Congress revoked an additional $20 billion from the Internal Revenue Service last week when lawmakers averted a government shutdown, a cut that may undo many of President Joe Biden’s efforts to improve customer service at the tax agency and train fresh scrutiny on wealthy tax cheats.

Congress voted to avert a shutdown early Saturday morning after House GOP leaders dropped a demand from Donald Trump over the debt limit, highlighting the limits of the president-elect’s influence on Capitol Hill despite his position as leader of the party.

Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown, approving a last-gasp federal funding bill to cap a week whose events could reverberate throughout 2025 and Donald Trump’s second presidency. The House on Friday agreed to a bipartisan deal to punt a funding deadline to March 14,

The shutdown was averted on Friday after the House voted to back a new CR without the debt-ceiling increase Trump demanded.

Biden and congressional Democrats gave the IRS $80 billion in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, but Congress rescinded $20 billion as part of a 2023 budget deal.

However, Congress has passed legislation to pay service members during specific government shutdowns in the past.

The GOP assault on the revenue collecting agency's funding could exacerbate wait times and balloon the deficit