Donald Trump is echoing Richard Nixon’s tactics by attempting to use the IRS for political gain, including targeting tax-exempt statuses of universities. Trump’s actions bear resemblance to Nixon’s past strategies, which provoked Congressional action aimed at curbing such abuses after Watergate. The IRS faces pressures from the administration while simultaneously seeing severe job cuts, raising concerns about political targeting and effectiveness.
In a move strikingly reminiscent of Richard Nixon’s tactics, former President Donald Trump appears to be using the IRS for his own political agenda. It’s less a new tactic and more a revival of an old playbook, one Nixon himself championed over forty years ago. From targeting tax data to trace undocumented immigrants to threatening the tax-exempt status of elite universities like Harvard, Trump is blurring the lines of political propriety with alarming ease.
Nixon was fuming over university stances against the Vietnam War, claiming they were too lenient on protesting students. His frustrations led him to contemplate leveraging tax exemptions as punishment. Fast forward to today, and Trump echoes similar gripes about prestigious institutions like Harvard, criticizing them for not doing enough to quell protests around the Israel-Palestine conflict. Just recently, he declared on social media, “We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!”
Notably, Trump seems to forget that Congress enacted protective measures after Nixon left office to limit any president’s meddling with the IRS. Recorded Oval Office conversations from the Nixon era show he sought a brazenly loyal IRS leader to serve his exacting preferences. He was very clear: he wanted someone “ruthless” who would exclusively target his enemies, a chilling plan that understandably alarms many.
It didn’t work out perfectly back then though. Nixon’s attempts to mean-spiritedly use the IRS didn’t always hit the mark, although the intent certainly raised eyebrows in Congress. Experts warn today that Trump’s resurfacing of these tactics threatens to harm the very fabric of the IRS’s intended independence. Mike Kaercher, with the Tax Law Center at NYU, expresses concern, stating, “If the IRS is now forced to share data with people who it’s not supposed to, that increases the risks of political targeting.”
Last month, it was reported that the IRS made an agreement to share taxpayer data with immigration officials—a decision that’s already stirring trouble. Civil rights advocates are pushing back, fighting for a court order to stop such data-sharing agreements. A spokesperson from the Treasury defended the move as an effort to eliminate silos, but critics argue those barriers were erected precisely to guard against misuse like this.
High-profile figures keep finding themselves resigning from the IRS, reflecting the tumultuous relationship between the agency and the Trump administration, which is now on its fourth acting commissioner since January. Trump is leaning on Nixon’s infamous methods, demanding high-profile investigations into the tax status of institutions that offend him, consistently referring to Harvard as a “disgrace.”
By threatening to revoke tax exemptions, Trump is essentially reaching for a weapon against higher education institutions—much in the way Nixon aimed his crosshairs after his perceived enemies. But it’s not just political targeting that poses challenges; at the same time, the administration is effectively gutting the IRS, slashing jobs and resources — volunteers and auditors alike face the axe.
Many worry that this trend will come back to haunt everyone, as every dollar stripped from the agency could mean even more lost revenue for the federal budget. Joseph Thorndike provides a sobering reminder, saying, “A functioning, effective IRS is in all of our interests. Just starving the agency of staff, that really blows back immediately on taxpayers.”
So as Trump vocally challenges institutions that resist his agendas, one has to wonder what lasting impact all this political interference will have on the integrity of the IRS and taxpayers at large.
Original Source: www.npr.org
