Treasury Department Archives

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testifies before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Feb. 5, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Treasury pushing for ‘robust’ use of AI in banking, but in a ‘gradual’ way

Secretary Scott Bessent said there’s still “a great amount of learning to do” on AI during a pair of Hill appearances this week about FSOC’s annual report…

Feb 5, 2026 By Matt Bracken

Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, speaks at a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus news conference on Capitol Hill on Feb. 25, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Bipartisan House duo wants Treasury-led push to fight identity theft, fraud

A bill from Reps. Pete Sessions and Bill Foster would task the Treasury secretary with doling out fraud prevention grants to states to develop digital IDs that…

Feb 2, 2026 By Matt Bracken

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., speaks to reporters following a Senate Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 9, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

Senators demand answers from Treasury on IRS’s data-sharing deal with ICE

A letter led by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., hammers Treasury’s “refusal to answer basic questions” about the pact and requests responses from Scott Bessent by Feb. 16.

Jan 30, 2026 By Matt Bracken

The front doors of the Internal Revenue Service building are seen in Washington, D.C., on May 18, 2025. (Photo by Wesley Lapointe/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

IRS ramps up AI use amid staff cuts, Treasury inventory shows

The tax agency accounts for nearly half of Treasury’s AI use cases, with a heavy focus on IT and some fraud-fighting tech, but no results for “collections”…

Jan 29, 2026 By Matt Bracken

The Internal Revenue Service building on Feb. 23, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Annabelle Gordon for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

IRS faces inventory backlog, IT project delays this filing season, watchdog says

A memo from Treasury’s deputy inspector general for audit warns the tax agency that massive staff cuts and the government shutdown have put the IRS behind the…

Jan 27, 2026 By Matt Bracken

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks at the 56th World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 20, 2026. (Photo by Harun Ozalp/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Treasury scraps Booz Allen contracts, citing ex-employee who leaked tax returns

The consulting firm said it was “surprised” by Monday’s announcement after it “fully” supported the government in its investigation into Charles Littlejohn.

Jan 26, 2026 By Matt Bracken

Treasury eyes expanded data access for agencies in fight against fraud

An official with the department’s Bureau of Fiscal Service said discussions about access to taxpayer data in its Do Not Pay system are happening, though there are…

Jan 23, 2026 By Matt Bracken

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., arrives for a hearing about fraud in Minnesota at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 7, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Government needs more agency buy-in to fight fraud with tech, officials say

Data experts with Treasury, the GAO and the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee say AI and data analytics can be used more effectively to detect fraud in federal…

Jan 13, 2026 By Matt Bracken

Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., speaks during a news conference on Dec. 3, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

House lawmakers renew IRS push to digitize paper returns

The BARCODE Efficiency Act is a companion to 2025 Senate legislation requiring scannable code on paper forms and the use of optical character recognition tech.

Jan 9, 2026 By Matt Bracken

Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol Building on Dec. 14, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

House Democrats demand answers on IRS’s AI use to manage taxpayer data

Eleven House Ways & Means lawmakers want Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to address questions about the tax agency’s use of AI on antiquated COBOL code.

Dec 18, 2025 By Matt Bracken