By now, most Nebraskans are familiar with a series of alarming news reports regarding a disturbing pattern of government overreach. In the past week, a series of scandals has developed and is now embroiling Washington, D.C.
On May 10, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) admitted to deliberately targeting and delaying the applications of conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status. This practice included flagging groups concerned about “government spending” and “debt.” The organizations were forced to hand over inordinate amounts of information, including Facebook posts and donor lists – some of which was wrongly released to third parties.
It has been reported that the targeting of these Americans – and muffling of their voices on the pressing issues facing our country – began in 2010.
A report released by the Department of Treasury’s Inspector General confirms the applications were slow-tracked. According to the report, “No work was completed on the majority of these applications for 13 months” and “all applications that were forwarded to the team of specialists experienced substantial delays in processing” – an average delay of 574 days compared to 238 days for other nonprofit applications.
This is absolutely unacceptable.
As the federal agency tasked with administering the U.S. tax code, the IRS has an extraordinary influence on the lives of Americans from all walks of life and points of view. Citizens have the unconditional right to expect the IRS to be free from political influence, with taxpayers treated fairly and enforcement carried out in an unbiased manner.
A Washington Post editorial rightly noted, “Any unequal application of the law based on ideological viewpoint is unpardonable – toxic to the legitimacy of the government's vast law-enforcement authority.”
Despite their awareness, top-level IRS officials failed time after time to disclose the targeting and little effort was made to end the abusive practice. Even during the process of admitting wrongdoing, the IRS continued to engage in cover-ups and half-truths.
The resignation of acting IRS Commissioner, Steven Miller, is a first step, but I believe the president must do more than simply asking for the resignation of one official if he intends to restore public trust.
Congress plans to hold a series of hearings to ensure all responsible are removed from their positions; policies enabling the gross abuse of power must also be changed. Only then can we reform this broken bureaucratic institution.
We also learned this week that the Department of Justice secretly seized the phone records of more than 100 Associated Press journalists – some of whom used phone lines in the House of Representatives press gallery.
The breathtaking scope of such intrusion upon the press is simply unprecedented. A free and unfettered press is critical to a properly functioning democracy. As Democrat Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren noted, “Reporters who might have previously believed that a confidential source would speak to them would no longer have that level of confidence, because those confidential sources are now going to be chilled in their relationship with the press.”
It seems that everywhere Americans look, we find the heavy hand of government increasingly curbing the rights and liberties of citizens.
We see it in the EPA’s disclosure of classified information of cattlemen to activist environmental groups. News reports also reveal the EPA routinely grants fee waivers for Freedom of Information Act requests to green groups while denying them to other organizations – another example of political bias.
And we see the government’s heavy hand in its lack of forthrightness regarding the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.
This series of revelations completely undermines confidence in the government’s ability to carry out its responsibilities in a manner worthy of the public’s trust. To restore trust, we need more than a spectator president. The American people demand accountability – and deserve nothing less.
Thank you for participating in the democratic process, and I’ll visit with you again next week.
Deb Fischer
United States Senator
It has been reported that the targeting of these Americans – and muffling of their voices on the pressing issues facing our country – began in 2010.
A report released by the Department of Treasury’s Inspector General confirms the applications were slow-tracked. According to the report, “No work was completed on the majority of these applications for 13 months” and “all applications that were forwarded to the team of specialists experienced substantial delays in processing” – an average delay of 574 days compared to 238 days for other nonprofit applications.
This is absolutely unacceptable.
As the federal agency tasked with administering the U.S. tax code, the IRS has an extraordinary influence on the lives of Americans from all walks of life and points of view. Citizens have the unconditional right to expect the IRS to be free from political influence, with taxpayers treated fairly and enforcement carried out in an unbiased manner.
A Washington Post editorial rightly noted, “Any unequal application of the law based on ideological viewpoint is unpardonable – toxic to the legitimacy of the government's vast law-enforcement authority.”
Despite their awareness, top-level IRS officials failed time after time to disclose the targeting and little effort was made to end the abusive practice. Even during the process of admitting wrongdoing, the IRS continued to engage in cover-ups and half-truths.
The resignation of acting IRS Commissioner, Steven Miller, is a first step, but I believe the president must do more than simply asking for the resignation of one official if he intends to restore public trust.
Congress plans to hold a series of hearings to ensure all responsible are removed from their positions; policies enabling the gross abuse of power must also be changed. Only then can we reform this broken bureaucratic institution.
We also learned this week that the Department of Justice secretly seized the phone records of more than 100 Associated Press journalists – some of whom used phone lines in the House of Representatives press gallery.
The breathtaking scope of such intrusion upon the press is simply unprecedented. A free and unfettered press is critical to a properly functioning democracy. As Democrat Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren noted, “Reporters who might have previously believed that a confidential source would speak to them would no longer have that level of confidence, because those confidential sources are now going to be chilled in their relationship with the press.”
It seems that everywhere Americans look, we find the heavy hand of government increasingly curbing the rights and liberties of citizens.
We see it in the EPA’s disclosure of classified information of cattlemen to activist environmental groups. News reports also reveal the EPA routinely grants fee waivers for Freedom of Information Act requests to green groups while denying them to other organizations – another example of political bias.
And we see the government’s heavy hand in its lack of forthrightness regarding the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.
This series of revelations completely undermines confidence in the government’s ability to carry out its responsibilities in a manner worthy of the public’s trust. To restore trust, we need more than a spectator president. The American people demand accountability – and deserve nothing less.
Thank you for participating in the democratic process, and I’ll visit with you again next week.
Deb Fischer
United States Senator
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