After being confirmed by the Senate last Thursday, Daniel Werfel was sworn in Monday as the 50th commissioner in the history of the IRS. He was sworn in by Doug O’Donnell, deputy commissioner for services and enforcement who had served as acting commissioner once Charles Rettig’s term as IRS chief ended last November.
According to the IRS, here is what Werfel, a former IRS acting commissioner during the Obama administration, told employees after being sworn in:
“After taking the oath of office a short time ago, I feel incredibly grateful and humbled to have the chance to lead such an amazing group of dedicated public servants at a pivotal moment in IRS history,” Werfel told IRS employees. “This role culminates a lifetime of commitment to public service for me.”
As commissioner, Werfel returns to the federal government, where he first began work at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the late 1990s. He spent more than 15 years in the federal government, eventually serving as Controller of OMB. He came over to the IRS to temporarily serve as Acting Commissioner in 2013. Next, Werfel served as a leader of Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) Public Sector practice, first covering North America and then as a global leader.
“Following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, we have a unique opportunity to make improvements for the IRS and the nation,” Werfel wrote to IRS employees. “I am excited by this opportunity as well as the chance to work with you again.”
Werfel will now oversee the allocation of roughly $79.6 billion the IRS will receive over the next decade as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, which President Biden signed into law last August. That money is expected to be used to modernize the agency’s outdated technology systems, improve taxpayer services, and to increase tax enforcement activities, among other things.
His term as commissioner will run through Nov. 12, 2027.
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