The head of the IRS largely declined to answer questions about recent unlawful disclosures of taxpayer data when he was questioned by lawmakers at a congressional hearing on Wednesday, saying they happened before his tenure began.
IRS CEO Frank Bisignano faced the House Ways and Means Committee to speak about the agency’s progress in serving taxpayers as the 2026 tax season is in full swing. It was his first time facing lawmakers in his role as leader of the IRS after being named to the newly created CEO position last October. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remains acting commissioner of the IRS.
In prepared remarks, Bisignano focused on the Internal Revenue Service’s implementation of Republicans’ sweeping tax and spending law, which includes eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, exempting certain car loan interest, creating a deduction for older adults and launching Trump Accounts for children’s savings.
However, several Democratic lawmakers zeroed in on a federal judge’s finding that the IRS broke the law by disclosing confidential taxpayer information “approximately 42,695 times” to Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of an agreement between ICE and the Department of Homeland Security to share information on immigrants for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the U.S. Immigration and border security are a major part of the agenda of President Donald Trump, a Republican.
