a good thing for us?” she asked.
“Well, if you got more money back,” we responded.
 “I guess that’s one good thing he did,” she added of President Trump.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Bartenders and servers told me their tax refunds were better than last year but they had no idea why…
Republicans have a messaging problem <a href="https://t.co/XgqMzHhcfQ">pic.twitter.com/XgqMzHhcfQ</a>
— Brecca Stoll (@breccastoll) <a href="https://twitter.com/breccastoll/status/2045571269706371442?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
One bartender said he thought his tax situation changed because he claimed his son as a dependent. “Why do you think you got so much back? Really? Because my son—I claim him—so, you know, it just boosted the profit,” he said, before adding, “Other than that, I wouldn’t have gotten too much at all.”
However, after hearing about “No Tax on Tips,” he laughed and said, “Oh yes, I would definitely say that was it.”
Another worker said, “I’m not sure why it was better, but it was better.” Her coworker answered for her, saying it was because tips weren’t taxed up to $25,000 this year, and neither was overtime.
2025 was a historic high for tax refunds, with the average refund being <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-trump-administrations-1000-tax-refund-promise-falls-short-by-665/">$3,274</a> — which is 11% higher than last year.
Trump touted the policy in Las Vegas on Thursday. “Las Vegas is the home of the largest concentration of tipped workers anywhere in the country, and thanks to our tax cuts, this week, thousands of Nevada waiters, casino dealers, bartenders, caddies, and valets received the biggest tax refunds of their entire lives.”
Originating in Las Vegas, the policy—along with “no tax on Social Security” and “no tax on overtime”—was a frontrunner on the campaign trail. Yet, the majority of hospitality workers The Daily Wire interviewed in Washington, D.C., had not heard of the flagship proposal.
The issue is not new. A lack of awareness about current events is a trend The Daily Wire has observed firsthand. When the outlet interviewed Kamala Harris supporters at her book tour in Nashville, Tennessee, many couldn’t name her &#8220;best policy.&#8221;
A viral spring break video also highlighted how little some teenagers knew about foreign affairs, with several saying they had never heard of Iran’s Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah—let alone claims that the U.S. had killed him. Daily Wire host Matt Walsh commented, “I actually don’t mind the fact that a bunch of 18- and 19-year-old kids are totally ignorant about world affairs… but the problem is that these kids can vote… raise the voting age to 25.”

Cash Tips

Servers And Bartenders Don’t Know Why Their Refunds Are Bigger This Year

Donald Trump

Nevada

U.S.

A federal appeals court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to continue a policy that permits the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to share certain taxpayer address information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for criminal investigations.
Immigration advocacy groups had sought a preliminary injunction to block the policy, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit affirmed a lower court&#8217;s decision denying that request.
The dispute began in early 2025 after <a href="https://www.latintimes.com/trump-admin-pressures-irs-hand-over-700000-addresses-immigrants-deported-577343">reports</a> that ICE was seeking the last known addresses of roughly 700,000 undocumented immigrants from the IRS. On April 7, 2025, the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/08/irs-ice-tax-data?utm_source=chatgpt.com">formalized</a> the arrangement in a Memorandum of Understanding outlining how ICE could request address information under federal law.
The agreement relies on a provision of federal tax law that allows the IRS to share certain information for non-tax criminal investigations.
Historically, the IRS had interpreted the law as prohibiting the disclosure of mailing addresses by themselves. The new agreement reversed that position, allowing the IRS to provide a taxpayer’s last known address if ICE submitted a valid request related to a non-tax criminal investigation.
As a result, the April 7, 2025, Memorandum of Understanding allowing ICE to request last-known taxpayer addresses remains in effect while the case proceeds. A preliminary injunction would have temporarily blocked the policy, but the court declined to grant one.
The advocacy groups argued that the law does not allow the IRS to share only a taxpayer&#8217;s address. They contended that mailing addresses should be treated as protected &#8220;taxpayer return information,&#8221; which typically requires a court order for disclosure.
The appeals court disagreed, saying the &#8220;best reading&#8221; of the statute permits the disclosure of address information in certain criminal investigations. The law allows the IRS to share &#8220;return information,&#8221; but specifically excludes a taxpayer&#8217;s &#8220;identity&#8221; from the more heavily protected category of &#8220;taxpayer return information.&#8221;
Because the statute defines &#8220;identity&#8221; to include a mailing address, the court concluded that addresses are not entitled to the heightened protections the advocacy groups claimed.
The court also noted that other parts of the law explicitly require a court order before information can be disclosed, but this provision does not. It said it would not &#8220;read into the statute words that aren&#8217;t there,&#8221; concluding that the law clearly allows the IRS to disclose address information in response to a valid administrative request.
The advocacy groups also argued that the IRS violated the Administrative Procedure Act by reversing its long-standing interpretation of the law without providing a reasoned explanation.
The court rejected that claim for two reasons. First, it said the memorandum was not a binding &#8220;final agency action,&#8221; but rather a policy statement clarifying how the agency would apply the statute. Second, citing the Supreme Court&#8217;s 2024 decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, the court noted that judges no longer defer to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes. Because the court determined that the &#8220;best reading&#8221; of the statute permits address disclosure, it said sending the matter back to the IRS for further explanation would be a &#8220;useless formality.&#8221;
Because the advocacy groups failed to show they were likely to succeed in their legal challenge, the D.C. Circuit upheld the lower court&#8217;s decision denying the preliminary injunction.

Another Legal Victory For Trump In The Fight To Defend American Soil

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to confirm former U.S. Rep. Billy Long of Missouri as Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service.
The vote was 53-44 along party lines.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
✅ CONFIRMED: Billy Long as the 51st Commissioner of Internal Revenue <a href="https://t.co/xZhKnxQ0Ns">pic.twitter.com/xZhKnxQ0Ns</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1933218584844468343?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
During his time in office, Long had <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/25/cosponsors">cosponsored</a> legislation to abolish the IRS. Now, he says he hopes to “improve” it.
“I have the opportunity to make real, transformational change to an agency that needs it more than any other federal agency,” Long said during his confirmation hearing in May.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
IRS Commissioner nominee Billy Long delivers remarks before the Senate Finance Committee: &quot;I have the opportunity to make real, transformational change to an agency that needs it more than any other&#8230; You got to ask why I want this job. I want it because I care about people.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/C7CQrLHVTS">pic.twitter.com/C7CQrLHVTS</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1924838753400390028?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
President Donald Trump nominated Long in December 2024, calling him “an extremely hard worker … respected by all,” The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-taps-extremely-hard-worker-former-congressman-billy-long-for-irs-commissioner">reported</a>.
“Billy brings 32 years of experience running his own businesses in Real Estate and, as one of the premier Auctioneers in the Country,” Trump said in a statement at the time. “Since leaving Congress, Billy has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.”
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=wisepops&amp;utm_campaign=dad&amp;utm_content=fathersdaygiftpopups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gift Dad an All Access Membership. Use code DAD40 at checkout to save 40%!</a>
Long had said he was “very honored and excited” to be nominated for the position, The Daily Wire reported at the time.
“Taxpayers and the wonderful employees of the IRS will love having Billy at the helm,” Trump said in December. “He is the consummate ‘people person,’ well respected on both sides of the aisle.”
Long will replace the current Acting Commissioner Michael Faulkender. Former Commissioner Danny Werfel, who had been appointed by former President Joe Biden, <a href="https://www.taxnotes.com/research/federal/other-documents/other-irs-documents/werfel-announces-resignation/7qhs8">resigned</a> when Trump took office in January.
Long’s confirmation comes as over 20,000 IRS employees <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tax-day-miracle-over-20k-irs-employees-took-trumps-second-buyout-offer?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=TAX+DAY+MIRACLE%3A+Over+20K+IRS+Employees+Took+Trump%E2%80%99s+Second+Buyout+Offer">resigned</a> in April after accepting Trump’s second buyout offer.
Trump has announced plans to revamp the agency, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/03/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-modernizes-payments-to-and-from-americas-bank-account/">signing</a> an executive order “to modernize how the government handles money, switching from old-fashioned paper-based payments to fast, secure electronic payments.”

Billy Long

Senate Confirms Former Rep. Billy Long As IRS Commissioner

Congress

Politics

Trump Administration

U.S. Senate

President Donald Trump said Friday that Harvard University would lose its tax-exempt status, ramping up his fight with the Ivy League institution to a new level.
Trump&#8217;s comments come amid a funding fight with the university as his administration has frozen more than $2 billion in federal funds to Harvard over its pushback on his administration&#8217;s efforts to target diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and handling of anti-Israel protests. Last week, Trump called Harvard a “far left institution” and “a threat to Democracy.”
&#8220;We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114437989795464761" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on his social media platform Friday morning.
The announcement comes after repeated pressure from Trump for Harvard to comply with his executive orders on education or face the consequences. Last month, the Washington Post <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-wants-irs-to-quash-harvards-tax-exempt-status-report?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Admin+Wants+IRS+To+Quash+Harvard’s+Tax-Exempt+Status%3A+Report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Treasury Department had asked the IRS to revoke Harvard&#8217;s tax-exempt status.
“Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’ Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!” Trump posted on Truth Social on April 15.
At the time, White House spokesman Harrison Fields said that any probes into entities over their tax-exempt status had begun before that social media post.
“Any forthcoming actions by the IRS will be conducted independently of the president, and investigations into any institution’s violations of its tax status were initiated prior to the president’s TRUTH,&#8221; he said.
Trump took another shot at Harvard on Thursday night during his commencement speech at the University of Alabama.
&#8220;The next chapter of the American story will not be written by the Harvard Crimson. It will be written by you, the Crimson Tide,&#8221; Trump said, saying that Harvard&#8217;s billions of dollars in federal funding wouldn&#8217;t be &#8220;so forthcoming&#8221; now.
Harvard <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harvard-renames-dei-office-amid-funding-battle-with-trump-admin?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Harvard+Renames+DEI+Office+Amid+Funding+Battle+With+Trump+Admin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rebranded</a> its DEI office this week, renaming it the “Community and Campus Life” and changing its focus to “expanding cross-cultural engagement programs, supporting first-generation and low-income students, and creating more opportunities for dialogue across differences,” according to The Harvard Crimson. The university has also changed its chief diversity officer position, which has been renamed and will now be called the Chief Community and Campus Life Officer.
On Monday, the Trump administration <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-launches-probe-into-harvard-law-review-over-treatment-of-white-contributors?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Admin+Launches+Probe+Into+Harvard+Law+Review+Over+Treatment+Of+White+Contributors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that it would investigate Harvard and the student-run Harvard Law Journal over its treatment of white contributors.
The Trump administration specifically cited reports that a Harvard Law Review editor said it was “concerning” that four out of five individuals who wanted to reply to an article on police reform were &#8220;white men.” The administration provided another example of an editor saying “that a piece should be subject to expedited review because the author was a minority.”

US-POLITICS-EDUCATION

‘What They Deserve’: Trump Says He’s Ending Harvard’s Tax-Exempt Status

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Education

Executive

Harvard University

Senator Roger Marshall on Thursday will introduce a measure to keep taxpayer dollars from going toward transgender medical procedures on both children and adults.
The Kansas Republican&#8217;s bill, the &#8220;No Subsidies for Gender Transition Procedures Act,&#8221; would ensure that transgender medical procedures  — such as removing the breasts of girls who identify boys — would not be considered healthcare under IRS code. The Kansas Republican told The Daily Wire that he designed the bill specifically with an eye towards including it in the &#8220;one, big, beautiful&#8221; bill backed by President Donald Trump working its way through Congress.
“Americans overwhelmingly agree that hard-earned taxpayer dollars should not go toward paying for harmful gender transition procedures,” Marshall said.
“This legislation delivers on President Trump’s promise, puts a halt to the misuse of federal funds for gender transition procedures on both minors and adults, and defends our nation’s values. As the reconciliation process continues, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation and ensure it is included in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill.”
Marshall pointed to the proposal&#8217;s focus on amending the tax code and mandatory spending as reasons why it should fall under Trump&#8217;s &#8220;beautiful bill proposal.&#8221;
One major component of the bill would be to prohibit transgender procedures being funded with dollars from Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This would mean no more taxpayer funding for procedures like removing the breasts of women identifying as men or surgeries to create pseudo-male and female genitalia.
Marshall&#8217;s proposal would also end tax deductions for transgender medical procedures by changing the definition of health care used by the IRS.
From 2016 to 2021, the Defense Department spent around $15 million on transgender procedures for military members, according to Marshall&#8217;s office. Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia also include the procedures in their Medicaid policies.
Fellow Republican Senators Bill Cassidy (LA), Pete Ricketts (NE), and Mike Lee (UT) are backing the bill while Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) introduced a companion bill in the House.
“Taxpayers should never be forced to fund dangerous and irreversible gender transition surgeries. The No Subsidies for Gender Transition Procedures Act sets a sweeping precedent by applying to both adults and minors and applying to as many federal funding streams as possible,” Tenney said.
“This will ensure that regardless of the age of the individual looking to mutilate themselves, the American taxpayer will not be forced to subsidize it. We are working to ensure that not a dime of federal funds can be used to pay for gender transition procedures.”
Trump has already taken aim at the funding of transgender procedures for children, signing an executive order blocking funding from hospitals that facilitate the &#8220;mutilation&#8221; of kids.

US-CONGRESS-ECONOMY-CREDIT

EXCLUSIVE: GOP Senator Sets Out To Codify Trump Order On Transgender Surgery Funding

Kansas

Senate

transgender surgery

President Donald Trump on Thursday extended the freeze on hiring new government workers for another 90 days.
The administration has said that the freeze is part of an effort to make the government more efficient and promote fiscal responsibility. The freeze, now in effect until July 15, includes exceptions for the military and other national security-related positions. 
“No Federal civilian position that is presently vacant may be filled, and no new position may be created, except as otherwise provided for in this memorandum or required by applicable law,” Trump wrote in a memo. “In carrying out this memorandum, the heads of agencies shall seek efficient use of existing personnel and funds to improve public services and the delivery of those services.”
The memorandum said that the freeze does not apply to military personnel of the Armed Forces or positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, and public safety. Agencies are allowed to apply for exemptions to the hiring freeze to the Office of Management and Budget, which can grant exemptions on a case-by-case basis.
&#8220;The extension of the hiring freeze is a critical step in shrinking the federal government and ensuring taxpayer dollars are used efficiently,&#8221; the White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-extends-the-hiring-freeze/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;The American people elected President Trump to drain the swamp and end ineffective government programs that empower government without achieving measurable results.&#8221;
For the IRS, Trump&#8217;s memo says the staffing moratorium will remain in effect until otherwise determined by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in consultation with OMB Director Russ Vought and acting Department of Government Efficiency Administrator Amy Gleason.
If they determine &#8220;that it is in the national interest to terminate the freeze,&#8221; they are directed to publish a notice in the Federal Register.
The IRS has already <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tax-day-miracle-over-20k-irs-employees-took-trumps-second-buyout-offer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost thousands</a> of employees this year, with more than 20,000 taking buyout offers from the Trump administration to leave their positions, and another 7,000 probationary workers being terminated. The firings are currently being challenged in court.
After the freeze ends for the other government departments and agencies, the White House said that federal entities will only be allowed to hire one new employee for every four that leave. The White House said that during former President Joe Biden&#8217;s last two years in office, one out of every four new jobs was in government. 
“President Trump is committed to reversing this trend by prioritizing private-sector job growth and reducing the federal workforce to focus on essential functions,” the White House said.

MixCollage-18-Apr-2025-09-58-AM-7418

Trump Extends Hiring Freeze: ‘Critical Step In Shrinking The Federal Govt’

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

General

White House

According to The Washington Post, the Trump administration is pushing the Internal Revenue Service to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status.
The Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/04/16/trump-harvard-tax-exempt-irs/">reported</a> that three sources informed the outlet that President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration had asked the IRS to make the move, although there is no confirmation that it has done so. WaPo also reported that its sources claimed Andrew De Mello, the IRS’s acting chief counsel, was asked by the Treasury Department to take the action. Sources also claimed this is part of a feud with Ivy League schools that the Trump administration views as &#8220;woke.&#8221;
“I think they’re going to go after a whole bunch of them,” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) said. “I’m not sure why we need to be funding people who aggressively refuse to give up a variety of values and structures that most Americans don’t agree with.”
On Tuesday. President Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114342374504628520">posted</a> on Truth Social, “Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’ Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!”
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields stated: &#8220;Any forthcoming actions by the IRS will be conducted independently of the president, and investigations into any institution’s violations of its tax status were initiated prior to the president’s TRUTH.”
In January 2024, Rep. Jason T. Smith (R-MO), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/10/jason-smith-harvard-mit-penn-might-not-deserve-tax-exemption-00134815" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> that the responses of Harvard, Cornell, the University of Pennsylvania, and MIT to the antisemitism on their campuses might justify revoking their tax-exempt status. The college’s actions “raise several questions, including whether your institutions are fulfilling their educational purposes as required to receive 501c3 tax-exempt status &#8230;”
On Monday, the Trump administration’s Department of Education announced it would freeze $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in multi-year contract value to Harvard University after the school said it would not comply with the Trump administration’s demand that the university <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/research-funding/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/04/Harvard-Response-2025-04-14.pdf">claimed</a> would “invade university freedoms.”
Last Friday, the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services sent a <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/research-funding/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2025/04/Letter-Sent-to-Harvard-2025-04-11.pdf">letter</a> to Harvard in which they stated, “By August 2025, the University must adopt and implement merit-based hiring policies, and cease all preferences based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin …” adding that the same attitude must prevail in admissions policies. The correspondence also declared that by the same date, the university must “prevent admitting students hostile to the American values and institutions inscribed in the American Constitution and Declaration of Independence, including students supportive of terrorism and anti-Semitism.”
The university “shall commission an external party … to audit the student body, faculty and leadership for viewpoint diversity” by August 2025, the letter continued, in order to ensure that the leftist perspective that dominates the university should be contrasted with other viewpoints.
Alan Garber, the president of Harvard University, responded with a <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/president/news/2025/the-promise-of-american-higher-education/">statement</a> in which he said, “We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement,” contending, “The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights” and claiming the administration’s demands violated “Harvard’s First Amendment rights … threatens our values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit, production, and dissemination of knowledge.”

Trump Admin Wants IRS To Quash Harvard’s Tax-Exempt Status: Report

Harvard

Washington Post

Wokeness

Around 22,000 Internal Revenue Service employees have accepted President Donald Trump&#8217;s latest buyout offer, calling it quits at the service responsible for collecting taxes, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/us/politics/irs-resignations-trump.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on Tuesday.
The IRS turnover marks a dramatic shift from the Biden administration, when the IRS staff was beefed up to around 100,000 employees. The IRS cuts have reportedly forced the service to drop the number of audits it&#8217;s able to perform this year and could cause issues for Americans who call the IRS for help with their tax filings. A spokesman for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the secretary remains &#8220;committed to ensuring that efficiency is realized while providing the collections, privacy and customer service the American people deserve,&#8221; the Times reported.
Shortly after Trump took office in January, his administration offered federal employees the chance to quit their work while remaining on the payroll through September, and around 75,000 federal workers accepted the offer. Earlier this month, a second buyout offer went out to some federal workers, extending the deadline for employees who did not jump on the first offer, Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/04/02/federal-worker-buyouts-trump-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Acceptance deadlines on the second offer ranged from April 7 to April 18, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/04/02/deferred-resignation-trump-federal-workers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post</a>.
In addition to the resignations at the IRS, around 7,000 probationary workers were fired by the Trump administration, but those firings have been challenged in court. If the firings go through, the IRS could lose up to one-third of the workforce with which it entered the year. The losses also include senior leadership at the IRS, such as Melanie Krause, the acting IRS commissioner who announced her resignation last week.
Some, such as Virginia Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger, have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/virginia-democrat-picks-the-wrong-tax-day-to-praise-the-irs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lamented</a> the IRS staff cuts. In a post on X, Spanberger argued that the cuts are &#8220;making it harder for people across the Commonwealth to get the help they need.&#8221; Under former President Joe Biden&#8217;s Inflation Reduction Act, the IRS was given a massive increase in funding and had the green light to hire 87,000 new employees over the next decade.
As IRS employees jump ship, President Trump is hoping to revamp the government&#8217;s &#8220;outdated paper-based payment systems.&#8221; Last month, Trump signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/03/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-modernizes-payments-to-and-from-americas-bank-account/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> &#8220;to modernize how the government handles money, switching from old-fashioned paper-based payments to fast, secure electronic payments.&#8221;
&#8220;President Trump is making government work better for the American people,&#8221; the White House stated.

TAX DAY MIRACLE: Over 20K IRS Employees Took Trump’s Second Buyout Offer

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) chose April 15 — better known to most American adults as Tax Day — to play defense for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and her efforts backfired in spectacular fashion.
Spanberger, who is currently facing Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears (R-VA) in the 2025 gubernatorial race, took to X to post her &#8220;Happy Tax Day&#8221; message attacking President Donald Trump and his administration.
&#8220;Just a reminder that while Virginians are filing their taxes, the Trump administration is cutting IRS staff and making it harder for people across the Commonwealth to get the help they need,&#8221; she posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Happy Tax Day.
Just a reminder that while Virginians are filing their taxes, the Trump Administration is cutting IRS staff and making it harder for people across the Commonwealth to get the help they need.<a href="https://t.co/mO2RBcBlB0">https://t.co/mO2RBcBlB0</a>
&mdash; Abigail Spanberger (@SpanbergerForVA) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpanbergerForVA/status/1912134139844657367?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Sears was among those who responded to Spanberger&#8217;s post, saying, &#8220;You just can’t make this up. Only a DC politician like @SpanbergerforVA would defend the IRS on Tax Day AFTER voting to hire 87,000 agents to wring every dollar out of you.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
You just can’t make this up.
Only a DC politician like <a href="https://twitter.com/SpanbergerForVA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpanbergerForVA</a> would defend the IRS on Tax Day AFTER voting to hire 87,000 agents to wring every dollar out of you. <a href="https://t.co/XSp3FRDEHk">https://t.co/XSp3FRDEHk</a>
&mdash; Winsome Earle-Sears (@winwithwinsome) <a href="https://twitter.com/winwithwinsome/status/1912140383967997972?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;We went to war to overthrow tyrants like you,&#8221; radio host Dana Loesch said, adding, &#8220;F every last shred of misplaced sympathy for extortionists who steal from the American public.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
F every last shred of misplaced sympathy for extortionists who steal from the American public.
&mdash; Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) <a href="https://twitter.com/DLoesch/status/1912165696827425134?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Twitchy&#8217;s PolitiBunny added, &#8220;Abi, are you seriously praising the IRS &#8230; on tax day? Jeezus, lol. ROFL. LMAOROFL. I&#8217;m taking a screenshot of this one, this is so bad. Wow.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Abi, are you seriously praising the IRS &#8230; on tax day? Jeezus, lol.
ROFL.
LMAOROFL.
I&#39;m taking a screenshot of this one, this is so bad. Wow. <a href="https://t.co/kfQKlcEHo6">https://t.co/kfQKlcEHo6</a>
&mdash; The🐰FOO (@PolitiBunny) <a href="https://twitter.com/PolitiBunny/status/1912142424349999211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Just a reminder that Ronald Reagan once observed that: &#8216;Republicans celebrate the 4th of July, Independence Day. Democrats celebrate April 15, tax day,'&#8221; Newsmax writer Michael Dorstewitz posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Just a reminder that Ronald Reagan once observed that:
&quot;Republicans celebrate the 4th of July, Independence Day. Democrats celebrate April 15, tax day.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ITEED4qyi3">https://t.co/ITEED4qyi3</a>
&mdash; Michael Dorstewitz (@MikeDorstewitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeDorstewitz/status/1912196712027894009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I’ve been filing taxes for 38 years and never once had a IRS staff member assist me, on, after, or prior to tax day,&#8221; another pointed out.
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I’ve been filing taxes for 38 years and never once had a IRS staff member assist me, on, after, or prior to tax day. <a href="https://t.co/uKafXOJx0d">https://t.co/uKafXOJx0d</a>
&mdash; Rob O&#39;Donnell (@odonnell_r) <a href="https://twitter.com/odonnell_r/status/1912184360054202875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;How does the IRS staff help citizens of Virginia in need?&#8221; Scottie Nell Hughes asked. &#8220;The IRS doesn&#8217;t prepare or file taxes. It does target small businesses with expensive and time-wasting audits. I think you meant to say the Social Security Administration, but facts don&#8217;t matter as long as you are trying to demonize Trump, right?&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
How does the IRS staff help citizens of Virginia in need? The IRS doesn&#39;t prepare or file taxes. It does target small businesses with expensive and time-wasting audits. I think you meant to say the Social Security Administration, but facts don&#39;t matter as long as you are trying… <a href="https://t.co/calW1jbFJ3">https://t.co/calW1jbFJ3</a>
&mdash; Scottie Nell Hughes (@scottienhughes) <a href="https://twitter.com/scottienhughes/status/1912183662109503551?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I love it when Democrats are &#8216;on message,'&#8221; radio host Larry O&#8217;Connor said.
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I love it when Democrats are &quot;on message&quot; <a href="https://t.co/AZGbNgbo8y">https://t.co/AZGbNgbo8y</a>
&mdash; L A R R Y (@LarryOConnor) <a href="https://twitter.com/LarryOConnor/status/1912161088520478732?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Democrats: &#8216;How can we win back the working class?'&#8221; Doug Powers asked. &#8220;&#8216;Aggressively defend the IRS on tax day?&#8217; &#8216;Brilliant!'&#8221;
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Democrats: “How can we win back the working class?”
“Aggressively defend the IRS on tax day?”
“Brilliant!” <a href="https://t.co/d9mkMKqaRL">https://t.co/d9mkMKqaRL</a>
&mdash; Doug Powers (@ThePowersThatBe) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThePowersThatBe/status/1912146455973814518?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Virginia Gubernatorial Candidate Abigail Spanberger Speaks At An Everytown For Gun Safety Rally

Virginia Democrat Picks The Wrong [Tax] Day To Praise The IRS

Winsome Sears

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and two other nonprofit organizations have come under fire for allegedly implementing scholarship and career advancement programs that discriminate against white Americans, potentially violating federal law and jeopardizing their tax-exempt status.
The American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER) reported three organizations, the Gates Foundation, the Lagrant Foundation, and the Creative Capital Foundation, in <a href="https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2655691/American_Alliance_for_Equal_Rights_Files_Request_to_IRS.pdf?p=pdf">letters to the IRS</a>, claiming the nonprofits have &#8220;intentionally&#8221; discriminated against white people.
These cases of discrimination, AAER says, constitute &#8220;sufficient grounds&#8221; for the IRS to revoke the tax-exempt statuses of these three organizations.
Edward Blum, the president of the AAER, blasted the groups for engaging in race-based discrimination while enjoying public subsidies on account of their tax-exempt status. “Organizations that discriminate based on race—whether their intentions are benevolent or not—are not eligible for public subsidies through the tax code,” Blum asserted. “The IRS must act to uphold the law.”
The Gates Foundation, AAER says, is “intentionally discriminating against white students by excluding them from the tuition assistance and specialized support that it provides to students of every other race or ethnicity.” The foundation’s Gates Scholarship states that the program is a “highly selective, last dollar scholarship for outstanding, minority high school students” before listing acceptable racial and ethnic backgrounds in its eligibility requirements.
A 2022 video advertising the Gates Scholarship <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxxirXy4nA4">reaffirms</a> that only &#8220;low-income, minority students&#8221; are eligible. The program is only open to students who are &#8220;African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, or Native American.&#8221;
AAER also blasted the Lagrant Foundation, which it similarly accuses of engaging in race-based discrimination against whites.
The Lagrant Foundation partners with large corporations like Walmart, Microsoft, and Charles Schwab and seeks to “increase the number of ethnic minorities in the fields of advertising, marketing and public relations.” It lists the approved racial and ethnic backgrounds eligible for the program, which is limited to African Americans, Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, and Hispanics.
Another organization, called Creative Capital, teamed up with the leftist Skoll Foundation to similarly engage in discrimination, AAER claimed in its letter.
Skoll and Creative Capital, which provides funding to artists, worked alongside Kickstarter “to launch a $500,000 Creative Capital x Skoll Foundation Fund that backs projects by Asian, Black, Indigenous, and Latinx creators on the crowdfunding platform.”
Artists selected for the program were also given “access to Creative Capital’s vast educational resources and workshops at no-charge” and “strategic guidance” from “Kickstarter’s category experts.”
“These organizations are free to operate as they wish—but not with the public subsidy that tax-exempt status provides,” Blum charged. “Racial discrimination—whether in scholarships, professional development, or artistic grants—violates public policy and must not be underwritten by American taxpayers.”
The three nonprofits are far from the only organizations accused of openly engaging in blatant race-based discrimination in the name of DEI, however. One Massachusetts music nonprofit ran a “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/music-ensemble-hosts-bipoc-internship-barring-white-applicants-citing-systemic-allyship">BIPOC internship</a>” that similarly excluded white people, informing applicants that “we welcome Black, Indigenous, and other persons of color to apply.”
A wide range of corporations have also discriminated against white applicants, a series of Daily Wire investigations revealed. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nascar-takes-down-blatantly-illegal-racial-requirement-for-internship-after-daily-wire-report">NASCAR</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/major-bank-pharmaceutical-giant-participated-in-mckinsey-training-that-banned-white-people">McKinsey and Company</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/oracle-internship-scholarship-opportunities-bar-whites-and-asians-on-the-basis-of-race">Oracle</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/apple-entrepreneur-camp-program-bars-applicants-based-on-race">Apple</a>, and various other corporations appear to have engaged in openly discriminatory practices in the name of DEI.

Bill Gates

Bill Gates Foundation, Other Nonprofits Could Lose Tax-Exempt Status Over Anti-White Discrimination

Discrimination

Diversity

Social Issues

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