Senator Joni Ernst is pushing new legislation aimed at IRS employees who are delinquent on their own taxes, following an audit that found nearly 6,000 agency workers either owe overdue taxes or have failed to file.

The findings were raised during an exchange with Stuart Varney, who asked Ernst what she plans to do in response.

"Your audit of the IRS reveals nearly 6,000 IRS employees who owe close to 50 million in overdue taxes. What are you going to do about it?" Varney asked.

Ernst said she has introduced legislation specifically designed to audit IRS employees and ensure they are following the same tax rules they are responsible for enforcing.

"Yes, I do have a bill. It's called Audit the IRS, where we would go in and audit those employees working directly for the IRS," Ernst said.

She said the audit found approximately 6,000 IRS employees who are delinquent on their taxes or have not filed, with the total amount involved approaching $50 million.

"We have found that 6,000 employees of the IRS are delinquent upon their own taxes or simply haven't filed, and that's to the tune of nearly 50 million dollars," Ernst said.

Ernst argued that the situation creates a double standard in which the people enforcing federal tax law are not necessarily complying with those same rules themselves.

"So it's kind of like, you know, this is good for you, but I'm not going to follow the same rules. So we're going to make sure that they do," Ernst said.

She said the Audit the IRS bill is intended to bring direct scrutiny to employees of the agency who are behind on their own taxes.

Ernst also said she has introduced a second measure called the Dodger Act.

"I do have a second bill as well. It's called the Dodger Act, and it would require that the federal government and the IRS, in particular, publish the list of federal employees, all federal employees that are delinquent on their taxes," Ernst said.

The goal, she said, is greater transparency across the federal workforce.

"So what we strive for is greater transparency. I think the American people should know what federal employees are not paying the IRS," Ernst said.

Varney then shifted the conversation to cryptocurrency and asked whether a significant number of people are failing to report crypto holdings to the IRS.

"Yeah, fair enough. Are a lot of people not reporting crypto holdings to the IRS?" Varney asked.

Ernst said she was not aware of evidence showing that was a major issue, but acknowledged that tax rules will have to adapt as cryptocurrency and new forms of financial technology become more common.

"Not that I am aware of. And of course, as we move into crypto and technology, we do have to adapt the rules to make sure that it is encompassing all of those forms of currency," Ernst said.

She said changes will likely be necessary as the government continues to determine how tax compliance should apply to evolving forms of currency and financial technology.

"So a lot of changes yet to come, but we want to make sure that we are tracking those that are delinquent, those that are not," Ernst said.

Ernst closed by returning to the issue of IRS employees themselves, arguing that those who work for the agency should face the same expectations as ordinary taxpayers.

"And making sure, especially if they are working for the IRS, that they are following the same rules that they are charged in enforcing."

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Her proposals focus on two areas: direct audits of IRS employees who may be delinquent on their taxes and public disclosure of federal workers who owe taxes.

The broader argument behind both bills is accountability. Ernst said federal employees, particularly those working for the agency responsible for collecting taxes, should not be held to a different standard than the Americans whose tax obligations they oversee.

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