Jorge Castro, former Counselor to the IRS Commissioner and congressional tax counsel, commented on the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Direct File program, implemented in 2024 to allow taxpayers to file their returns directly with the agency. The program is expected to face increased scrutiny with the change in administration and Republican control of Congress. Republican critics have said that the program is costly and questioned whether the IRS has the authority to run it. Castro noted that both Congress and the incoming Trump administration are likely to raise concerns about the program's viability and costs. "Congress has had a lot of questions about it — I suspect the incoming administration will also have a lot of questions about it," Castro said.