U.S. Representative Terri Sewell, D-Alabama, the ranking member of the Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee, and Representatives Linda T. Sánchez of California, Mike Thompson of California and Jimmy Gomez of California led 14 other Ways and Means Democrats on Friday in calling on the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to investigate the leak of 47,000 taxpayers’ confidential information by the Internal Revenue Service to the Department of Homeland Security.
Despite strict privacy laws protecting taxpayers, the Internal Revenue Service agreed in April to share sensitive information, including names and addresses, of individuals targeted for immigration enforcement, according to a news release from Sewell’s office. “This agreement is just another example of the Trump administration recklessly and unlawfully violating the rights of immigrants and working families. Federal courts have since held that sharing this private data violates taxpayers’ rights,” the release stated.
“When agencies take advantage of public trust by illegally sharing taxpayer data, it creates an environment wherein undocumented individuals are not comfortable complying with tax law,” the lawmakers wrote. “Undocumented immigrants have paid taxes for years with assurances that they can safely do so—this illegal action has pulled the rug out from under working individuals who are trying to comply with the law.”
In addition to Sewell, Sánchez, Thompson and Gomez, Representatives Lloyd Doggett of Texas, John Larson of Connecticut, Danny Davis of Illinois, Suzan K. DelBene of Washington, Judy Chu of California, Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, Don Beyer of Virginia, Dwight Evans of Pennsylvania, Brad Schneider of Illinois, Jimmy Panetta of California, Steven Horsford of Nevada, Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Tom Suozzi of New York signed the letter.
The full text of the letter is available online.
