So, The IRS Got A Three Percent Increase In Funding From Last Year  

Matt Vespa / Townhall Tipsheet

 

After Congress passed a $1.1 trillion dollar spending bill, along with a $680 billion tax bill, conservatives railed that this was another instance of GOP capitulation to the Obama White House. Another thing that might irk them is that fact that the bill gave the IRS a three percent increase in funding. While it’s almost $2 billion shy of what the president wanted, the fact that this federal agency, which is still embroiled in controversy over the alleged targeting of conservative groups, is surely not a welcome piece of news (via The Hill):

The $1.1 trillion omnibus provides an additional $290 million for the IRS, an increase of 3 percent over the last fiscal year. 

Lawmakers specified that the additional funding is to be used for “taxpayer services to ensure that the agency responds to taxpayer questions in a timely manner, and to improve fraud detection and prevention and cybersecurity,” according to a summary from Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee.

The base funding level for the IRS was kept at about $10.9 billion.

The IRS had seen its funding repeatedly slashed since the controversy erupted over the agency’s heightened scrutiny of Tea Party groups.

In fiscal 2015, Republicans hit the IRS with a $346 million budget cut, pushing the agency’s overall funding lower than it had been in fiscal 2008. In fiscal 2014, the IRS received $526 million less than it had the year before that.

The omnibus law provides $1.7 billion less for the IRS than Obama had requested for the agency in his budget.

Obamacare Repeal Bill Could Reduce Deficit By Over $474 Billion  

Cortney O'Brien / Townhall Tipsheet

 

While liberals mock Republicans for their several failed attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, they overlook the fact that these conservatives may actually be doing so out of hopes of fixing our economy. The Senate’s latest anti-Obamacare bill for instance, the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, which passed on December 3, would help take a big chunk out of our deficit, the Congressional Budget Office reports.

According to the CBO, repealing ObamaCare's subsidies and Medicaid expansion would cut federal spending by almost $1.4 trillion over the next 10 years. And getting rid of its myriad tax hikes would reduce tax revenues by $1.1 trillion, resulting in $281 billion decrease in projected deficits over the next decade.

In total, the deficit reduction has the potential to rise to $474 billion, mainly because the economic growth would boost revenue, Investor's Business Daily explains.

Hm. Maybe those Republicans aren’t so crazy after all?

Obamacare’s negative effect on small businesses is all too obvious. The law requires employers with 51 to 100 employees to offer health insurance to their workers. Should they fail to do so, they can expect fines up to $3,000 a year. It seems employees will also face higher premiums, meaning many will be forced to buy insurance they can’t afford.

Yet, Republicans are the bullies for trying to scale back the damage.

On Friday, House Speaker Paul Ryan announced that the Obamacare repeal bill will be put up for a vote first thing when Congress returns next year.

Navy concludes Chattanooga jihad attack was inspired by foreign terrorists
By Ralph Sidway / Jihad Watch

 

Another setback for the Obama Ministry of Islamophilia, which recently was stunned by the Army ignoring the recommendations of its investigating officer and deciding that Bowe Bergdahl will face a general court martial for desertion and “misbehavior before the enemy”. The deserter Bergdahl, you will recall, was declared by the Obama administration to have “served the United […]
 
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Feds don’t know whereabouts of 9,500 immigrants with visas revoked for terrorism

Pamela Geller / Atlas Shrugs

But no worries, terror spox Obama says there is no “specific” terror threat to US, but calls for vigilance — he doesn’t say what for. Anything except jihad terror.

Americans are held hostage to Obama’s roiling chaos.

Feds can’t say whereabouts of those whose visas were revoked over terror threat, FOX News, December 19, 2015, (thanks to Creeping):

The Obama administration cannot be sure of the whereabouts of thousands of foreigners in the U.S. who had their visas revoked over terror concerns and other reasons, a State Department official acknowledged Thursday.

The admission, made at a House oversight hearing examining immigrant vetting in the wake of major terror attacks, drew a sharp rebuke from the...

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