Pascrell Calls for New IRS Chief

Misstep on destroyed tax documents latest black eye for tax agency and means Trump appointee should be replaced

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee, today called for President Biden to replace the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner in response to the latest IRS scandal involving millions of destroyed documents.

“Members of the Ways and Means Committee and Congress have shown immense patience with the IRS. The IRS is vital to public confidence in our nation and its Trump-appointed leader has failed. The career IRS staff have performed admirably while under immense pressure, strained resources and nearly impossible circumstances during this pandemic. Republican sabotage of this agency over the past decade have exacerbated these challenges. In our hearings, I have shown repeated deference to the work to reform the IRS but enough is enough,” said Chairman Pascrell. “The manner by which we are learning about the destruction of unprocessed paperwork is just the latest example of the lackadaisical attitude from Mr. Rettig. This latest revelation adds to the public’s plummeting confidence in our unfair two-tier tax system. That confidence cannot recover if all the American people see at the IRS is incompetence and catastrophe. Mr. Rettig has had plenty of time and plenty of cooperation to begin the crucial work of fixing the IRS. There needs to be real accountability. President Biden must replace Mr. Rettig immediately and also nominate a Chief Counsel for IRS.”

As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight, Rep. Pascrell has been focused on fixing the IRS. On October 26, 2021, Pascrell demanded answers from Commissioner Rettig on systemic mail delays impacting IRS operations, tax filings, and refunds. Pascrell raised alarms on the slow start to the 2021 tax-filing season, and with Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA-01) castigated the IRS’s continually sending out erroneous notices to taxpayers.

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