Jorge Castro commented on how the IRS could be affected in the event of a government shutdown. Castro, a former counselor to the IRS Commissioner, noted that the agency starts preparing for the tax filing season far in advance and said, "Imagine a world where we've lost a month thanks to a shutdown. [F]iling season is top priority, so something else is going to have to lose priority." He stated that a government shutdown would put the "new, innovative initiatives" that the IRS is trying to roll out ahead of the tax filing season at risk.