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




                            DIRECT FILE ACT

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, it is tax day, April 15--the anti-holiday.
  This tax day, in particular, is a tough one. Tax day 2026 is a 
reminder that Donald Trump and Republicans will put the interests of 
giant corporations ahead of the interests of typical Americans. There 
is no clearer example of Trump corruption in practice than betraying 
taxpayers and killing the Direct File Program as a favor to his allies.
  Here is what this is all about: When it comes to taxes, Democrats 
start with the proposition that for the vast majority of Americans--
wage-earning workers whose taxes really aren't complicated--filing your 
taxes ought to be free and easy. Our view is you shouldn't have to pay 
a penny to perform your basic civic duty.
  That is why, back in 2022, after years of hard work, we passed 
funding for the IRS to build a Direct File Program, a way for taxpayers 
to file directly with the IRS online for free. The IRS launched a pilot 
project for 2024. They expanded it in 2025. Hundreds of thousands of 
people used Direct File. It was hugely popular--in effect, a beloved 
program. A lot of people are skeptical that the government is still 
capable of building useful things. Direct File proved the skeptics 
wrong. It proved that the Federal Government can still come up with 
great public services from the ground up.
  Well, the tax prep giants saw it as a threat, and over the years, I 
saw them spend millions to try to defend the status quo that was 
failing. The prep giants unleashed a tidal wave of lobbying to try to 
squash the program before it reached escape velocity. They found some 
willing partners in Republicans here. Going into this year, Trump and 
Republicans killed Direct File. Millions of Americans should have had 
an opportunity to use it to file for free, but now, they are back at 
the mercy of the tax prep companies.
  The Republicans who killed Direct File say it is no big deal because 
there are other free options out there, programs that partner with the 
private companies. The reality is that tax prep companies have already 
demonstrated they can't be trusted. The worst example was with Intuit. 
When Intuit was involved with the Free File Program, it was caught 
burying the free option on a website you couldn't find with a 
traditional search engine. It steered users toward options that 
battered them with upcharges and misleading marketing. Finally, they 
quit offering Free File when they got called out on what were genuinely 
underhanded tactics.
  My view is, the debate over this subject isn't that complicated. The 
government requires people to file and pay taxes, so the least the 
government can do is to make the filing process simple and free and as 
painless as possible. Donald Trump and Republicans don't agree because 
they destroyed a wonderful, new public service when they shut down 
Direct File.
  My Finance Committee colleague Senator Warren has been a terrific 
partner and a champion of Direct File. I have enjoyed working with her 
over the years on this critical issue. I am behind her effort 100 
percent as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee to 
revive Direct File. We are not going to let this go no matter how long 
it takes, and I urge all of my colleagues here in the Senate--as it 
used to be bipartisan--to support Direct File.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware.

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