The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Senate confirms Daniel Werfel as IRS commissioner
WASHINGTON >> The Senate voted Thursday to confirm Daniel Werfel to be the commissioner of the IRS, filling a critical position at the agency as it starts an $80 billion overhaul to modernize its technology and bolster its ability to crack down on tax cheats.
Werfel was confirmed by a vote of 54-42 and won the support of six Republicans despite deep skepticism among conservatives of the IRS.
The confirmation comes at a pivotal moment of transition for the agency, which has struggled to perform its most basic responsibilities, including processing tax returns and answering taxpayer calls. Joe Biden’s administration has promised that the $80 billion infusion will help improve customer service and ensure that taxpayers pay what they owe but will not result in more audits of those earning less than $400,000.
The IRS has come under intense scrutiny, particularly from Republicans, who have tried to claw back the $80 billion and warned that plans to hire 87,000 agents and other staff will mean more audits for small businesses and middle-income Americans. How Werfel deploys that money, which was included in the Inflation Reduction Act, will be of particular interest to lawmakers from both parties.
The agency was supposed to submit a plan for how the money will be spent to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen last month, but that has been delayed. It is not clear when the blueprint will be released.
Werfel’s support among Democrats was not unanimous Wednesday. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said in a statement that although he believed Werfel was fit for the job, he did not believe that the Treasury Department would give him the authority to abide by the law. The senator pointed to the Treasury Department’s role in carrying out the Inflation Reduction Act and claimed that it had “pandered” to automakers and progressive groups.
“I have zero faith he will be given the autonomy to perform the job in accordance with the law and for that reason, I cannot support his nomination,” Manchin said.