{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/releases?ContentRecord_id=267cfef6-86a3-4fb6-b651-88eeeaabb9d2", "Hatch Statement at Senate Finance Committee Hearing Considering John Koskinen For IRS Commissioner", "2013-12-10", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "UT", "Orrin Hatch", "H000338", "www.hatch.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, today delivered the following remarks during a Senate Finance Committee hearing considering the nomination of John Koskinen to serve as Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS):\r\n\r\n\r\n(Click the image above to watch Hatch\u2019s remarks)\r\nToday we are here to discuss the future of the Internal Revenue Service and to hear testimony from President Obama\u2019s nominee to head that agency, John Koskinen.\u00a0 \r\nMr. Koskinen, I don\u2019t think that I have to tell you that, if you are confirmed, you will have a difficult job ahead of you.\u00a0 \r\nThe IRS is one of the most powerful agencies in our government.\u00a0 Consequently, it is both feared and loathed by millions of Americans.\u00a0 \r\nThat being the case, it is vital that the IRS maintain its credibility. The American people should be able to trust that the IRS will enforce our nation\u2019s tax laws without bias or prejudice.\u00a0 Any hint of impropriety on the part of the IRS or its leadership damages its credibility and that of our entire government.\u00a0 \r\nUnfortunately, over the last few years, the credibility of the IRS has been eroded through actions taken by the IRS itself and the agency has, in large part, lost the trust of the American people.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \r\nAs proof, one needs to look no further than the IRS political targeting scandal currently under investigation by this committee.\u00a0 \r\nWhen this scandal was revealed, President Obama said, \u201cI have got no patience with it, I will not tolerate it, and we will make sure that we find out exactly what happened on this.\"\u00a0 \r\nSenate Majority Leader Harry Reid expressed similar views on the Senate floor, stating: \u201cI have full confidence in the ability of Senator Baucus and the Finance Committee to get to the bottom of this matter and recommend appropriate action.\u201d\u00a0 \r\nI share both President Obama\u2019s desire to find out exactly what happened and Leader Reid\u2019s view of the Finance Committees investigative abilities.\u00a0 Indeed, if there is one thing we should all be able to agree on, it is that that IRS should enforce the tax laws as they are written by Congress without consideration of political views.\u00a0 \r\nThat being the case, I had hoped to hold off on proceeding with this nomination until the Finance Committee\u2019s bipartisan investigation had concluded.\u00a0 \r\nThe confirmation of an IRS Commissioner should not, and must not, be a partisan issue.\u00a0 Like I said, with an agency this powerful, the leadership should have the confidence of members of both parties.\u00a0\u00a0 I had hoped that the next commissioner would begin his time with the benefit of the findings of our investigation so that he would be in a better position to fix the problems we\u2019ve uncovered and to move the agency forward with strong bipartisan support.\u00a0 \r\nChairman Baucus has chosen to go a different direction, which is, of course, his right.\u00a0 \r\nMy hope is that this will not impede our efforts.\u00a0 \r\nMr. Koskinen, I hope that today you will commit to continuing the cooperation the committee has enjoyed thus far in its investigation and that you\u2019ll encourage others to do the same.\r\nAs far as I\u2019m concerned, the top priority for the next IRS Commissioner should be to restore the agency\u2019s damaged credibility with the American people and their trust that the actions taken by the IRS are fair and impartial.\u00a0 Toward that end, it is essential that we continue to receive full and open cooperation in our investigation.\u00a0 \r\nThere are many other issues the next leader of the IRS will have to address.\u00a0 \r\nFor example, there is the IRS\u2019s significant role in the implementation of Obamacare.\u00a0 If what we\u2019ve seen thus far is any indication, this is going to be a difficult proposition, both in terms of operation and enforcement.\u00a0\u00a0 \r\nJust last week the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration issued a report that found that the IRS has an inadequate system in place for preventing fraudulent Affordable Care Act premium subsidy payments from occurring and that people\u2019s personal information would be at risk.\u00a0 \r\nInsurers and others have raised questions about the income verification for the premium subsidies.\u00a0 I have also raised this concern on a number of occasions.\u00a0 Similar tax subsidy programs \u2013 including, for example, the Earned Income Tax Credit \u2013 have improper payment rates as high as 25 percent.\u00a0 Can we expect the same for the Obamacare premium subsidies? \r\nThese are just a few of the many potential issues IRS will be facing as implementation continues.\r\nOn top of that, there are the proposed regulations addressing the political activities of tax-exempt organizations.\u00a0 These proposals have been controversial for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the widespread doubt as to whether the IRS is able to perform its duties in an independent, non-partisan fashion.\u00a0 \r\nMr. Koskinen, I hope to get a sense of your views on these and other issues during the course of today\u2019s hearing.\u00a0 \r\nLike I said, the IRS is an agency rife with problems, most of which are self-inflicted.\u00a0 If you are confirmed, I hope that you will work jointly with Congress \u2013 and with members of both parties \u2013 to fix these problems.\u00a0\u00a0 Thank you, once again, Mr. Chairman.", 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://www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/releases?ContentRecord_id=267cfef6-86a3-4fb6-b651-88eeeaabb9d2"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8558330591768026, "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"}