🔍How this was checked: The bot searched the web, cross-referenced 7 sources, and assessed each claim individually.
The post contains two major false claims. First, the '87,000 new IRS employees' figure was a 10-year projection from a 2021 Treasury report that included replacing expected retirements, not actual net hires; the IRS workforce grew from roughly 90,000 to about 100,000 by FY2024. Second, the claim that these employees 'found no fraud' is directly contradicted by IRS data showing the agency identified $10.59 billion in financial crimes in FY2025 (including $4.5 billion in tax fraud) and collected $98.7 billion in enforcement revenue in FY2024.
Verified against · 7 sources
Claim by claim
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Joe Biden hired 87,000 new IRS employeesFalse/Misleading. The 87,000 figure originated from a May 2021 Treasury Department report projecting potential hiring over 10 years under the Inflation Reduction Act. It was never an actual hiring target and included roughly 50,000 positions to replace expected retirements. The IRS's actual hiring plan announced in 2023 was about 30,000 employees over two years. The IRS workforce grew from ~90,000 to ~100,000 by end of FY2024 — a net increase of roughly 10,000, not 87,000. Multiple fact-checkers (including Glenn Kessler at the Washington Post and CNBC) have debunked the 87,000 figure as exaggerated.
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The new IRS employees found no fraudFalse. IRS Criminal Investigation's FY2025 annual report (covering Oct 2024–Sept 2025) documented $10.59 billion in financial crimes identified, with $4.5 billion specifically from tax fraud — a 111.8% increase from FY2024. The IRS collected $98.7 billion in enforcement revenue in FY2024. The agency has been actively detecting and prosecuting tax fraud, identity theft, and pandemic-related fraud schemes.
Caveats
The 87,000 number was a real figure that appeared in a 2021 Treasury report, so it is not entirely fabricated — but it was a 10-year projection that included replacement hires, not a count of actual new employees hired. The post's framing treats it as an accomplished hiring figure, which is inaccurate.
Posted on Bluesky
False. The 87,000 figure was a 10-year projection that included replacing retirees, not actual new hires. The IRS workforce grew by about 10,000. Additionally, IRS agents have actively found fraud, identifying over $10.5 billion in financial crimes in FY2025, including $4.5 billion in tax fraud.