[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 66 (Wednesday, April 15, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1769-S1770]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            DIRECT FILE ACT

  Mr. COONS. Mr. President, today is tax day. Today is a day when 
millions and millions of Americans file their returns. On average, 
Americans spend about $270 and 13 hours preparing their taxes for 
filing. That is just nuts. That is a higher expense and a higher amount 
of time than millions of Americans should be spending. Look, for people 
who have complex holdings and lots of economic interests, that is one 
thing, but for tens of millions of Americans, the Federal Government 
already has all of their critical data, and their tax filings should be 
quick and free.
  The simple idea behind a bill that I am cosponsoring with Senator 
Elizabeth Warren the Direct File Act is that there ought to be a 
program. In fact, there used to be a program. Congress told the IRS 
several years ago to create a way for Americans to file their taxes 
quickly, simply, and for free, and

[[Page S1770]]

they started a pilot program. The IRS started a pilot program called 
Direct File in 2024.
  I used to be the senior Democrat on the Appropriations subcommittee 
that oversees the IRS and was actively involved in trying to develop 
and improve this program just from the Senate's side. It was exciting 
to me to get the initial reports that hundreds of thousands of 
Americans used Direct File in its first year, and after several years, 
they demonstrated that, on average, folks were saving $160, and 90 
percent had a positive experience--either an above-average positive or 
an excellent experience. Many did their taxes in less than an hour--13 
hours?--1 hour--accessing all of the government information that they 
had already in their database and then simply confirming it and filing 
versus having to work with someone and pay someone to prepare their 
taxes.
  Well, President Trump shut down this program last year. Why? I don't 
know, but it is certainly uncomfortable that there was a major donation 
to his inauguration from the leading company that makes you pay taxes 
to file taxes--that makes you pay a fee to them to file and pay your 
taxes.
  So, folks, today on tax day most Americans are looking for whether 
there is a way for them to file quicker, cheaper, and more easily. 
Three-quarters of Americans feel like they have paid as much as they 
expected, if not more, this year in spite of the No. 1 priority of the 
Republicans in this body last year, which was a big tax bill that gave 
tax cuts to millionaires. Working Americans did not see the tax relief 
from the so-called Big Beautiful Bill that they expected. They mostly 
saw cuts to healthcare and to food assistance.
  It costs $160, on average, to pay someone to prepare your taxes. 
Well, that may not seem like a lot to a business executive--to a big 
tax company executive--who got a big tax cut himself, but it means a 
lot for tens of thousands of my constituents, of working Delawareans. 
It does not have to be this way again next year. We should pass this 
bill and, once again, make it easy, free, and fair to file your taxes.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I am excited to join 
with so many of my colleagues in advocating that, by unanimous consent, 
we simply reopen the path toward easy, free tax filings for Americans 
next year.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.

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