How YOU could decide how US taxpayer dollars are spent: Republican law could prevent trillions of dollars from going abroad
A Republican-led effort could soon allow taxpayers to decide whether to spend their money on projects in the U.S. or abroad.
The Spend It At Home Act would require the U.S. Treasury Department to include provisions in federal income tax forms allowing payers to decide whether they want their taxes to be used for domestic or international purposes.
It would also require the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to make that data public at the end of the year so that Americans can see where tax dollars are being spent.
“I have heard again and again from my constituents that they are tired of paying taxes to secure Ukraine’s borders while millions of aliens flood ours,” said Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, who introduced the bill. told DailyMail.com exclusively on Wednesday.
The Spend It At Home Act requires the IRS to add a provision to federal income tax forms that asks payers whether they want their taxes to be spent for domestic or international purposes
Rep. Tory Nehls, R-Texas, introduced the bill Wednesday, telling DailyMail.com he hopes data collected by the IRS on where payers choose to spend their taxes will better inform Congress about future spending decisions
Nehls and other like-minded conservatives have questioned how much money has been sent to other countries, such as Ukraine, because U.S. priorities have not received as much money.
“Requiring two boxes on the federal income tax form asking Americans whether they want to spend their hard-earned dollars at home or abroad is a simple solution to Chuck Schumer and others displaying Ukrainian flags on the floor of the House of Representatives , to show that we are not doing the will of the American people.”
“I always put America first, and I hope the data produced by this legislation will encourage my colleagues to do the same,” Nehls continued.
The bill’s introduction comes just weeks after Congress approved $95 billion in additional spending for U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific, specifically Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel.
Many hardline conservatives like Nehls voted against aid to the countries in conflict, saying the deal “put America last” and did nothing to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.
Shortly after the bill passed on April 20, Democrats in the House of Representatives began waving miniature Ukrainian flags on the chamber floor.
This disgusted many in the Republican House and led Rep. Anna Paulina Luna to reprimand the liberals, saying, “Get rid of those damn flags.”
Under the new bill, the Secretary of the Treasury shall ensure that each federal income tax form contains a provision that allows the taxpayer to indicate whether the federal income taxes paid by the taxpayer with respect to the taxable year to which such tax form relates must be used by the federal government for domestic or international purposes.”
The measure is also co-sponsored by Republican Rep. Barry Moore of Alabama.
“Nearly half of American taxpayers have said the federal government is sending too much money to Ukraine, but President Biden and the uniparty simply defied them and sent another $61 billion anyway,” Moore told DailyMail.com in a statement .
The US has sent more than $100 billion to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in 2022, much of it for weapons systems such as the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), shown above.
“This legislation gives taxpayers the opportunity to have their voice heard about where their hard-earned money is spent,” Moore continued.
Interestingly, the bill would be paid by clawing back money allocated to an additional 87,000 IRS agents in President Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act.
According to Nehls’ office, some of the funding intended for the IRS auditors has not yet been spent, and because it is not mandatory, it could be made available to pay for the Spend It At Home Act.