Citizens Against Government Waste Names Sen. Elizabeth Warren April 2025 Porker of the Month
Direct File is duplicative, costly, and dangerous. It not only competes with the IRS's Free File system that gives taxpayers the ability to use private sector programs but also is limited and ineffective since it cannot be used for state income tax returns and taxpayers were unable to claim education tax credits. In December 2024, the IRS estimated that Direct File would cost $24.6 million and be used by at least 2.3 million taxpayers. But a March 20, 2025, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration report said it cost $33.4 million and only 104,800 returns out of 423,450 filed were accepted. Direct File was also set up without any statutory authority.
CAGW President Tom Schatz said, "Sen. Warren's push to expand the duplicative and wasteful Direct File program shows her complete disregard for protecting taxpayer dollars and information. Only taxpayers know their personal financial situation, but Direct File is allowing the IRS to become the preparer, biller, and enforcer of everyone's taxes. Filing taxes is already difficult and stressful enough for taxpayers. Sen. Warren should be ashamed of her proposal that will waste money and harm taxpayers across America. For her efforts to expand the size and scope of the IRS's power and take away personal control, Sen. Warren was an easy choice for this month's Porker."
Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government. For more than two decades, Porker of the Month is a dubious honor given to lawmakers and government officials who have shown a blatant disregard for the taxpayers.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250416012598/en/
Contacts
Alexandra Abrams (202) 467-5310aabrams@cagw.org
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Are we getting a stimulus check in 2025? What to know about Trump's stimulus check status
Americans are still waiting on the possibility of another stimulus check or DOGE dividend refund in 2025 from President Donald Trump or a previous unclaimed stimulus from the Internal Revenue Service. Here's what to know about the second, third and fourth stimulus checks and an update on their status. The IRS warns to avoid potential scams by working directly with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or a reputable tax professional to address missing stimulus payments or claim the relevant Recovery Rebate Credit on your tax return, if may pose as government officials and request Social Security numbers, bank account details, or other sensitive information under the guise of verifying eligibility or expediting payments. The opportunities to claim or file for the first stimulus payment (issued in March and April 2020) or the second stimulus check (issued by Jan. 15, 2021) or the third stimulus check (issued between March and December 2021) have now passed. The deadline to file for the third and last stimulus check was April 15, 2025; it marked a three-year deadline to claim any tax refunds or in this case, the $1,400 Recovery Rebate Credit for 2021. Even if you received a tax extension, you still needed to file your 2021 tax return by the April 15, 2025 deadline to claim that third stimulus check. There are no extensions or appeals available for missed deadlines, and any unclaimed stimulus payments become the property of the U.S. Treasury. While speculation about a fourth stimulus check of $2,000 have surfaced on social media and unverified websites, there has been no official confirmation from Congress or the IRS to support this claim and any such news should be taken with caution as it could be misinformation or attempted fraud. In February, Trump said he would consider the plan to pay out $5,000 stimulus checks to taxpayers in the form of a 'DOGE dividend' during a summit in Miami. He explained it as using part of the 20% of the savings identified by Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and giving it back to taxpayers. However, he has not shared any further specifics or details about the possible 'DOGE dividend' or its certainty since then. Here's what to know about tracking your tax refund and when to expect it. If you filed your federal taxes electronically and included your banking information, then you may expect a direct deposit within 21 days. If you did not include banking information, then you may expect a paper check refund via the mail within 6-8 weeks. Submitting your return is not the same as the IRS accepting your return. Once it is accepted, you will know it has if you see a "Refund Sent" alert when you check your tax return status online, at which point you won't have to wait too long for the funds to show up in your account. Once the IRS approves your refund, it could hit your bank account within days via the direct deposit option. The IRS has an online tool called "Where's My Refund" that allows you to check on the status of your refund. Click here. You can start checking the status of your refund within 24 hours after you e-filed your return. The refund information is updated on the IRS website once a day, overnight. The online tool requires you to enter your Social Security number, filing status and exact refund amount on the return. It will then respond with a return received (processing), refund approved (preparing to issue refund by date shown) or refund sent (send to your bank or in the mail). Again, once it shows the IRS has approved your refund, it could hit your bank account within days via the direct deposit option. The other way to check on the status is to call the IRS at 800-829-1954. Most states have dedicated online portals for tracking income tax returns. The Delaware Division of Taxation has established an online portal you can access to check the status of your state refund. To check on Pennsylvania online portal for state tax refund, click here. To check on New Jersey online portal for state tax refund, click here. Maria Francis is a Pennsylvania-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team. This article originally appeared on Is the IRS sending out stimulus checks in 2025? check eligibility Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Are we getting a stimulus check in July 2025? How to track my stimulus check status update
Taxpayers are waiting on tax refunds and the possibility of a stimulus check in 2025 from President Donald Trump or the Internal Revenue Service. Here's what to know about the second, third and fourth stimulus checks, amounts, eligibility and an update on their status. The first stimulus check was for up to $1,200 for individuals and $2,400 for married couples, plus $500 per qualifying child under the age of 17. While the second check was up to $600 per individual, $1,200 for married couples and $600 per qualifying child under 17. The third stimulus check was for $1,400 per eligible individual and married couples filing jointly received an additional $1,400 for each qualifying dependent. The opportunities to claim or file for the first stimulus payment (issued in March and April 2020) or the second stimulus check (issued by Jan. 15, 2021) or the third stimulus check (issued between March and December 2021) have now passed. The deadline to file for the third and laste stimulus check was April 15, 2025; it marked a three-year deadline to claim any tax refunds or in this case, the $1,400 Recovery Rebate Credit for 2021. It is best to work directly with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or a reputable tax professional to address missing stimulus payments or claim the relevant Recovery Rebate Credit on your tax return, if eligible. Even if you received a tax extension, you still needed to file your 2021 tax return by the April 15, 2025 deadline to claim that third stimulus check. There are no extensions or appeals available for missed deadlines, and any unclaimed stimulus payments become the property of the U.S. Treasury. While speculation about a fourth stimulus check of $2,000 has surfaced on social media and unverified websites, there has been no official confirmation from Congress or the IRS to support this claim and any such news should be taken with caution as it could be misinformation or attempted fraud. In February, Trump said he would consider the plan to pay out $5,000 stimulus checks to taxpayers in the form of a 'DOGE dividend' during a summit in Miami. He explained it as using part of the 20% of the savings identified by Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and giving it back to taxpayers. However, he has not shared any further specifics or details about the possible 'DOGE dividend' or its certainty since then. Here's what to know about tracking your tax refund and when to expect it. If you filed your federal taxes electronically and included your banking information, then you may expect a direct deposit within 21 days. If you did not include banking information, then you may expect a paper check refund via the mail within six to eight weeks. Submitting your return is not the same as the IRS accepting your return. Once it is accepted, you will know it has if you see a "Refund Sent" alert when you check your tax return status online, at which point you won't have to wait too long for the funds to show up in your account. Once the IRS approves your refund, it could hit your bank account within days via the direct deposit option. The IRS has an online tool called "Where's My Refund" that allows you to check on the status of your refund. Click here. You can start checking the status of your refund within 24 hours after you e-filed your return. The refund information is updated on the IRS website once a day, overnight. The online tool requires you to enter your Social Security number, filing status and exact refund amount on the return. It will then respond with a return received (processing), refund approved (preparing to issue refund by date shown) or refund sent (send to your bank or in the mail). Again, once it shows the IRS has approved your refund, it could hit your bank account within days via the direct deposit option. The other way to check on the status is to call the IRS at 800-829-1954. If your taxes were electronically filed and accepted by April 15, it is estimated that you should have received a direct deposit federal refund from the IRS by May 6 or June 16th by mail. Most states have dedicated online portals for tracking income tax returns. The Delaware Division of Taxation has established an online portal you can access to check the status of your state refund. To check on Pennsylvania online portal for state tax refund, click here. To check on New Jersey online portal for state tax refund, click here. Maria Francis is a Pennsylvania-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team. This article originally appeared on Are we getting a stimulus check in July 2025? Where's my refund?
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Don't expect a speedy tax refund in 2026 from an understaffed IRS
The Trump administration's 2025 cost-cutting campaign at the IRS was all too successful, according to an internal watchdog report. As a result, the agency may struggle through the 2026 tax season. And taxpayers may suffer. The IRS lost 26% of its 102,000-person workforce to layoffs and buyouts this year through early June, amid a larger effort by the Trump administration to shrink the federal government. The figure comes in a June 25 report from Erin Collins, the national taxpayer advocate. The 2025 tax season ended as 'one of the most successful filing seasons in recent memory,' Collins said in a statement that accompanied the report. 'But with the IRS workforce reduced by 26%, and significant tax law changes on the horizon, there are risks to next year's filing season. It is critical that the IRS begin to take steps now to prepare.' The IRS processed 138 million returns in the 2025 filing season and issued 86 million refunds, with an average refund of $2,942. Few of the tax agency's critics predicted a successful 2025 tax season. The IRS went through five commissioners in four months, Collins writes in the report, 'and many of its most experienced leaders chose to accept one of the voluntary departure options.' Tax changes in Trump bill could swamp understaffed IRS Now comes a bigger challenge. A mammoth legislative package, approved by the Senate on July 1, includes dozens of tax cuts, tax-cut extensions and other tweaks to the tax code. The tax agency's Information Technology unit will have to reprogram IRS data systems to reflect those changes, if they become law. But that unit has lost 27% of its staff, Collins reports. The Taxpayer Services unit will have to handle the predicted deluge of telephone calls from befuddled taxpayers. That unit has lost 22% of its staff, more than 9,000 employees. To avoid potential chaos, according to a report summary, 'the IRS will need to rapidly hire and train thousands of new Taxpayer Services employees before the 2026 filing season to process returns and deliver timely refunds.' Other taxpayer advocates echoed those concerns. 'You can't make those kinds of deep cuts without harming customer service,' said David Kass, executive director of the nonprofit Americans for Tax Fairness. 'Let's be clear: This is a mistake of the administration's own making.' Taxpayer Advocate: IRS needs fully functional online accounts Collins made her remarks in a 75-page National Taxpayer Advocate Objectives Report to Congress. The report recommends several agency objectives. Among them: The Trump administration set out to cut thousands of jobs at the IRS this year, aided by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, with an eye to saving money. Buyouts and layoffs, together, thinned the IRS workforce from 102,113 to 75,702, according to the advocate's report. The cuts, alone, would have posed a formidable challenge to the IRS as it ramps up for the 2026 tax season, agency observers say. But now, with the expected passage of Trump's tax bill, the smaller staff may have to cope with an onslaught of taxpayer inquiries about new rules on overtime, tips and car-loan interest. 'Now, maybe the cuts to staffing alone may not have had a huge impact on the filing season if all else held equal,' said Alex Muresianu, a senior policy analyst at the nonprofit Tax Foundation. 'But having the big staffing cuts the same year as a bunch of major tax changes is a dangerous mix.' Is Direct File on the way out? One apparent casualty of the cuts is Direct File, a new IRS program that allowed millions of Americans with uncomplicated taxes to file returns at no cost. Piloted in a dozen states last year, Direct File expanded to 25 states in 2025. But now, the program may be over. The Trump tax bill would empanel a 'task force on the replacement of Direct File.' Perhaps the Direct File staff knew what was coming. In the first half of 2025, according to the advocate's report, the unit shrank from 27 employees to five.
