Congress raids IRS enforcement to fund border wall, defunding tax audits
S. 481 — Securing our Border Act · Filed by Tim Scott (R-SC) · 4 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 6, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill redirects unspent IRS enforcement funds to border security: one-third to scanning technology at border ports, two-thirds to border wall construction. It also authorizes up to $15,000 recruitment bonuses and 15% retention/relocation bonuses for border agents, and modifies asylum procedures to allow faster deportation of migrants from contiguous countries without full hearings.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a reprogramming of IRS enforcement funds to border security—a substantive policy rider unrelated to the stated border-security framing. The title 'Securing our Border Act' obscures that the primary fiscal mechanism is a raid on tax enforcement, not a new appropriation.
- Reprogramming unobligated IRS enforcement balances (from Inflation Reduction Act) to border spending is substantively unrelated to border security policy itself; it is a fiscal rider that defunds tax compliance.
What the text implies
- Diverting IRS enforcement funds reduces the government's capacity to audit high-income earners and corporations, potentially increasing tax evasion and reducing federal revenue by billions over the 10-year window (2024–2034).
- The bill does not specify which IRS enforcement programs lose funding, creating uncertainty about whether audits of wealthy individuals, corporate tax compliance, or both are reduced.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
border wall construction contractors; scanning technology vendors (radiation portal monitor manufacturers); U.S. Customs and Border Protection (agency budget increase)