'Just dreamed that up': Jamie Raskin knocks Republicans over their latest attacks on the IRS

United States Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) on Wednesday blasted House Republicans over their opposition to improving the Internal Revenue Service, which has been plagued by staff shortages and antiquated technology.

"Thank you, Mr. Speaker. They complain about delay at the IRS, and then they oppose funding to assist the overwhelmed workforce at the IRS, which is staggering under the weight of all of these obligations," Raskin said.

GOP lawmakers have proposed legislation aimed at ending President Joe Biden's COVID-19 emergency powers and vaccine mandates for federal employees. Representative James Comer (R-Kentucky), the House Oversight Committee chair, argued that "Biden's unnecessary expansion of telework has crippled the ability of agencies to get their jobs done." Comer further stated that telework has "created massive backlogs," adding that "seniors have experienced delays with the Social Security Administration, American taxpayers have struggled to get help from the IRS during tax filing season and veterans have been unable to access the records."

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Raskin noted in his floor speech that Comer has not provided any evidence to support his assertions.

"So, you know, this is the first time I've heard that telework was the source of the problem, but apparently that's what it is this week. Of course, we haven't had a real hearing, so we've had no witnesses on it. So somebody has apparently just dreamed that up. It's just been linked to the debt ceiling," he said. Raskin also knocked Republicans for their hypocrisy regarding that very issue.

"Interesting that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle voted to lift the debt ceiling three different times under Donald Trump, who increased the debt of the United States by single-handedly by more than 20 percent," he recalled. "All of the debt of the United States under one president – more than 20 percent."

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