Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says Trump wants to abolish the IRS

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick revealed Wednesday evening that President Donald Trump’s goal was to abolish the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Lutnick also added that Trump wanted to create an External Revenue Service to oversee tariffs and other potential foreign revenue.

Lutnick’s remarks on Jesse Watters Primetime on Fox News came as the IRS was reportedly set to lay off 6,000 workers starting today. The reductions are expected to affect enforcement workers, who represent a large share of those recently hired. Trump’s administration wants to shrink the overall federal workforce by shedding new hires across agencies through layoffs.

Trump seeks to abolish the Internal Revenue Service  (IRS)

🚨 COMMERCE SEC. LUTNICK: "President Trump's goal is to ELIMINATE the Internal Revenue Service and let outsiders pay."

LFG! ABOLISH IRS! 🔥

"Imagine a Democrat Senator going against that? What planet are they on?" pic.twitter.com/iLWzPuh0hH

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 20, 2025

The Commerce Secretary also acknowledged that Elon Musk’s capacity as a senior White House adviser leading DOGE was going to cut $1 trillion in wasteful tax. He also added that Trump’s administration will get rid of all the tax scams that had been hammering against America. 

The CEO of BGC Group believes that Trump is focused on America and wants to drive down the country’s foreign waste abuse. Lutnick said that getting rid of tax scams will help them raise a trillion dollars in revenue.

Watters asked Lutnick if he was going to give the savings from DOGE cuts back to the American people. Lutnick replied that Trump’s goal was to abolish the IRS and let all the outsiders pay.

“Well, think about it. Donald Trump announced the External Revenue Service and his goal is very simple. To abolish the Internal Revenue Service and let all outsiders pay.”

– Howard Lutnick, U.S. Secretary of Commerce.

The Washington Post first confirmed on Sunday an IRS employee tied to Elon Musk’s DOGE team was seeking access to an IRS system that had sensitive taxpayer data. Trump signed an executive order that allowed Musk’s DOGE team to oversee government agencies and the federal workforce with the goal of mitigating bloat. 

DOGE’s team initiative has drawn several lawsuits accusing it of violating privacy laws regarding access to sensitive data. Three federal employees’ unions have retaliated by suing the Trump administration in an attempt to stop the Treasury from sharing confidential data with DOGE.

Senate confirms Lutnick to lead Trump’s Commerce Department

The Senate announced on Tuesday that Howard Lutnick will lead the Commerce Department after voting 51-45. Lultnick will oversee the agency and other subagencies, including the Census Bureau, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The billionaire’s new role positioned him to also lead Trump’s sweeping trade and tariff agenda. Lutnick also revealed he would bolster American innovation in artificial intelligence and help the U.S. compete with China in technological innovations. 

Republicans have welcomed Trump’s tariff strategy to boost the American industry despite some reservations over potential cost increase for consumers. Democrats bashed Trump’s administration and Lutnick during the confirmation process for heavily relying on tariffs. The Democrats argued that Trump’s tariff strategy will raise prices.

Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri highlighted on Tuesday night that DOGE employees were required to adhere to all federal laws related to privacy. The White House claimed that the department was simply trying to mitigate fraud in government databases.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed in an interview that Musk’s team was working within guardrails. Bessent also argued that DOGE wanted to modernize an outdated IT system and Americans “don’t have to be concerned about any of this.”

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky also maintained that anybody who looks at government data is bound by rules on privacy. Paul believes that the department has to look at the data to find the problems and that if anyone breaks the rules, they’ll get in trouble. Senate Majority Leader John Thune also conceded that there were concerns regarding the privacy of personal information. Thune also argued that it wasn’t unusual for the White House administration to have access to those types of government data records.

Trump also signed more executive orders on Air Force One on Wednesday evening, including one that terminates any federal taxpayer-funded benefits from going to or incentivizing migrants in the U.S. illegally.

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