Members press Treasury on IRS modernization cuts and data sharing with 'Doge' amid privacy concerns
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Summary
House members pressed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about IRS modernization, staffing and whether taxpayer information is being provided to a consolidated interagency database during a Ways and Means hearing that emphasized confidentiality under Internal Revenue Code §6103.
Members of the House Ways and Means Committee used the hearing with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to press detailed questions on IRS modernization, staffing changes, and whether confidential taxpayer information has been shared with an interagency data consolidation project described in the hearing as "Doge." Several members said public oversight and statutory protections require full transparency and congressional briefings.
Representative Suzan DelBene repeatedly asked whether Treasury supports a consolidated database that would combine sensitive financial and personal information across federal agencies; DelBene warned that "this kind of database would be a gold mine for malicious actors" and repeatedly cited Internal Revenue Code §6103 (taxpayer confidentiality). Representative DelBene asked for clear, public hearings and technical briefings; Bessent responded that Treasury "adheres to §6103" and said staff briefings had taken place, but did not provide the committee the requested operational detail in the hearing.
Several Democrats pressed the secretary on IRS resource allocations and on reports that some IRS hiring and spending changes followed the Inflation Reduction Act upgrades. Representative Richard Neal and others said recent gains in receipts were tied to technology investments funded under prior law; Bessent credited improved processes and enforcement for higher receipts in April and May compared with the prior year.
On the agency’s IT modernization he told the panel that the prior IT program had been under way for decades and that the Treasury review had identified savings and changes to improve performance. On audit independence and political interference questions, Bessent repeatedly said he would follow the law and proper procedures, and declined to provide a 30‑day factual attestation the minority requested about whether anyone had attempted to influence taxpayer audits.
Ending: Members requested further briefings from Treasury technical staff and witnesses constructing interagency data systems. Democrats signaled they will push for hearings with the agency teams that manage data access, controls and audit trails if the committee does not receive sufficient written detail and oversight access.