WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) delivered the following statement at a Committee hearing with IRS CEO Frank Bisignano.
As delivered.
"I want to welcome IRS CEO Bisignano to the Ways and Means Committee. We look forward to having you back to discuss your great work as Commissioner of the Social Security Administration soon as well.
'Under President Trump, the IRS is putting the American taxpayer first and supporting working families. Look no further than this tax filing season which shows how the promise of the Working Families Tax Cuts we enacted last year is becoming reality: Americans are getting bigger refunds that put more money back into their pockets. Average tax refund amounts are 10 percent higher this filing season.
"No tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security, no tax on auto loan interest for cars made in America, Trump Accounts, a larger Child Tax Credit, a boosted standard deduction – these tax cuts are making life more affordable for working families.
"Let’s take a family of four with two kids. A family like this making up to $73,000 would owe nothing, zero, to the federal government thanks to the Working Families Tax Cuts. That same family can also expect to have up to $10,900 more in take-home pay. That’s real money that helps people get ahead. Republicans secured more than 7 million jobs and we’re already seeing higher-than-projected economic growth thanks to these pro-growth tax cuts.
"Just in the past week, traveling through Southeast Missouri, I heard directly from a young lady who's a waitress who had a record refund of nearly $12,000 because of all the different provisions within the [Working Families Tax Cuts]. That's her year-long's rent and also her grocery bills. This makes a difference for people who are just living from paycheck to paycheck, trying to put food on their table, clothes on their backs and gasoline on their cars.
"The IRS is where the rubber meets the road for delivering this tax relief. It is vital the IRS must deliver timely refunds. This money, a direct result of the Working Families Tax Cuts, will make a difference for millions of hardworking American waitresses, linemen, seniors, welders, farmers, and small business owners, just to name a few. We look forward to hearing what the IRS is doing to quickly issue refunds, and we will continue to engage with the agency to deliver relief to working families.
"This committee also has a duty to ensure our tax code is not exploited by bad actors. That is why we are conducting an investigation into tax-exempt groups whose activities potentially violate their tax-exempt status.
"Our investigation has uncovered organizations operating in the United States who push Chinese propaganda, incite violent protests and riots, facilitate foreign interference in our elections, and support terrorism. Tax-exempt status is a privilege, not a right. On behalf of the American people, we will fight to ensure this privilege is not abused. The agency must work to ensure our tax code is not weaponized against the American people to carry out the agenda of foreign actors.
"As the IRS carries out President Trump’s agenda, it is also using modern technology to become faster, leaner, and more efficient. That work complements the bipartisan legislation passed out of this committee, including four tax administration bills that have become law, to make tax filing easier and more fair for Americans.
"The modernized technology being implemented under your leadership stands in stark contrast the approach of the Biden Administration’s IRS. When they had complete control of Washington, Democrats handed the IRS $80 billion to hire 87,000 new IRS agents, whose purpose we uncovered was to audit more middle-class families and small businesses. They gave the IRS the power to snoop on the Venmo or Cash app transactions of Americans buying a couch or paying a neighborhood kid to mow the lawn. This was the wrong approach then, and thanks to this committee’s action, taxpayers can breathe a little easier after the largest tax cut in American history.
"Thank you for coming to testify about the IRS’s progress to better serve taxpayers, the successful filing season, and how you are ensuring Americans get their money back in their pockets faster."
March 4, 2026 - 
