On Aug. 16, President Joe Biden signed H.R. 5376, a health care and climate bill that increases Internal Revenue Service hires, invests in clean energy and lowers the cost of prescription drugs for seniors, among other things. But some social media users misinterpreted provisions of the legislation.
A Facebook post shared Aug. 15 by Wesley Smith, who lost the Republican primary for Missouri's 2nd Congressional District, shows a man dressed in a Nazi SS uniform, which is labeled with the text "IRS New Uniforms coming soon."
The caption reads: "87,000 more soldiers to investigate and prosecute American citizens. All while raising taxes on those who make $30,000 or more."
The post generated more than 600 shares in less than a week.
But the claim is baseless on several fronts.
The Treasury Department, the IRS' parent organization, has not yet released a finalized plan on how many IRS employees it will hire with the legislation's funds. And tax policy experts told USA TODAY a majority of the hires will not be special agents, as the post implies.
The legislation does not increase individual tax rates either, according to a Treasury Department spokesperson.
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USA TODAY reached out to Smith and the social media users who shared the claim for comment.
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