Senate confirms Biden nominee Daniel Werfel to lead IRS amid GOP claims of a partisan agency

The Senate voted to confirm President Joe Biden's nominee, Daniel Werfel, to be commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service on Thursday as it undergoes an $80 billion transformation to update the agency’s infrastructure and increase its tax enforcement.

Werfel, confirmed by a bipartisan vote in the Senate of 54-42, will lead an agency that Republican lawmakers accuse of becoming increasingly politicized. Despite that, Werfel earned the backing of six moderate GOP senators. West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin was the only Democrat to vote against Werfel.

Who is Daniel Werfel?

Werfel has previously led the IRS as acting commissioner from May 2013 to December 2013, but will now serve a full term until Nov. 2027. His tenure is likely to focus heavily on the overhaul of the agency thanks to $80 billion in new funding from the Inflation Reduction Act passed last summer.

“Americans rightfully expect a more modern and high performing IRS,” Werfel said at his confirmation hearing last month.

“If I am fortunate enough to be confirmed, the audit and compliance priorities will be focused on enhancing IRS capabilities to ensure America’s highest earners comply with applicable tax laws,” Werfel continued, promising in his position to crack down on wealthy tax cheats.

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What are they saying?

Following the vote, Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, hailed Werfel’s confirmation. He said the Inflation Reduction Act has already made “remarkable improvements in taxpayer service,” in a statement, adding that Werfel will “maintain that progress.”

Manchin, the lone Democrat to vote against Werfel, has raised concerns about the Biden administration’s implementation of the IRA, noting that his vote against Wefel was less about the nominee and more about a broader set of grievances with the White House.

“While Daniel Werfel is supremely qualified to serve as the IRS Commissioner, I have zero faith he will be given the autonomy to perform the job in accordance with the law and for that reason, I cannot support his nomination,” Manchin said in a statement Wednesday.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Senate confirms Biden nominee Daniel Werfel as IRS commissioner