Sessions Statement at IRS Oversight Hearing

WASHINGTON—Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas.) today opened a joint subcommittee hearing titled “Oversight of the Internal Revenue Service” by discussing the Committee’s priority to conduct oversight and ensure the IRS does not abuse its power and operates efficiently. Chairman Sessions noted the IRS has not been transparent regarding its treatment and retaliation against whistleblowers related to the Hunter Biden investigation.

Below are excerpts from Subcommittee Chairman Sessions remarks.

“The opportunity for us to meet today is one of natural inquiry that this Committee has. It’s about the effectiveness of the Internal Revenue Service as it relates to their ongoing business that this subcommittee believes is very important.”

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“We need to make sure the IRS in its performance does to its job. We need to make sure they are properly funded. We need to make sure that they treat all people fairly, not just some that they would choose to.”

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“I believe confidence in the IRS is what we are after. I spoke to [Commissioner Werfel] about this yesterday – about the sizing models, about professionalism, about the attention to detail for the American people.”

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“We know that you’ve been given an extra $80 billion dollars. We’re going to want to talk about that and the deployment of that and how that’s going to aid and do the things that would be necessary.

“I think it’s important that you know the IRS touches almost every single American. So, the information we get back comes at a time that you’ve got to defend a lot of ground. I want to thank you for being here today.”