Cancel the IRS Agreement That Protects Trump From Tax Audits

THE IRS SETTLEMENT MUST NOT STAND As a constituent, I urge you to oppose the Trump-IRS settlement addendum restricting certain Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audits involving Donald Trump, his family, and affiliated businesses. Whatever one’s views of the President, no taxpayer should receive special protection from tax enforcement. ONE TAX SYSTEM MUST APPLY TO EVERYONE The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the Anti-Weaponization Fund as part of the settlement of Trump v. IRS and said it would receive $1.776 billion from the Judgment Fund. DOJ then issued an addendum barring the IRS from pursuing covered audits involving Trump-related people and businesses. This represents a significant departure from principles of independent tax administration and raises serious questions under federal limits on political interference in tax enforcement. CONGRESS MUST DEFEND IRS INDEPENDENCE Federal law protects tax administration from political interference. If executive branch officials can use settlement language to restrict audits involving a sitting president, tax law becomes negotiable for the powerful and binding only on everyone else. The integrity of the tax system depends on the principle that every taxpayer is subject to the same rules and the same enforcement mechanisms. THE AUDIT SHIELD COULD BE WORTH MILLIONS The value of this audit shield cannot be calculated from public information because no one knows what future audits might have found. But any foreclosed audit could have produced additional taxes, penalties, interest, or enforcement actions. Even if no tax was ultimately owed, avoiding years of audits, document production, legal fees, accounting costs, and public scrutiny is a substantial benefit unavailable to ordinary taxpayers. IF THIS STANDS, FUTURE PRESIDENTS WILL TRY IT AGAIN Congress should not treat this matter as resolved because the compensation fund may no longer move forward. Reports indicate that the audit-protection provisions remain in effect. If Congress permits this arrangement to stand, future presidents may seek similar protections from tax scrutiny. Presidents must obey tax law, not negotiate special protection from it. The question is not whether one supports or opposes this President. The question is whether the same tax laws apply to everyone. THE INTEGRITY OF THE TAX SYSTEM REQUIRES ACTION (1) SPEAK OUT. Publicly oppose the Trump-IRS settlement addendum and state clearly that no president may obtain special protection from tax enforcement. (2) HOLD HEARINGS. Require sworn testimony from Department of Justice, Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service, and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration officials about who approved the addendum, what audits were affected, and whether any law, regulation, or tax-administration practice was violated. (3) OVERRIDE THE DEAL. Pass legislation declaring that no settlement may restrict Internal Revenue Service audits or enforcement actions involving a president, vice president, their families, their businesses, or entities they control unless Congress expressly authorizes that result. (4) RELEASE RECORDS. Require public release of settlement documents, addenda, ethics reviews, legal opinions, and approval memoranda, with narrow redactions for taxpayer privacy. Thank you.