This marks the first bill passed by the GOP-controlled House this Congress.

The bill, which is unlikely to see action in the Democratic-controlled Senate, passed in a party-line 221-210 vote on Monday evening.

A boost of about $80 billion in IRS funding over a decade generally aimed at upping high-income enforcement was included in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act, Democrats’ sweeping tax, health and climate bill.

The Republican bill, formally titled the “Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act,” directs any “unobligated balances of amounts appropriated or otherwise made available” to the IRS from the Inflation Reduction Act to be rescinded.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated Monday that the legislation would eliminate about $71 billion of the total $80 billion that was allocated for the IRS but would reduce tax revenue by about $186 billion, translating to a $114 billion increase in deficits over the next decade.

Republicans have repeatedly falsely claimed the 87,000 new IRS employees, who would be added over the course of a decade, would be “agents.”

The 87,000 figure comes from a May 2021 Treasury Department compliance report estimating new hires over a decade with the $80 billion funding boost. But only a small portion of the department’s current employees are agents, and the department has said the figure accounts for other workers such as customer service representatives and computer scientists as well as replacements for the 52,000 employees expected to retire or resign within the next six years.

IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig said in an August letter to members of the Senate that the funds from the legislation would be used to up examination of large corporations and high-net-worth individuals and were not designed to raise enforcement for households making less than $400,000.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has also said that the agency would not increase audit rates for those taxpayers making less than $400,000.

Republicans, however, argued that the directives did not prohibit increased enforcement activities directed at middle- and low-income taxpayers, and pointed to a CBO analysis that said the funding boost would mean audit rates “rise for all taxpayers.” They also criticized the legislation for not allocating a larger portion to taxpayer services.

Representative Nick Langworthy voted for the bill, saying in a statement, “The problems facing the people of Western New York and the Southern Tier require a sense of urgency and that’s what they deserve from their representatives. I made a promise to protect taxpayers from an overzealous, politicized IRS and I delivered. The American people entrusted us with the Majority and it’s time we produce results. We are just getting started.”

The bill stand little chance in the Senate, and the White House said in a statement on Monday that President Biden would veto it if it came to his desk.

BPU Retool ’22 Conference Keynote Speaker Clint Wilder and MC Mike McKay (October 18, 2022)

We’re halfway through the transition to modern energy according to Retool ’22 Conference keynote speaker Clint Wilder.

Wilder is the Editorial Director for CleanEdge which is a developer and publisher of stock indexes tracking clean energy, transportation, water, and the grid.

Speaking at Northwest Arena Tuesday morning, Wilder cited five key drivers that are accelerating the transition from fossil fuel to alternative energies such as wind and solar power. He said the first driver is the dramatically declining costs of solar, wind and battery storage, “We have a major shift in investment dollars from fossil fuels into clean energy. Public support in poll after poll in the U.S., and I’ll have some more information about this, something like 70% of Americans support more resources and policy support for clean energy.”

Wilder said there has been an 85% drop in prices for solar and wind since 2010, which has made it competitive with natural gas.

Wilder said another driver is the development of the smart grid and electrification. He said smart grids support the way energy is digitized and stored, making for more efficient distribution. Wilder cited how California’s smart grid was able to handle a 10-day heatwave with no rolling blackouts as seen in the past.

He said policy support is another driver, seen in the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act; and Infrastructure and Jobs Act, “So this is the biggest federal support that we’ve ever seen by far to put resources behind growth of clean energy. It’s something that we advocates in the industry have been calling for, waiting for, for a long time and it’s finally happened.”

Wilder said these policies in the last two years have seen immediate impact with multi-billion dollar manufacturing investments being made in the United States.

The Jamestown BPU’s Retool ’22 Conference continues Wednesday and will feature keynote speaker John Ellis at the Northwest Arena. For more information, visit jamestownbpu.com

Democratic candidate Max Della Pia, League of Women Voters’ Marcia Merrins, and Republican candidate Joe Sempolinski

Around 50 people came out to hear what the men running in the special election for the 23rd Congressional District had to say at the Chautauqua County League of Women Voters‘ “Meet The Candidates” event Thursday night.

Democrat Max Della Pia and Republican Joe Sempolinski responded to a broad variety of questions submitted by the audience, with inflation being the first topic mentioned.

Sempolinski cited inflation being the most serious issue facing the district because it affects those with limited means the most, “People who are living paycheck to paycheck. People who are on fixed income. That’s the most important issue. And the way we deal with it is to stop the loose spending in Washington D.C. The so-called Inflation Reduction Act was just signed into law. It’ll do nothing of the sort. I would have been against that. My opponent would have been for it. I think it’s a clear distinction on the most important issue today.”

Della Pia, in support of the Inflation Reduction Act, said he believes it will reduce the United State’s dependence on foreign oil,reduce the country’s debt, and increase steps toward environmental protection.

Candidates were also asked if they’d support an assault weapons ban. Della Pia said what is considered an assault weapon needs to be defined given that virtually every deer rifle is semi-automatic. He said there are things that can be done, “Number one, universal background checks without exceptions for gun shows or exchanges between family members or friends; including a background check that includes if someone is on the no-fly list, if they’re domestic abusers, if they have mental issues. Number two, I think we need to have a national ban on large magazines, detachable magazines.”

Sempolinski said he would not support an assault weapons ban and said underlying causes for why mass shooting events happen need to be dealt with including mental health issues.

Early voting is currently underway for the special election with Tuesday, August 23 being the final special election and primary day for the 23rd Congressional District.

The full audio from the “Meet The Candidates” event is available here: