Last week, the NY Times ran a piece by Andrew Duehren, Stalled Audits and a Skeleton Staff: Inside Trump’s War on the IRS, about how the billionaire class is working to end progressive taxation. Just for the record, progressive taxation is a system where the tax rate increases as an individual's income rises, meaning higher earners pay a larger percentage of their income in taxes. This aims to reduce income inequality by placing a greater burden on those who can afford it. In contrast, regressive taxation imposes a higher relative burden on lower earners, as the tax rate decreases as income increases or remains flat (e.g., sales taxes), disproportionately affecting those with less income. Class war in this country has largely been fought on that battlefield. And now, with Trump in the White House and conservatives dominating Congress, guess which side is moving to lock in its perspective.
For a little historical context, the battle for progressive taxation spans centuries, marked by shifts in economic philosophy and political power. Initially, the young republic relied on regressive taxes like tariffs and excise duties, which hit lower-income groups hardest. The Civil War brought the first federal income tax in 1861, mildly progressive but short-lived, expiring in 1872. Rising wealth inequality in the late 19th century spurred Populist and Progressive movements, culminating in the 16th Amendment’s ratification in 1913, which infuriated the self-styled aristocratic elites by legalizing a federal income tax. Rates started low but soared during World War II, with top marginal rates topping 90% into the 1950s to support war and recovery efforts. The tide turned in the 1980s under Reagan, favoring drastically lower, less progressive rates.
Duehren explained how Trump and Musk immediately went after the IRS’ department that deals with holding corporations and the wealthiest Americans accountable for paying their taxes. Thousands were fired as soon as Trump and DOGE got their sea legs. Work-intensive investigations into large businesses and rich Americans are meant to decline, precisely what the billionaire class was aiming at in getting behind Trump. The Trump-Musk regime “is preparing budget cuts and further layoffs that could ultimately force the I.R.S. to shed as much as half of its 100,000-person work force— a drastic reduction that could mean many Americans face less scrutiny, and receive less help, on their taxes. At the same time, Trump is asserting more political control over an agency that has historically been insulated from changes in leadership at the White House. Soon after the election, Trump chose Billy Long, a former Republican congressman and vocal supporter of the president, to lead the I.R.S. The choice of Mr. Long was unusual. He’d never run a large organization and his only background in tax consisted of pitching small businesses on a fraud-riddled tax credit. And by deciding to replace Daniel Werfel. Then the head of the IRS, years before the end of his term in 2027, Trump was upending the norm that commissioners of the I.R.S. stay in the role even as a new president comes into office.”
Recent polling shows Trump and Musk— and congressional Republicans— out of touch with the public. All public polling shows voters want to see wealthy Americans’ taxes go up, not down. This one from Navigator Research, for example couldn’t be clearer:
Even Republican voters want the richest Americans to pay more! Yesterday, CNN reported about how DOGE is using chaos and intimidation to dismantle the ability of the IRS to collect taxes. “Within minutes of showing up,” wrote Rene Marsh and Marshall Cohen, “a twenty-something software engineer dispatched from DOGE began demanding access to the tax collection agency’s most protected internal databases— first the IT systems and then one containing the personal and financial data for millions of American taxpayers and another system housing IRS contracts. Another DOGE staffer sought to shut down nearly all of IRS’s congressionally funded programs and initiatives planned for this fiscal year— many aimed at modernizing the agency and improving the tax filing process.”
They reported that “A CNN/SSRS poll released last week found that 62% of Americans are worried that Trump’s cuts to the federal government will go too far and lead to important programs being shut down. Only 37% said they’re more worried that the cuts won’t go far enough to eliminate fraud and waste.”
Republicans think they’ve secured the billionaire class’ gratitude, but they’ve alienated the vast majority of voters in the process. The GOP’s war on the IRS, like its broader economic agenda, isn’t just unpopular— it’s politically toxic. The same CNN poll found that independent voters, a crucial swing bloc for about 2 dozen House districts, overwhelmingly oppose gutting the IRS to benefit the ultra-wealthy. Even among self-identified conservatives, support for making the richest Americans pay more remains strong.
As voters feel the consequences— longer tax refund delays, increased audits of working-class families while billionaires skate by, and the erosion of public services funded by tax revenue— resentment will only grow. Democrats, if they’re smart, will hammer this issue relentlessly (although not with compromised leaders like Schumer). Trump and his cronies aren’t just cutting taxes for the rich; they’re rigging the entire system to make sure billionaires never pay anything approaching their fair share again. That’s not just an economic betrayal— it’s a long-term political miscalculation, especially in states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona.
If Democrats successfully tie this to Republican members of Congress who are voting for it in omnibus-type bills, it would mean political extinction for GOP Houseincumbents like Tom Kean (NJ), David Valadao (CA), Ken Calvert (CA), Juan Ciscomani (AZ), Gave Evans (CO), Scott Perry (PA), Jen Kiggans (VA), Bryan Steil (WI)Zach Nunn (IA), Tom Barrett (MI), Dave Schweikert (AZ), Mike Lawler (NY), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA), John James (MI), Carlos Gimenez (FL), Don Bacon (NE), Ryan Mackenzie (PA), Derrick Van Orden (WI), Rob Bresnahan (PA), Young Kim (CA), Bill Huizenga (MI), Laurel Lee (FL), Monica De La Cruz (TX), Maria Salazar (FL), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Anna Paulina Luna (FL), Kevin Kiley (CA), Corey Mills (FL), Nick LaLota (NY). Of course, abysmal DCCC recruitment has long protected Republicans and there’s no reason to think that’s going to change any time soon. Garbage sacks filled with loser candidates like Rudy Salas (CA), Rebecca Cooke (WI), Marlene Woods (AZ)… have already started announcing that they’re running again.
