Friday, December 19, 2025

Trump IRS Eases Paperwork Burden Related to Tips, Overtime.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of the Treasury announced penalty relief for employers regarding new reporting requirements on cash tips and qualified overtime compensation under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) for the 2025 tax year.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The IRS, the Department of the Treasury, and employers, particularly in tipped industries such as hospitality.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The announcement applies to the 2025 tax year and was made following the signing of the OBBB into law in July 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Tax year 2025 will be treated as a transition period for IRS enforcement and administration of the new information reporting requirements for cash tips and qualified overtime compensation under the OBBB.” – IRS Official Release

🎯IMPACT: Employers will not face penalties for failing to meet the new requirements in 2025, but full enforcement will begin in 2026.

IN FULL

In a move to ease burdens on businesses, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of the Treasury have granted penalty relief for the 2025 tax year for employers regarding new reporting requirements on cash tips and qualified overtime compensation under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB). Signed into law by President Donald J. Trump in July 2025, the OBBB mandates that employers report specifics on cash tips and qualified overtime pay using forms like the W-2 and 1099.

With many companies—especially in service sectors reliant on tips—still scrambling to update their processes and paperwork, the IRS has labeled 2025 a grace period. During this time, no fines will be imposed for shortcomings in compliance.

Specifically, employers won’t be penalized for not isolating cash tips in reports, failing to note the occupations of tip earners, or leaving out aggregate qualified overtime figures for staff. To support workers’ deduction claims, the IRS urges businesses to share details like job codes and itemized tips or overtime through digital platforms or simple written notices.

In an official statement, the IRS explained: “Forms W-2 and 1099 for tax year 2025 will not be updated to account for the OBBB-related changes. Therefore, tax year 2025 will be treated as a transition period for IRS enforcement and administration of the new information reporting requirements for cash tips and qualified overtime compensation under the OBBB.”

This waiver is limited to 2025. From 2026 onward, full penalties will apply for non-adherence to the reporting rules. The IRS also plans to release further instructions to assist filers in deducting eligible tips and overtime when submitting their 2025 returns next year.

Image by Alpha Photo.

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Republicans Move to End Tax-Exempt Status for CAIR, Other Groups With Islamist Terror Connections.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) introduced legislation to strip tax-exempt status from groups with ties to terrorism.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Rep. Chip Roy, organizations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

📍WHEN & WHERE: Legislation introduced Tuesday; focusing on U.S.-based organizations with ties to terrorism.

đź’¬KEY QUOTE: “It is absurd that the U.S. has provided organizations with ties to terrorism tax-exempt status in the U.S.—resulting in the American people inadvertently subsidizing terror against themselves.” – Chip Roy

🎯IMPACT: The bill aims to cut off financial advantages for groups exploiting tax exemptions while maintaining ties to terrorism.

IN FULL

Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) has introduced legislation that would prevent American taxpayers from “inadvertently subsidizing” groups with ties to terrorism. Filed on Tuesday, the No Tax Exemptions for Terror Act would prevent organizations linked to extremist groups, such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), from attaining tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

“It is absurd that the U.S. has provided organizations with ties to terrorism tax-exempt status in the U.S.—resulting in the American people inadvertently subsidizing terror against themselves,” Roy told the media, adding: “It is ridiculous, and we should have ended this long ago.”

The bill specifically targets groups that exploit charitable tax exemptions while maintaining connections to terrorism. For example, CAIR, which defines itself as a charity, was identified by the FBI as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2007 Holy Land Foundation investigation. Evidence from that case demonstrated CAIR’s founders participated in a meeting with Hamas supporters in 1993.

“No organization with ties to terrorism should receive a tax benefit,” Roy said. “For example, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) should immediately be stripped of their 501(c)(3) status.” He further noted, “CAIR has ties with Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and other extremist organizations that routinely use violence and commit horrific acts to advance their political agenda.”

Roy also pointed out that CAIR’s national executive director praised Hamas’ October 7 attacks against Israel, calling it another example of why such organizations should lose their tax-exempt status. “This must end,” he stated.

The National Pulse reported on Monday that CAIR is one of the dark money funders of Zohran Mamdani, the Democrats’ socialist candidate for New York City mayor. Campaign finance records show the group—with alleged ties to Islamic extremists—both directly and indirectly funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to Mamdani’s mayoral campaign over the last year.

In addition, Muslim activist Linda Sarsour claims CAIR has been instrumental in pushing the broader American Mulsim community to contribute to Mamdani, making its impact far larger than data suggests.

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IRS to Furlough Half Its Staff as Democrats’ Government Shutdown Continues.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced it will furlough nearly half of its workforce as the government shutdown continues into its second week.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The IRS, President Donald J. Trump, Senate Democrats, and the National Treasury Employees Union.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Announced on Wednesday, as the shutdown entered its second week, affecting IRS operations nationwide.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Taxpayers around the country will now have a much harder time getting the assistance they need, just as they get ready to file their extension returns due next week.” – Doreen Greenwald, National Treasury Employees Union President.

🎯IMPACT: Taxpayers face delays, increased wait times, and backlogs while IRS operations are curtailed.

IN FULL

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced that nearly half of its workforce will be furloughed as the government shutdown continues into its second week. According to an updated contingency plan posted on the agency’s website, only 39,870 employees, or 53.6 percent of its workforce, will remain on the job. Most IRS operations are now closed.

The shutdown stems from Senate Democrats blocking six attempts to pass a short-term federal funding measure. The agency’s initial contingency plan allowed operations to continue for the first five business days using funds from previous appropriations. However, the ongoing shutdown has forced the IRS to scale back its workforce significantly.

Doreen Greenwald, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, warned that taxpayers should expect delays. “Taxpayers around the country will now have a much harder time getting the assistance they need, just as they get ready to file their extension returns due next week,” she stated. Greenwald also emphasized that the growing backlog of work will frustrate taxpayers further as the shutdown persists.

The notice to IRS workers confirmed that furloughed employees and those remaining on the job will receive back pay once the shutdown ends. However, the Trump administration recently cautioned that there is no guarantee of back pay for federal workers during a shutdown unless Congress explicitly appropriates money for the back pay. Last week, the administration estimated that approximately 750,000 federal employees across various agencies would be furloughed, with some potentially losing their jobs.

The IRS, which employed roughly 100,000 workers at the end of 2024, has seen its workforce reduced to around 75,000 as a result of mass layoffs earlier this year.

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Social Security Chief Frank Bisignano Takes Dual Role as IRS CEO.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appointed Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano as CEO of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), a newly created position.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Scott Bessent, Frank Bisignano, and the Treasury Department.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Announcement made Monday; roles involve the IRS and Social Security Administration.

đź’¬KEY QUOTE: Sec. Bessent said that Bisignano “[H]as already made important and substantial progress [at the SSA], and we are pleased that he will bring this expertise to the IRS as we sharpen our focus on collections, privacy, and customer service in order to deliver better outcomes for hardworking Americans.”

🎯IMPACT: Bisignano will oversee daily IRS operations while continuing as SSA Commissioner.

IN FULL

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday announced the appointment of Frank Bisignano, the current Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner, to a newly created role as CEO of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The position is designed to manage the daily operations of the tax agency.

The Treasury Department explained that Bisignano will continue his responsibilities at the SSA while taking on the additional leadership role at the IRS. Bessent remarked, “The IRS and SSA share many of the same technological and customer service goals. This makes Mr. Bisignano a natural choice for this role.”

Sec. Bessent continued, stating that Bisignano “has already made important and substantial progress [at the SSA], and we are pleased that he will bring this expertise to the IRS as we sharpen our focus on collections, privacy, and customer service in order to deliver better outcomes for hardworking Americans.”

This appointment follows a series of leadership changes at the IRS. The agency’s most recent commissioner, Billy Long, a former auctioneer and congressman, resigned in August after just two months in the position.

Bisignano, prior to his government service, held roles as a Wall Street executive and served as CEO of Fiserv, a financial services and payments company. In his new role as IRS CEO, he will report directly to Bessent, who remains the acting IRS commissioner.

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