1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

Every year, tens of millions of Americans are required by law to file their taxes—yet many of us still have to pay private companies just to comply. On average, that’s about eight hours and $160 per person, every single year. Now, 160 members of Congress have introduced the Direct File Act of 2026, which would restore and permanently protect free, public tax filing for millions of people. I strongly support this effort, and I hope you will too. Because at its core, this isn’t complicated. If the government requires you to file taxes, it should provide a free, straightforward way to do it. What we have instead is a system where companies like TurboTax (owned by Intuit) and H&R Block profit by positioning themselves between taxpayers and the government. They market convenience and expertise—but what they are really charging for is access to a system that should already be accessible. We’ve seen before that a better approach is possible. Years ago, a direct filing pilot program in California was overwhelmingly successful, with high user satisfaction and strong outcomes. Despite this, it was ultimately shut down—not because it didn’t work, but because of sustained lobbying pressure from the tax preparation industry. More recently, before it was curtailed, the IRS Direct File program also demonstrated strong results, with users rating it highly. Fully implemented, it was projected to save families up to $23 billion annually in time, fees, and missed credits. The Direct File Act would ensure that this kind of system is not only restored, but protected. It would: • Permanently establish a free IRS online filing system • Prohibit agreements that limit free filing options • Require mobile access, multilingual support, and real customer service • Allow taxpayers to securely import their income data • Expand access to at least half of taxpayers in participating states This is about fairness and basic public service. Filing taxes shouldn’t require paying a corporate middleman. I urge you to support the Direct File Act of 2026.