Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-14) issued the following statement after voting in favor of the Preventing IRS Abuse and Protecting Free Speech Act (H.R. 5053), legislation limiting the information that non-profits must report about donors on its annual filing:
“The IRS was out-of-control when Republicans took the House Majority in 2011. Its long list of misbehavior includes targeting private citizens and organizations based on political beliefs, a blatant violation of the First Amendment. While we’ve slashed the IRS’ budget by more than $1 billion and cracked down on its leadership over the last five years, we must continue keeping it on a short leash, especially when it comes to protecting the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens.
“This legislation will help hold the IRS accountable by eliminating the requirement that non-profits report donors to the IRS. It’s completely unnecessary for these organizations to report donors and, given the IRS’ past behavior, the legislation could prevent certain donors from being targeted for their beliefs.”
H.R. 5053 passed the House by a vote of 240 to 182.
Click HERE to read Rep. Graves’ op-ed on other steps he said Republicans have taken to hold the IRS accountable.