Budget and reputation problems at the Internal Revenue Service have its criminal investigations unit striking out for independence.

Jon Adler, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, said the criminal investigation division of the IRS should become its own agency that reports directly the Treasury Department.

“Their budget would reflect their work, their law enforcement mission, and it wouldn’t be clouded or minimized by layers of bureaucracy that have absolutely no background knowledge or understanding,” Adler said on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

CID has its reasons to get out from under the thumb of the IRS. The National Taxpayer Advocate reports the IRS had its worst tax filing season in memory this year, thanks to its lowest levels of customer service.

Congress has cut the IRS’ budget by about $1.2 billion since 2010, forcing the agency to cut 13,000 employees. Adler blamed these cuts on the fallout surrounding former IRS official Lois Lerner.

“The whole alleged scandal centered around Lois Lerner email issue continues to resonate in a negative way with the IRS in general, and unfortunately has had a very negative trickle-down effect on and impact on the criminal investigation division,” Adler said.

Rich Weber, head of the criminal investigations division, wrote a letter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in January, stating that CID could not carry out its mission under its current staffing levels.

“Special agents with the IRS were not intended to be bottom-feeders at a tainted IRS meal table,” Adler said. “They shouldn’t be there eating scraps, they should be there leading the charge so they can carry out their mission.”

The criminal investigations unit oversees financial crimes such as tax evasion and money laundering.

Adler said he looks to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration for guidance in maneuvering out from under the IRS. TIGTA reports to the Treasury secretary on matters related to the IRS while remaining independent of all Treasury Department agencies.

“Any time you look at an organization chart in federal government and you see a plethora of rectangles and a law enforcement component buried beneath, that inherently is a problem,” Adler said. “That results in a diluted amount of funds that ultimately reaches [CID], in this pecking order… for the special agents to carry out and do their jobs.”

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