President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)Donald Trump was ridiculed on social media on Tuesday after proposing a new government agency to do a job that is already being done by another agency.
In a post on his Truth Social media platform, the president-elect announced plans to create an agency called the External Revenue Service that would collect tariffs and other revenue from foreign nations.
“We will begin charging those that make money off of us with Trade, and they will start paying,” Trump said in his post.
He compared the proposed agency to the Internal Revenue Service, which collects taxes from US citizens and businesses.
The Associated Press notes that an act of Congress is required to create a federal agency.
But there’s another issue: The proposed duties of the “ERS” ― collecting duties and revenue from other nations ― are already handled by the Commerce Department and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement that the proposed ERS was both “silly rebranding” and ”a multi-trillion-dollar tax hike on American families and small businesses to pay for another round of tax handouts to the rich.”
Trump’s plan ― and his apparent lack of knowledge about the government he was elected to run ― was also heavily ridiculed on social media.
The president-elect appears ignorant of the fact that there’s been an “external revenue service” since July 31, 1789. That’s when George Washington signed legislation creating the US Customs Service, the forerunner of what is now @CBP. pic.twitter.com/v0Vgr25PTw
— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) January 14, 2025
This is basically a language scam. Tariffs and duties are paid by the importer, the US company bringing in the goods. It isn't "external revenue" and calling the customs agency an "external revenue service" is just another way of tricking people. pic.twitter.com/PYxO4hmnfK
— Arieh Kovler (@ariehkovler) January 14, 2025
There is a 100% chance Trump's so-called External Revenue Service turns out to be just another grift where the loathsome piece of shit siphons money into the coffers of the Trump crime family. If he can siphon money from a children's cancer charity, as president, this scam…
— Bill Madden (@maddenifico) January 14, 2025
Donald Trump proposed creating an "External Revenue Service" to collect tariffs, unaware that the U.S. Customs Service, now CBP, has handled this since 1789.1/2
— tomwellborn3 (@tomwellborn3.bsky.social)2025-01-14T17:38:35.000Z
Trump wants to create an "External Revenue Service" to collect tariffs, etc. This is clever marketing, but it doesn't change the fact that American consumers will end up paying these higher tariffs.
— Heather Long (@byHeatherLong) January 14, 2025
(Note: US Customs and Border Protection currently collects tariffs and duties as… pic.twitter.com/mp2S6r5K1H
Today I am announcing that I will create THE DEPARTMENT OF STOVE TOUCHING
— Joey Politano????️???? (@josephpolitano.bsky.social)2025-01-14T16:56:19.714Z
We’ll hear something like, “IRS agents came to me with tears in their eyes. Sir, why is there no External Revenue Service?”
— John Bee (@johnbalash.bsky.social)2025-01-14T17:22:16.397Z
Poor DonOld had it all set up to rip off America using his newly minted “External Revenue Service” only to find out America already has a system in place to protect itself! ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Gonna have to find a new way to skim those tariffs asshole!! www.rawstory.com/trump-267082...
— KittyKatGirl???????????????? (@mary1kathy.bsky.social)2025-01-14T17:56:49.023Z
This isn’t the first agency Trump has proposed.
During his first administration, he created the Space Force, a branch of the military devoted to fighting interplanetary wars.
