WTOP: Lawmakers press IRS to get its act together

Mar 14, 2022
Good Governance
In the News

WTOP, ANNA GAWEL

A bipartisan group of 100 members of Congress is pushing the IRS to address numerous concerns, including a massive backlog, ahead of the April 18 filing deadline for taxpayers.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, along with Sens. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., spearheaded a letter sent to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig to make clear “that the agency’s lack of action is causing unnecessary confusion, as the current 2022 tax filing season is underway.”

Among the issues lawmakers want the IRS to address is “which notices are statutorily required to be issued within a specific time, and why there are still certain notices that have not yet been suspended,” according to a news release issued by Spanberger’s office Monday.

The IRS sends notices, or letters, to taxpayers for various reasons, such as issues with federal tax returns or payment requests.

Last month, Spanberger and Menendez led a bicameral effort with 45 colleagues urging the IRS to take immediate steps to reduce its massive backlog and improve its customer service.

On March 10, the IRS said it plans to hire 10,000 new workers to chip away at that backlog, which totals around 20 million pieces of correspondence, including unprocessed returns. That is more than 15 times as large as in a normal filing season, according to the agency.

Despite an increasingly complex tax code and population growth, the IRS workforce has not increased since 1970. The slew of pandemic-related aid programs that the agency had to administer further added to the strains.

But many Republicans over the years have pushed back on calls to boost funding, or cut funding, that would have helped the IRS increase staffing and modernize its aging systems.

The recent $1.5 trillion omnibus federal spending package passed last week would provide $12.6 billion to the IRS, the largest funding increase for the agency since 2001.

Recent Posts


Oct 30, 2024
Healthcare

Spanberger Seeks Additional Answers from DEA, FDA on Efforts to Stop Ongoing ADHD Medication Shortages

The Congresswoman Has Consistently Pressed the Federal Government to Take Additional Steps to Protect Access to ADHD Medications & Work with Manufacturers to Prevent Future Shortages WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger is urging the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide additional answers on their work to end […]



Oct 30, 2024
Infrastructure

Spanberger Announces More Than $9.6 Million for Infrastructure Upgrades at FBI Academy in Quantico

These Federal Grant Dollars — Made Possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — Will Upgrade Infrastructure & Increase Energy Efficiency at FBI Academy Dormitory WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a total of $9,615,430 for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to make […]



Oct 29, 2024
Infrastructure

Spanberger Announces $380 Million for Virginia Port Authority to Fund Zero-Emissions Equipment & Infrastructure at Port of Virginia

These Federal Grant Dollars — Made Possible by the Inflation Reduction Act — Will Help the Virginia Port Authority Fund Electric Cargo Handling Equipment, Charging Infrastructure, & Battery Energy Storage System WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded a total of $380 million for […]