House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal, MA-01, Oversight Subcommittee Ranking Member Terri Sewell, AL-07, and Tax Subcommittee Ranking Member Mike Thompson, CA-04, released the following statement last Friday on the reported closure of over 100 Internal Revenue Service offices offering taxpayer assistance:
“The President and Musk have been creating chaos since the moment they took power. Mass layoffs and federal program and funding freezes have hurt Americans in every corner of the country, and they’ve set their sights on the filing season next.
“Ask any congressional district office and you’ll hear about the challenges constituents face during filing season, which is why Democrats ushered in a once-in-a-generation investment in modernizing the IRS and delivering the customer service the people deserve. This administration is hellbent on destroying our progress. It wasn’t enough for them to fire nearly 7,000 IRS employees in the middle of filing season, but now, they are skirting federal mandatory notice procedures and reportedly shuttering over 100 offices that offer taxpayer assistance—an absolute nightmare for taxpayers. As required by the Taxpayer First Act, a 90-day notice must be given to both the public and the Congress before closing any Taxpayer Assistance Centers. We need answers now.
“We are demanding the Administration provide a list of the centers they plan to close — it’s the least the ‘most transparent Administration’ can do.”
