IRS agents union endorses Kamala after Biden-Harris admin provides agency with more staffing

The government union that represents Internal Revenue Service agents, the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), has endorsed Kamla Harris and Tim Walz for president. The union cited, among other reasons, that Harris was part of the administration that gave the IRS more funding that brought in staffing and resources to tax Americans. 

According to a press release from the NTEU, union President Doreen Greenwald announced the endorsement after "extensive research into the candidates’ records regarding the federal workforce." Greenwald commented, “When it comes to treating federal employees with respect, valuing their service and investing in their work, Kamala Harris is the clear choice.” 

Greenwald added, “She shares our values and our commitment to making sure that the federal government works for all Americans. She has been a strong advocate for the issues that matter most to federal employees: fair pay, paid family leave, adequate agency funding and staffing, and robust collective bargaining rights." 

The press release cited that the Biden-Harris administration "delivered agency budgets that provide federal employees with additional staffing and resources, including significant new investments to rebuild the IRS under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)." Harris was the final tie-breaking vote to pass the IRA in the Senate, which Biden has said "has less to do with reducing inflation than it has to do with providing alternatives that generate economic growth."  

The bill helped to provide funding to give more staffing to the IRS, which ramped up audits earlier this year, per CBS News. The IRS has also introduced a new program to more effectively tax tip income under the Biden-Harris administration.  

Many investments in the IRA have been criticized as a green energy boondoggle bill. Although inflation has fallen since it was passed, most economists cite broader economic trends, per Investopedia. 

The press release also adds that Harris' "commitment to sign the 2024 bipartisan border bill and increase staffing so our members at Customs and Border Protection can do their jobs securing the border at the ports of entry are examples of her commitment to ensuring federal agencies are properly funded and staffed." The bipartisan border bill addressed in the press release did not end up passing earlier this year, but would still allow at least 1.4 million illegal immigrants in the country annually. It also has provisions to allow nearly any immigrant into the country if they cross the border via the CBP One app.