Daniel I. Werfel (born 1971) is an American government official who served as
Commissioner of Internal Revenue
The Commissioner of Internal Revenue is the head of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), an agency within the United States Department of the Treasury.
The office of Commissioner was created by United States Congress, Congress as part of the Reven ...
from 2023 to 2025. He was formerly a Managing Director and Partner at
Boston Consulting Group
Boston Consulting Group, Inc. (BCG) is an American global management consulting firm founded in 1963 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the "Big Three (management consultancies), Big Three" (or MBB, the world's three large ...
(BCG) from 2014 to 2023, acting Commissioner of Internal Revenue in 2013, and Controller of the
Office of Management and Budget
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...
from 2011 to 2013.
Early life and education
Werfel graduated from
John F. Kennedy High School in
Plainview on
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
in 1989. He holds a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
in Industrial and Labor Relations from
Cornell University
Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
, a
Juris Doctor
A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
from the
University of North Carolina School of Law, and a
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in public policy from
Duke University
Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...
.
Career
Werfel began his career at the
Office of Management and Budget
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...
(OMB) in 1997 as a policy analyst in the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Following that, he worked as a trial attorney in the Justice Department's
Civil Rights Division.
After the Department of Justice, he returned to OMB where he was a budget examiner in the Education Branch, then was promoted to the Senior Executive Service in 2003 and worked as Chief of the Financial Integrity and Analysis Branch within the Office of Federal Financial Management. He was then promoted to the position of Deputy Controller at OMB in 2005 and acting Controller in 2007, during the administration of
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
.
In August 2009, President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
nominated Werfel to be OMB Controller. The U.S. Senate confirmed him for the position of OMB Controller on October 13, 2009. In January 2011, while retaining the responsibilities of OMB Controller, he also took on the responsibilities of the OMB Deputy Director for Management. While in these roles, he served as OMB's point person on implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the federal government's operational response to a potential shutdown in 2011 by determining which essential services would continue to operate, and the federal government's preparation for the budget sequester.
He worked as the controller and acting deputy director for management until May 2013, at which time he was appointed as the acting IRS Commissioner.
On May 15, 2013, he was appointed Acting
Commissioner of Internal Revenue
The Commissioner of Internal Revenue is the head of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), an agency within the United States Department of the Treasury.
The office of Commissioner was created by United States Congress, Congress as part of the Reven ...
by President Obama, after the resignation of the previous Acting Commissioner,
Steven T. Miller.
Private sector
In 2014, Werfel joined
Boston Consulting Group
Boston Consulting Group, Inc. (BCG) is an American global management consulting firm founded in 1963 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the "Big Three (management consultancies), Big Three" (or MBB, the world's three large ...
as a Director in the firm's Public Sector Practice, based in
Washington, D.C. He was elected Managing Director and Partner in July 2017. In 2018, he was selected by BCG's CEO to lead BCG's Public Sector Practice in North America.
Return to government service
On November 10, 2022, President
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
announced his intent to nominate Werfel as
Commissioner of Internal Revenue
The Commissioner of Internal Revenue is the head of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), an agency within the United States Department of the Treasury.
The office of Commissioner was created by United States Congress, Congress as part of the Reven ...
. On March 9, 2023, Werfel was confirmed by the Senate by a 54–42 vote.
He was sworn in by deputy commissioner and former acting commissioner Doug O'Donnell on March 13, 2023, for a term ending November 12, 2027. On January 17, 2025, he announced his intent to resign from the Internal Revenue Service on January 20 when
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
is inaugurated as President.
Personal life
Werfel and his wife Beth have two children, Sean and Molly.
Their cat, Emmett, was featured on the Internal Revenue Service's
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
account multiple times.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Werfel, Daniel
Commissioners of Internal Revenue
Duke University alumni
IRS targeting controversy
Living people
University of North Carolina School of Law alumni
1971 births