{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://kathleenrice.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1595", "Kathleen Rice, Long Island Delegation Call Again on Treasury and IRS to Provide Relief for Commuters", "2020-12-03", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "NY", "Kathleen Rice", "R000602", "kathleenrice.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  U.S. Representatives Kathleen Rice (NY-04), Peter King (NY-02), Gregory W. Meeks (NY-05), Lee Zeldin (NY-01), and Tom Suozzi (NY-03) sent a letter to the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) following up on their September 28 letter to Commissioner Rettig urging the IRS to consider any available options within its regulatory authority to provide targeted relief for individuals who have accumulated unused transportation benefits due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In its response letter on November 12, the Treasury conveyed a willingness to keep the lawmakers' request in mind. However, no action has been taken. \r\nMany Long Island commuters are enrolled in transportation benefits programs where a certain amount per month of their pre-taxed wages are deducted from their paychecks to pay for commuting costs. With many industries instituting work from home policies during the pandemic, beneficiaries can no longer access or utilize these funds as intended.\r\nThe Department's consideration of our request has been appreciated, but the need to address this issue is becoming more and more urgent, said Rep. Kathleen Rice. Long Island commuters responsibly enrolled in IRS programs to set aside transportation benefits, and then they responsibly stayed home. As the pandemic rages on and commuters continue working from home, they deserve access to their hard-earned money for other essential purposes. It's time for the Treasury and IRS to act and provide relief. \r\nFunds that would otherwise be used for commuter benefits are currently going unused as countless Americans work from home. As we now go through a third wave of COVID during this winter month, those funds should be used to help working families that could be in dire need of financial assistance, said Rep. Gregory W. Meeks. The Treasury and IRS must not allow those funds to go to waste, not when Americans are in desperate need of help. \r\n\"For hardworking Long Islanders, every penny counts, especially as wework toemerge from the outbreak of coronavirus,\"said Rep. Lee Zeldin.\"Long Islandcommutersutilized programs to responsibly put aside money they thought they would use for public transportation costs. Then, theyfound themselves working from home instead.Theydeserve guidance on accessing these unused fundsand theirhard-earnedmoney.\"\r\nAs more businesses continue to struggle, many workers are living with the real possibility of losing their jobs and in turn losing their commuter benefits,said Rep. Tom Suozzi.With thousands of workers in need of assistance, it's imperative we exhaust all options of relief. The IRS and Treasury Department providing direct relief to Long Islanders who may lose their unused commuter benefits will go a long way for those desperately in need. People need help, we must provide them with assistance.\r\nThe full text of the letter can be found here and below: \r\nDear Secretary Mnuchin and Commissioner Rettig:\r\nWe are writing again to urge the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to consider additional relief for individuals who have accumulated unused commuting benefits due to the ongoing pandemic.\r\nWe appreciate the Treasury Department's attention and response to our September 28, 2020 letter to Commissioner Rettig, which urged the IRS to issue further guidance related to unused qualified transportation fringe benefits and to consider additional relief for certain employees impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. The Department's response conveyed a willingness to keep our request in mind as Treasury continues discussions with IRS regarding the effects of the pandemic. We appreciate your stated commitment to working with Congress to consider whether additional relief is necessary. However, as we near the end of the year, the need to address this issue has become increasingly time sensitive.\r\nAs you know, many individuals and businesses continue to face disruptions due to the ongoing pandemic. COVID-19 cases in the United States are currently rising across all fifty states, and the possibility of a winter wave of the virus creates further uncertainty for businesses and employees. Additionally, certain relief measures enacted earlier this year to provide assistance in response to COVID-19 are set to expire at the end of 2020. As this crisis persists, more individuals are at risk of experiencing financial hardship and many continue to face uncertainty about their employment.\r\nAlthough current IRS regulations governing commuter benefits provide the flexibility to allow compensation reductions to be stopped or reduced before the beginning of a pay period, the COVID-19 national emergency has resulted in a number of cases where individuals have accumulated unused commuter funds. Current regulations also require that an employee must forfeit any unused benefits upon termination from employment. This is concerning for employees who have been terminated or may face termination due to COVID-19. In some cases, these individuals will soon be forced to forfeit a significant amount of unused funds that they are no longer able to access as a result of this ongoing crisis and at no fault of their own. \r\nMany workers and families are in critical need of financial assistance during these challenging economic times and could greatly benefit from direct access to their unused commuter funds for other essential purposes. Therefore, we urge you to consider any available options within the Department's regulatory authority to provide targeted relief for individuals who have accumulated unused transportation benefits due to the ongoing pandemic before the end of the year.\r\nThank you for your consideration.\r\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://kathleenrice.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1595"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.53313803113997, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}