John Koskinen

  • The former acting chief of the Internal Revenue Service, who led the agency in the aftermath of the political-targeting scandal and who stepped down in December, says he believes the agency is on the right track. In an interview on on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp, Danny Werfel, who recently joined the Boston Consulting Group, cited strong leadership at the agency.

    March 31, 2014
  • Under the squeeze of sequestration, the size of the Internal Revenue Service's workforce contracted by nearly 6,000 employees by the end of last year, according to new IRS data. At the end of fiscal 2013, the IRS workforce stood at 83,613 employees -- the fewest number in more than decade. That's also 5,938 fewer employees than the agency had on board at the end of fiscal 2012.

    March 24, 2014
  • Given the choice, would you choose a date with Justin Bieber, an evening with Beyonce or a $25,000 buyout? Given the odds, chances are you will never have to make a choice, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. But be prepared...

    February 28, 2014
  • IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government that budget and staffing reductions are impacting the agency's core missions of customer service and tax collection. The agency projects it will only be able to answer 61 percent of phone calls this year, meaning some 20 million phone calls will go unanswered. Meanwhile, taxpayers attempting to reach IRS offices are facing wait times that stretch past 20 minutes.

    February 27, 2014
  • On the In Depth show blog, you can listen to our interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day, as well as links to other stories and resources we discuss.

    February 26, 2014
  • John Koskinen, sworn in as IRS commissioner in late December, has been meeting with frontline employees and crunching numbers for the last several weeks. He told Congress Wednesday that every corner of the agency is underfunded, and as a direct result, the Treasury is collecting fewer dollars than it should.

    February 06, 2014
  • The head of the Internal Revenue Service said the agency isn't planning any employee furloughs this year, even though Congress decided not to restore funding to the agency that had been lost due to the across-the-board sequestration cuts. IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said the budget crunch, though, would mean taxpayers will see a decline in services.

    January 31, 2014
  • In an annual report to Congress, the National Taxpayer Advocate, Nina Olson, wrote that the IRS faces "unstable and chronic underfunding that puts at risk the IRS's ability to meet its current responsibilities, much less articulate and achieve the necessary transformation to an effective, modern tax agency."

    January 10, 2014
  • Todd Grams, the chief of staff of the Internal Revenue Service, announced Friday he's retiring after 34 years of federal service, according to a note to staff obtained by Federal News Radio. Grams was named IRS chief of staff in June at the request of Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel in the wake of a leadership shakeup following revelations the agency had improperly targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny.

    December 20, 2013
  • John Koskinen, President Barack Obama's pick to lead the embattled Internal Revenue Service, pledged to restore public trust in the agency following the recent uproar over revelations of purported political bias by IRS employees. Speaking before the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday morning, Koskinen also said he'd work to turn around the declining employee morale.

    December 10, 2013
  • John Koskinen was named as President Barack Obama's pick to lead the IRS. His ties to Washington, D.C. and public service go back many years.

    August 02, 2013
  • President Barack Obama is nominating retired corporate restructuring expert John Koskinen to take over the Internal Revenue Service, which is under fire for its screening of political groups.

    August 01, 2013
  • If a shutdown does happen, feds will be faced with logistical nightmare. John Koskinen, an executive with Freddie Mac and former Deputy Director for Management at OMB,shares his experience during the 1995-96 shutdown.

    April 08, 2011
  • Both political parties are making a \"good faith effort\" to avoid a shutdown, but agencies should still have a plan in place in case Congress cannot reach a compromise to fund government, said John Koskinen, the former deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget during the last partial government shutdowns in 1995 and 1996,

    March 02, 2011