00:00Senator Daines. Congressman Long, good to see you here today. I have great
00:06memories of the time we served together in the U.S. House. Very proud to see you
00:11here today as our next Commissioner of the IRS. Congratulations on your
00:18nomination and your continued commitment to public service. Well, it goes without
00:24saying the role of the IRS Commissioner is very important. While nobody wants to
00:30pay taxes, when they do they want to have the experience as seamless a process as
00:36possible. At the very least, they expect to avoid political games. Unfortunately,
00:44during the Biden administration, the IRS suffered a massive leak of confidential
00:50taxpayer information. A politically motivated contractor managed to
00:58disclose thousands of returns without authorization. The same administration
01:05allowed unannounced home visits under false pretenses and raids on small
01:12businesses to collect non-financial documents, including my state of Montana.
01:19This is why, last Congress, I introduced legislation to increase penalties for
01:27individuals who unlawfully disclose taxpayer information. We need to make sure
01:34that people are held accountable for breaking the law, but it's more important
01:39to avoid these disclosures in the first place. Congressman Long, if confirmed, do you
01:46commit to protecting sensitive taxpayer information? Yes. You know, Montanans rely on IRS
01:58field offices when they encounter an issue and they need quick answers. We had some
02:04experiences here, in fact, in this committee where I had my staff call into the IRS
02:10help line. And, you know, at least you'd expect me some bad 70s music for the whole music. It wasn't even
02:17bad 70s because it was worse. And they were on hold for nearly an hour, listening to some really bad
02:25elevator music, only then to be disconnected. My staff works closely with the field offices to get timely and
02:36substantive answers to difficult questions and situations. It's important these offices run as smoothly as possible and provide the level of service
02:48that taxpayers pay for and deserve. Congressman Long, if confirmed, how will you strengthen the workforce at the IRS to provide strong customer service?
03:01I earlier mentioned that, and I don't know anybody else that would do this or even think of it, but I have pledged to arrive 90 minutes before the office opens here and in Montana.
03:13You may not see me much in DC, if I am confirmed, because I'm going to be traveling all around the country to these different offices and building a culture that people want, instead of looking at their watch and saying, I've got three years, four days, and 12 minutes before I retire. I've got to get out of this place. I hate it. I want them to be
03:30be anxious to come into work in the morning. I want to be, I mean, I want to build the culture and help my employee partners to where they're like, nobody ever asked their opinion on anything ever. In 27 years, I've been here in seven years, in seven months, I've never been invited up to the third floor where the commissioner is.
03:49And the taxpayers need the same level of service. And if you get this group happy and this group happy where they're not afraid of each other, I don't want either side to be intimidated in that equation.
04:02And I think that that's how you improve service at the IRS. And this thing about calls, I talked earlier, there was a two and a half hour, just four or five days ago, a guy contacted me, waited two and a half hours on the phone.
04:14And when he got put through, the lady, after 12 minutes, she said, I don't have time for this. I don't have time for you. He gave me her name and her badge. Now I haven't done anything with it, but I'm not over there. But it's stinking thinking.
04:26I mean, everyone I've run into in D.C. at Treasury or OPM or wherever has been very, very pleasant. And they all speak and they seem to be happy with what they do. I know there's some have taken the early out or whatever.
04:44But I think that if they know somebody's at the helm of the IRS that cares about them and cares about their life and wants their opinion, I think a light bulb will turn on and we can get it from the cellar up to the second or third floor as far as what they're, how, if they feel better about themselves and about their job, you don't think they're going to treat people better on the outside.
05:05And I, I may be tilting at windmills, but I really think that that's what it takes is a new culture, a new attitude. And like Charles Ross said, he buys some rubber stoppers for the door and keep your door open where people can have access to see who's, who's in there.
05:22Congressman, thank you. It will be a refreshing change. My, my grandmother had to pick up a job because my grandpa didn't, he didn't make much of a living.
05:31And later on in life, she went to work for the IRS and was a dedicated federal employee for many, many years. And she woke up every day. She got in there early and went home late.
05:41My grandma always told me, you know, count your blessings. She was a positive person and I'm sure she was a great, passionate service agent for taxpayers.
05:52And so my point is that, uh, I think you were going to, I'll be onto something here. You, there's a lot of dedicated federal employees that want to do the right thing and they show up every day.
06:02They're grateful for the work. They just need a leader here that respects them and empowers them. As you said, takes it out of the basement here and brings them up and treats them as peers versus second class citizens.
06:12And that kind of leadership is needed. And I'm confident.
06:16My dad never had a bad day. I mean, he was, he was the most proud. I was telling Senator Wyden the other day that he got drafted for the BAA, the Basketball Association of America to play as Senator Wyden.
06:26That was his lifelong dream to be, uh, play professionally. He had some health things that didn't allow him to do that.
06:31But dad was always positive, always upbeat, never had a bad day, just like his grandmother. And people, if you treat them, I like people. I like the left side. I like the right side.
06:44If people will give me a chance to show what I can do, I think we can do some very successful things at the IRS.
