Press Release
Posted:
Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04), Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Tax, announced that he led ten Ways and Means Democrats in demanding that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent explain why the Administration has failed to release critical IRS tax return data following the 2026 filing season. The lawmakers raised concerns that the Administration is withholding information that could reveal who is benefiting from Congressional Republicans’ tax law, which disproportionately benefits wealthy Americans.
“Congressional Republicans have spent months bragging about their tax law, but now that it's time to show Americans who is actually benefiting, the Administration is keeping the numbers hidden,” said Thompson. “The nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation projected that nearly two-thirds of the tax benefits would go to people making over $200,000 a year. If Congressional Republicans are so proud of their tax law, why won't they release the data? Americans deserve to know whether their tax dollars are helping working families or padding the pockets of the wealthy. The Administration needs to stop hiding the ball and release the numbers.”
According to recent reporting by POLITICO, detailed IRS tax return statistics originally scheduled for publication in July, with updated statistics expected in September, remain unreleased. The IRS reportedly transmitted the information to the Treasury Department and is awaiting approval to make it public. Meanwhile, the Administration has continued to publicize aggregate tax filing statistics that support its claims about the law.
The delayed data is particularly concerning following the passage of Republicans’ H.R. 1 tax law. According to an analysis by the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation, taxpayers earning $200,000 or more were projected to receive approximately $337.6 billion in net federal tax reductions in 2027, representing roughly 62 percent of the $547.4 billion in tax reductions analyzed. Millionaires alone were projected to receive $114 billion.
In their letter, the lawmakers demanded that Treasury explain which statistical releases have been delayed, who is responsible for approving their publication, and whether any officials at the IRS, Treasury, or White House requested that the information be withheld for reasons unrelated to statistical accuracy or taxpayer confidentiality. They also called for the immediate publication of completed datasets and a schedule for releasing information showing how tax benefits are distributed across income levels.
“The Administration has found ample opportunity to celebrate its tax law. It should be equally willing to publish the numbers,” the lawmakers wrote. “Apparently, its enthusiasm for tax data diminishes when the numbers might invite scrutiny.”
The lawmakers requested a response from Treasury Secretary Bessent by October 28, 2026.
Joining Thompson in the letter were Representatives Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Judy Chu (CA-28), Don Beyer (VA-08), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), and Steven Horsford (NV-04).
The full letter can be found here.