Administration sends $500 mil of Americans’ tax dollars to IRS to implement health care law

Click here to watch Sen. Barrasso’s remarks.

As Americans send their hard earned tax dollars to Washington this week, it’s clear that much of their money will pay for the President’s health spending law.

Instead of improving health care in our country, the Obama administration is devoting hundreds of millions of dollars to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to investigate whether or not Americans buy health insurance.  The Hill newspaper reported that the Obama Administration is quietly sending an additional $500 million to the IRS. 

Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) spoke out against the Obama Administration’s decision to spend millions of dollars to investigate Americans’ personal health care decisions.

Excerpts of Senator Barrasso’s remarks on the floor of the U.S. Senate:

“And so I come to the floor because it seems to me that instead of using much of the money to improve medical care in America, this administration is devoting hundreds of millions of dollars to whom? The Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.).

“In fact, ‘The Hill’ newspaper reported on April 9th of this year that the Obama administration is quietly sending an additional $500 million to the I.R.S., the Internal Revenue Service.

 “The money is transferred outside of the normal appropriations process, and that’s a concern.  And it goes to the very tax agency that is responsible to implement many of the key provisions of the health law.

“You would think that maybe you would have doctors and nurses implementing many of the provisions of the health law. No, we have the I.R.S. This includes the controversial and unprecedented mandate that all Americans must buy a government-approved product, health insurance.

“The Hill’ article goes on and it says that this Obama Health and Human Services department has to date transferred almost $200 million to the I.R.S. over the past two years and plans to send another $300 million this year.

“These secretive transfers hide the true cost of the health care law. They also make it difficult for Congress to perform the agency oversight that is part of our obligations.

“What does the I.R.S. Intend to do? They want to hire more than 300 new employees next year to implement the tax code changes such as the taxes imposed on drug companies, device manufacturers and health insurers.

“The I.R.S. also has to implement and monitor the law’s priciest component, the exchange subsidies. Congress is asked to fund another 537 new employees dedicated to administering just the subsidies.

“Last week, Mr. President, the Ways and Means Chairman, Chairman Camp, sent a letter to the I.R.S. Commissioner asking that the commissioner provide specific details about these reports. Chairman Camp specifically asked the I.R.S. Commissioner to tell the committee how many employees are being hired and which tax increases the agents will be working on.

“You know, the American people deserve to know how their dollars are being spent, where these tax dollars are being used, what the I.R.S. is doing with the money.

“They deserve to know because the health care law actually increases the I.R.S.’s power to insert itself into the American people’s lives.

“How is it that the health care law increases the I.R.S.’s power to insert itself into Americans’ lives?

“Well, by one, having the I.R.S. Verify that Americans have acceptable government-approved insurance. Also by having the I.R.S. penalize Americans if they do not have acceptable government-approved insurance.  Also, by having the I.R.S. confiscate Americans’ tax refund dollars if they don’t have government-approved insurance.  Finally, by having the I.R.S. having additional power in terms of auditing our American citizens’ lives.

“Mr. President, this is all included in the health care law. This is not health care reform. The I.R.S. should never be allowed to intrude into the private health care decisions of the American people.

“The American people deserve to know how this alleged $500 million transfer is being spent and how many additional I.R.S. Agents will be hired to investigate their private health care decisions.

“When Americans send their hard-earned dollars to Washington, they want to make sure that their money is being spent wisely.  The American people want to know that they are getting value for their tax dollars. They don’t want their dollars to create more bureaucracy and further invade their privacy.”

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