Senate Finance Committee Republicans killed an amendment to a tax administration package that would have blocked President Donald Trump‘s audit immunity deal if the legislation were to become law.
The party-line vote was held during the panel’s first legislative markup this Congress on a bipartisan package of sweeping changes to tax collection procedure, administration, and due process. The amendment to the bipartisan legislation would have jeopardized the fixes, which represent the culmination of a multi-year project by the committee that addresses a range of tax administration and procedure issues at the IRS.
Ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) forced a vote on the amendment, which would bar the IRS from entering into tax audit immunity agreements for a sitting president, their family, or related entities.
“Our office has received more than 7000 messages from constituents expressing their opposition and anger,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). “We need to make clear to those law-abiding citizens that the well-connected are not above the law and they don’t get a free pass when it comes to compliance with our tax laws.”
The amendment also called for extending the statute of limitations allowing the IRS to audit Trump and his family in the future, while requiring the Treasury Department to report any related agreements to Congress.
Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) warned that if the amendment was added, the bill would have had a “much dimmer future.”