How DOGE Broke the IRS | Danny Werfel

The Internal Revenue Service may never be the government’s most popular agency, but it could have been the most efficient.

In 2022, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which invested $80 billion to fix the Internal Revenue Service. In 2024, the agency rolled out features like Direct File, a new free filing service for taxpayers. But Elon Musk's DOGE had other plans, including mass firings and data sharing agreements with ICE. The result is new risks for taxpayers.

Host: Anne Kim, Washington Monthly

Guest: Danny Werfel, former IRS Commissioner

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Danny Werfel and IRS challenges

01:01 The importance of the IRS and public perception

02:04 The referee analogy and public trust

02:57 Modernization goals and digital interactions

05:30 Impact of current administration on the IRS

06:29 Performance before and after the Inflation Reduction Act

07:55 Reversal of modernization efforts in 2025

09:22 Lack of a clear modernization plan from the IRS

11:20 Recent IRS performance and taxpayer frustrations

12:21 Consequences of underfunding and staffing issues

16:39 The size and capacity of the IRS compared internationally

20:43 Doge's mistakes in IRS reform

23:05 Spending, capacity, and efficiency in government

27:08 Risks of rapid reform and the reflecting pool analogy

37:34 The concept and benefits of direct file

40:57 Challenges and opportunities in free file solutions

44:19 The future of IRS reform and innovation

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