IRS’s $80 Billion Infusion Means More Audits in 2026 or 2027

The $80 billion cash injection the Internal Revenue Service has been promised over the coming decade is undeniably serious money, but it still amounts to little more than a lifeline for an agency eviscerated by years of Republican-led funding cuts.

Since 2010, the IRS has lost more than 23,000 workers—to 80,000 at the height of tax season this year—and it’s projected to shed another 50,000 in the next five years to retirement alone. Many of the losses have come from departments that help enforce tax laws and assist taxpayers in fulfilling their duties.

Although the Inflation Reduction Act signed ...