(As prepared for delivery)
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
This Administration owes the American people an explanation for the reckless sabotage and illegality they have waged over the IRS for the last year. Every week there’s more reporting about the Administration’s carelessness at handling people’s data and being responsible stewards of tax dollars.
Last week, we learned that a federal judge found the Trump Administration violated the law not once, not twice, but 42,695 times when improperly sharing confidential taxpayer information with immigration authorities. Think about that. 42,695 abuses of sensitive information that Americans entrusted their government with. Amazingly consistent, still not a red flag raised from Republicans on this Committee, tasked with overseeing the IRS and the protection of America’s data. Would the 42,696th violation of the law raise a Republican eyebrow? What will it take to finally get to the truth about what has unfolded under their willful blindness towards the danger coming out of this Administration?
Americans need an IRS that serves them reliably, not one that’s repurposed as a tool for the President’s grifting. But it’s become clear that for Republicans, a functional, transparent IRS is not a priority. They won’t blink as Trump extorts the IRS to write him a $10 billion check but will champion slashing resources that help Americans, cutting the Direct File program that had a 94% approval rating and saved taxpayers millions. More than 20% of the IRS workforce has been cut. Now, the Administration is papering over self-inflicted failures by putting bodies in chairs with no experience processing returns or in customer service.
With poor decisions piling up, wait times are climbing, calls are going unanswered, and Americans know exactly who to blame for delays. Meanwhile, wealthy tax evaders are celebrating as investigations into abusive schemes have plunged 63%.
When refunds do come, it’s more broken promises. Trump promised the “largest refund season in history” with increases of $1,000. But Republicans’ own data show gains for the average American are much smaller than promised, and are skewed to the wealthy like their tax bill, and nonexistent for most households earning under $100,000. Filing season data is showing increases averaged at just $350, a far cry from what Republicans guaranteed. And over half a million people who have had their refunds delayed by the President are instead receiving an unknown “letter” that Treasury refused to provide to this Committee. Not to mention that any modest increases are being wiped out with Trump’s tariffs that have illegally pickpocketed families for more than $1700.
When Democrats ran the show, we made overdue, critical investments that made filing easier, cut wait times, saved Americans money, and recovered more than $1 billion from rich evaders. Republicans have wasted no time reversing course in a campaign to dismantle the IRS’s ability to function, leaving their wealthy friends, and the President himself, to cash in.
This hearing, and what we’ve watched unfold for the past year, serves as a reminder that Republicans made permanent tax cuts for billionaires the priority, leaving families with temporary, gimmick-filled relief that won’t combat their soaring costs. People see this betrayal for what it is, and Democrats will fight to deliver something better.
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