{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/icymi-warren-wyden-and-schumer-press-trump-administration-on-weaponization-of-the-irs-against-political-opponents", "ICYMI: Warren, Wyden, and Schumer Press Trump Administration On Weaponization of the IRS Against Political Opponents", "2025-10-23", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "ICYMI: Warren, Wyden, and Schumer Press Trump Administration On Weaponization of the IRS Against Political Opponents\n\n\u201cAny effort to weaponize the IRS against President Trump\u2019s perceived enemies is against the law, an abuse of power, and a threat to the integrity of our democratic institutions. [The IRS] cannot be the President\u2019s political attack dog.\u201d\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. - Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) led Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee in demanding answers about the Trump administration\u2019s reported plans to weaponize the IRS criminal-investigative (IRS-CI) division in an attack on the free speech rights of progressive individuals and political opponents.\n\n\u201cFederal law prohibits political interference with the administration of tax laws\u2026You must immediately end all attempts to politicize the agency, including attempts to use the agency to attack Americans with different political views,\u201d the senators wrote.\n\nUnder federal law, the President, Vice President, White House staff, and almost all cabinet-level officials are barred from requesting investigations into specific taxpayers.\n\nThe changes to IRS-CI appear to be part of a broader effort by the Trump Administration to use the powers of the federal government to target the President\u2019s political enemies. For example, Trump administration officials have been trying to revoke Harvard\u2019s tax-exempt status since the President directed the IRS to do so. IRS lawyers have reportedly blocked these efforts, arguing they have no legal basis. Now, it appears the Trump administration is trying to evade these restrictions by proposing changes to how IRS criminal probes are conducted, including changing the Internal Revenue Manual to diminish the role that chief-counsel lawyers play in criminal investigations.\n\n\u201cIRS-CI cannot be used as a weapon to target political enemies, and any attempt to turn it into one is illegal,\u201d the senators concluded. \u201cYou should immediately end all attempts to politicize the IRS, including attempts to use the agency to attack Americans who have different political views.\u201d\n\nThe senators requested more information, including about administration officials that have directed and participated in this IRS weaponization, what changes the Administration intends to make to IRS policy, and what individuals and groups the Administration is targeting.\n\nSenator Warren has fought against the Trump administration\u2019s disturbing efforts to silence free speech and weaponize the federal government against political rivals:\n\nOn September 23, 2025 Senator Warren, Markey (D-Mass.), Merkley (D-Ore.), and Sanders (D-Vt.) wrote to Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair demanding answers on the possibility of a quid pro quo arrangement with the Trump administration in exchange for preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC affiliate stations.\n\nOn September 23, 2025, Senator Warren released a statement after Nexstar Media Group\u2019s and Sinclair\u2019s decisions to continue to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC affiliate stations.\n\nOn May 20, 2025, Senator Warren questioned the Trump administration\u2019s nominee for IRS Commissioner, Billy Long, as to the potential weaponization of the IRS against political opponents.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"]], "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.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/icymi-warren-wyden-and-schumer-press-trump-administration-on-weaponization-of-the-irs-against-political-opponents"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.302666962146759, "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"}