IRS unit gets no funds to enforce sanctions on rich Russians

By FATIMA HUSSEIN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS criminal investigation arm tasked with tracking down sanctioned Russian oligarchs’ property failed to receive an infusion of money in the Ukraine aid package. This appears to be because of broader reluctance by Republicans to put more money into IRS enforcement actions. Republicans close to the spending bill negotiations said the mission of the IRS should be to administer and enforce the U.S. tax code, not to enforce sanctions. The White House requested $30 million to trace financial activities associated with sanctioned people. Many of the sanctions levied on Russia’s elite and its Central Bank are imposed by the U.S. Treasury Department and its various enforcement arms, including those at the IRS.