Senate Confirms Charles Rettig to Be IRS Commissioner

The Senate recently voted 64-33 to approve Beverly Hills tax attorney Charles Rettig as Internal Revenue Service commissioner. Democrats opposed the nomination because of a new Trump administration policy allowing some groups involved in politics to hide their donors’ identities.

The Democrats stated that although Rettig is qualified for the position, they needed to register their concern over the new IRS policy. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, the senior Democrat on the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, said he asked Rettig to commit to changing the new rule, without result.

Rettig faces the challenge of guiding the agency through the sweeping $1.5 trillion 2017 tax code changes enacted by Republicans in Congress in December. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, also said Rettig is expected to work to modernize the IRS’s outdated technology.

President Trump named Rettig nearly eight months ago, during which time an acting commissioner has filled the role. Rettig’s term will run through November 2022.