Warner & Kaine Slam House-Passed Republican Bill to Make Tax Filing More Expensive

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement regarding a provision in the megabill Republicans are ramming through Congress that would eliminate Direct File—a pilot program that allows Americans to file their taxes without making extra payments to tax preparation services—all so that Republicans can slash taxes for the wealthiest Americans:

“If it were up to us, we’d be debating ways to put money back in the pockets of working Virginians. But the megabill Republicans are ramming through Congress does the opposite. Not only will it raise taxes for millions of working Americans, it will cut off a new, successful service that allows people to file their taxes directly to the IRS without having to pay a middleman’s fees. We should be strengthening programs that lower costs, not eliminating them.”

In 2024 alone, Direct File helped 140,803 taxpayers nationwide claim more than $90 million in refunds and save an estimated $5.6 million in tax preparation fees. Warner and Kaine have long supported Direct File. Last year, they urged Governor Youngkin and the General Assembly to allow Virginians to use the program to file their future tax returns.

Warner and Kaine have been sounding the alarm about the effects of the GOP plan on Virginia families if Republicans in Congress continue to insist on gutting vital programs in order to pay for tax breaks for the richest Americans. The senators have noted that the GOP bill would strip health insurance from more than 262,000 Virginians, cut SNAP benefits for more than 204,000 people in Virginia, raise energy costs for Virginia households, jeopardize more than 20,000 Virginia jobs, raise the deficit by $3.8 trillion, and raise taxes on minimum-wage workers while giving the richest 0.1% a $188,000 tax cut.

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