@vanessawilliamson.bsky.social
Author of "The Price of Democracy: The Revolutionary Power of Taxation in American History." Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution & Tax Policy Center.
@donmoyn.bsky.socialReposted by @vanessawilliamson.bsky.socialHow to track the effects of Trump's mismanagement? Look at a) emergencies and b) big, public-facing agencies.
New at Can We Still Govern? @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social & Ellis Chen break down the data of the mess at IRS. 🧵
@vanessawilliamson.bsky.socialFor reference, IRS-CI started 2,667 investigations in FY24, identifying $9.1 B in fraud from tax and financial crimes.
@vanessawilliamson.bsky.socialNew data on use of IRS-CI on immigration & related task forces:
> 353,106 special agent hours spent
> Labor cost of ~$37 million
> Time equivalent of ~313 tax-related investigations.
@lilymasonphd.bsky.socialReposted by @vanessawilliamson.bsky.socialMy new JOD piece arguing against the “cure polarization” approach to saving democracy.
@brookings.eduReposted by @vanessawilliamson.bsky.socialThe new, expanded IRS Spotlight offers data, timelines, records, and more on federal tax administration developments and IRS performance. @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social shares a few highlights below.
@vanessawilliamson.bsky.socialAnyway, check out the new IRS Spotlight: www.brookings.edu/projects/the...
@vanessawilliamson.bsky.socialAll these data come from the new, expanded IRS Spotlight. The site also now features detailed, annotated timelines of changes at the agency since January 2025, including what we know about taxpayer data sharing between IRS and ICE.
@vanessawilliamson.bsky.socialLess than 20% of Treasury Department employees surveyed in fall 2025 expressed confidence that they could “report a suspected violation of a law, rule or regulation without experiencing retaliation.”
@vanessawilliamson.bsky.socialThe IRS is also being politicized. Sec. 7217 of the tax code prohibits White House officials from requesting the initiation or termination of tax audits, but White House officials have repeatedly attempted to interfere with nonpartisan and neutral tax enforcement.
@vanessawilliamson.bsky.socialThe effects on taxpayer services are serious. Call wait times are up and paperwork processing speeds are down.
@vanessawilliamson.bsky.socialOverall, the agency has lost about a quarter of its staff. It's a field day for tax cheats. The IRS has lost more than 30% of its revenue agents. The Civil Division Tax Litigation branch of the Department of Justice has seen a 30% to 40% decline in staffing.
@vanessawilliamson.bsky.socialThe absence of a commissioner is just the tip of the iceberg. We've seen nearly complete turnover among senior civil service IRS leadership; the bulwark of expertise protecting taxpayer privacy and fair tax enforcement is seriously eroded.
@vanessawilliamson.bsky.socialIt has been 193 days since we've had an IRS Commissioner. That position has never been vacant. Not once since 1862, when the Bureau of Internal Revenue began collecting the revenue to help the United States put down the Confederacy.
@factcoalition.bsky.socialReposted by @vanessawilliamson.bsky.socialJoin us on Sept 22 for "From Hidden Wealth to Public Trust – Reclaiming Our Democracy," an in-person and virtual discussion featuring @cjcmichel.bsky.social, @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social, @sarahpray.bsky.social, and @zorkamilin.bsky.social
Read more & RSVP here: thefactcoalition.org/democracy/
@vanessawilliamson.bsky.socialGreat news! The appeals court in Center for Taxpayer Rights v IRS is upholding the stay preventing IRS from sharing taxpayer data with ICE. "The Center is likely to succeed in demonstrating that the Data-Exchange Procedure is contrary to law," the court finds.
@cfpharmd.bsky.socialReposted by @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social
@vanessawilliamson.bsky.socialMy son lost his Smartrip card today and when we called @wmata.com they answered right away and were so helpful and now we have a new card with the balance transferred! Thank you!! ❤️🚂❤️ HOORAY PUBLIC TRANSIT
@vanessawilliamson.bsky.socialToday I saw a federal agent on duty wearing explicit Trump campaign gear (see the 45-47 on his sleeve). That's illegal.
