President Donald Trump unveils a bold plan to halt IRS hiring and redirect resources to border security, sparking debate on tax reform and national security priorities.
Fewer people scrutinizing every tiny detail about your tax filing and more people watching the border. It makes sense, doesn’t it?
At a Glance
- Trump proposes reassigning nearly 90,000 potential IRS hires to border security duties
- A federal hiring freeze has been ordered, effective January 20, 2025
- Plans include creating an “External Revenue Service” for foreign-sourced revenue
- Proposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada if they don’t comply with US immigration policies
- Trump appointed former Rep. Billy Long to head the IRS, pending Senate confirmation
Trump’s Border Security Initiative
In a recent speech in Nevada, President Donald Trump announced a sweeping plan to halt new hires at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and redirect nearly 88,000 potential employees towards border security duties. This move, part of Trump’s ‘Save America’ agenda, aims to bolster national security while reducing the size of the federal government.
This is probably one of his best announcements yet.
Trump’s proposal capitalizes on the fact that some IRS agents are authorized to carry firearms, suggesting they would be suitable for border security roles.
“They hired, or tried to hire, 88,000 workers to go after you, and we’re in the process of developing a plan to either terminate all of them, or maybe we’ll move them to the border,” Trump stated.
The President has ordered a hiring freeze on Federal civilian employees, effective January 20, 2025. This freeze applies to all executive departments and agencies, regardless of funding sources, with specific exceptions for military personnel, positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, public safety, and the provision of essential benefits.
“By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order a freeze on the hiring of Federal civilian employees, to be applied throughout the executive branch,” the President’s order reads.
Trump’s plan also includes suspending funding disbursements from the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, aiming to terminate what he refers to as the “green new deal.” The IRS, which had planned to use $8.64 billion in new funding for hiring 7,239 enforcement staff during the 2023 and 2024 fiscal years, will be particularly affected by these changes.
As part of his broader economic strategy, Trump also announced plans to overhaul the federal government’s approach to trade and revenue collection.
“I will immediately begin the overhaul of our trade system to protect American workers and families,” Trump declared. This includes the creation of an “External Revenue Service” tasked with overseeing trade-related revenue collection.
The President also proposed implementing tariffs on Mexico and Canada if they don’t comply with US immigration policies. These tariffs could include a 25% tax on imports from these countries, starting as early as February 1st.
The next four years are going to be…wild.