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

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.

Biden and congressional Democrats gave the IRS $80 billion in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, but Congress rescinded $20 billion as part of a 2023 budget deal.

Amid the chaos of the shutdown fight, Republicans snuck in a passage to gut funding for the IRS. And Democrats didn’t catch it.