WASHINGTON, D.C. | June 13, 2025 — Today, the National Whistleblower Center (NWC) sent a letter to the Senate Finance Committee calling for key reforms to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Whistleblower Program to be included in the budget reconciliation bill currently being considered in Congress.
“An IRS Whistleblower Program which works for whistleblowers is necessary for the program to reach its full potential as an immensely cost-effective enforcement tool with an expansive deterrent effect,” the letter states. “The technical reforms found in the IRS Whistleblower Improvement Act make the program more attractive to would-be-whistleblowers by addressing the debilitating delays and hurdles to full award payments currently plaguing the program.”
“By including these provisions in the One Big Beautiful Act, Congress will be increasing the ability of the IRS to recover unpaid taxes from fraudsters, bolstering the federal budget in one of the most efficient means possible,” the letter continues.
While the IRS Whistleblower Program has dramatically bolstered the United States’ efforts to crack-down on tax fraud schemes, identify tax cheats, deter would-be fraudsters and overall shrink the tax gap it has been plagued by a number of issues in recent years, leading to ballooning delays in award processing and decreases in the number of payouts to whistleblowers.
There has been bipartisan support in Congress to address these issues. The provisions found in the IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act, introduced by two members of this committee, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), during the last session of Congress were included in the draft discussion of the Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act unveiled earlier this year by Senators Wyden and Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID). These critically needed provisions have not been included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act currently being considered by the Senate, however.
NWC has set up an Action Alert allowing supporters to write to members of Congress calling for the inclusion of these key IRS Whistleblower reforms in the budget reconciliation bill.
NWC Board Chairman Stephen M. Kohn is available for comment. For more information, contact NWC at programs@whistleblowers.org.
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NWC is the leading nonprofit working with whistleblowers worldwide to fight corruption and protect people and the environment. For over 30 years, NWC has won policies to protect whistleblowers from retaliation and reward them for helping deliver criminal and civil penalties against wrongdoers. It is a trusted advocate for whistleblowers and a key player in the fight for government accountability and transparency.
