Acting IRS commissioner steps down after immigrant data-sharing agreement

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Acting IRS commissioner steps down after immigrant data-sharing agreement
  • Melanie Krause, acting IRS commissioner, is resigning her position. The move follows an agreement between the IRS and DHS to share immigrants’ tax data for deportation efforts.
  • Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem signed the data-sharing deal.
  • Krause is the third IRS leader to resign in recent months, following the departures of Danny Werfel and Doug O’Donnell.

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Melanie Krause, the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) acting commissioner, announced to staff Tuesday, April 8, that she is stepping down from her position, according to multiple reports. Her decision comes one day after the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reached an agreement to share immigrants’ tax data with immigration authorities.

Krause’s resignation follows DHS agreement

NBC News reports that the goal of the immigrant tax sharing plan is to identify and deport individuals living in the U.S. illegally. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem signed the data-sharing agreement.

According to CNN, sources familiar with the matter say that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will provide the IRS with the names and addresses of taxpayers suspected of violating immigration laws. The IRS will then cross-check this data to verify its accuracy.

Krause is the third agency leader to resign in less than three months. Danny Werfel, who served as IRS commissioner under the Biden administration, left office on Trump’s Inauguration Day. His successor, Doug O’Donnell, retired in February after refusing to agree to a previous data-sharing deal with DHS, CNN reports.

Statement from the Treasury Department on Krause’s resignation

A spokesperson for the Treasury Department issued the following statement regarding Krause’s resignation:

“Melanie Krause has been leading the IRS through a time of extraordinary change. As we focus on IT modernization and reorganize the agency to better serve the taxpayer, we are also in the midst of breaking down data silos that for too long have stood in the way of identifying waste, fraud, and abuse and bringing criminals to justice. We believe these goals are critical to a more efficient government and a safer country. We wish Melanie well on her next endeavor.”

Several other senior officials with the IRS have also left the agency over the tax data-sharing agreement.

Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief

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