[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 11919]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, to understand what is wrong with 
American politics, especially the dysfunctional Republican House of 
Representatives, look no further than the spectacle surrounding the IRS 
and the impeachment of its Commissioner.
  The Internal Revenue Service impacts 150 million American taxpayers 
every year, virtually every family and all legal businesses. This is 
how we finance essential services, from Social Security to medical 
research, our national defense, national parks, veterans' services, and 
so much more. Everything that matters to Americans depends on the 
ability to finance government efficiently and fairly.
  Look, Americans from the dawn of the Republic have chafed at paying 
taxes, continuing a tradition that dates back to Biblical times, and 
almost everybody says they hate the IRS, which is the cheapest, 
quickest political applause line for any politician. Yet, over the 
years, we have managed to collect money that allows us to win wars, 
struggle through depressions, and provide what used to be some of the 
finest public services on the face of the planet.
  Yes, the Internal Revenue Service administers a hopelessly complex, 
convoluted, and unfair Tax Code because that is what the American 
Congress has given them to work with. Congress created this mess and 
then blames the people who try to administer it.
  If we are ever to make the IRS better, more efficient, and fairer, it 
is going to require a degree of cooperation, candor, and hard work. The 
current spectacle of destroying the reputation of a distinguished 
public servant, an accomplished businessman, is going to make that task 
even harder.
  Make no mistake. The treatment of John Koskinen, with the possibility 
of being the first Cabinet official impeached in nearly 140 years, is 
not just embarrassing for the people who are perpetrating it; it 
represents a threat to the ability to administer the IRS.
  John Koskinen came to this position after a lifetime of success in 
business as a turnaround expert at the highest levels as well as in 
public service, holding senior positions in both Republican and 
Democratic administrations. The Bush administration turned to him to 
prevent the implosion of the housing finance giant, Freddie Mac, and he 
spent 3 years guiding and rebuilding it.
  There is absolutely no evidence that he did anything wrong. The 
Republican inspector general, a former Republican staff member, found 
nothing wrong. This impeachment action is going nowhere in the Senate. 
It has got to be an embarrassment for the Speaker, committee chairmen, 
and Republicans everywhere. It only serves to highlight ideological 
divisions, lack of respect for due process, and the exaggerated power 
of the Republican echo chamber of rightwing talk radio.
  But it does more than add to disdain for the political process. It is 
a cloud over public service. While people claim we don't need the IRS 
or that our tax filing can be reduced to a postcard and that we can 
generate all the money we need with reduced tax rates and more 
exemptions, it is a fantasy that any responsible Republican 
businessperson or independent economist will verify.
  Going down this impeachment path will make it harder to recruit 
somebody for the hardest job in government and will only deepen the 
divides at a time when we need clear thinking and nonpartisan 
cooperation to fix a broken IRS, establish the trust and hard work to 
make the mechanics of revenue collection work, and avoid the breakdown 
of the system.
  This is playing with fire and should be beneath America's elected 
officials. Tarnishing the stellar reputation of an outstanding citizen 
who is doing his country a favor by volunteering to take this thankless 
task is simply something that should not be tolerated.

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