Senate Finance Committee will probe IRS’s tax-exempt status policy

Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said his committee would grill administration officials until questions on how this could happen are answered. He also said it’s important to find out who in the administration knew about the “scandal” and when they found out.

{mosads}Democrats have used the situation to renew their complaints that too many groups with political bias are allowed to apply for tax-exempt status. They argue that wealthy political donors use the 501(c)(4) organization to donate to campaigns anonymously.

The House Ways and Means Committee held the first hearing on the topic Friday. Steven Miller, the acting IRS chief who was forced out this week over the controversy, testified. President Obama on Thursday announced he was appointing budget official Danny Werfel as the new IRS commissioner.

It’s unclear who will testify before the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday.

Details on this and other committee hearings follow:

Senate Aging

– May 22, “10 Years Later: A Look at the Medicare Prescription Drug Program”

2 p.m., 366 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs

– May 21, “The Financial Stability Oversight Council Annual Report to Congress”

10 a.m., 538 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Budget

– May 22, “Supporting Broad-Based Economic Growth and Fiscal Responsibility through Tax Reform”

2:30 p.m., 608 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation

– May 22, “Nomination of Anthony Foxx to be Secretary of Transportation”

2:30 p.m., 253 Russell Senate Office Building

– May 23, “Nomination of Penny Pritzker to be Secretary of Commerce”

11 a.m., 253 Russell Senate Office Building

Senate Energy and Natural Resources

– May 21, “Domestic Supply and Exports”

10 a.m., 216 Hart Senate Office Building

– May 23, “Shale Development: Best Practices and Environmental Concerns”

10 a.m., 216 Hart Senate Office Building

Senate Finance

– May 21, “A Review of Criteria Used by the IRS to Identify 501(c)(4) Applications for Greater Scrutiny”

10 a.m., 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building

– May 22, “S.662, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2013”

10 a.m., 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Foreign Relations

– May 21, “S.960, A Bill Relating to the Situation in Syria Syrian Transition Support Act of 2013”

2 p.m. 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building

– May 22, “Different Perspectives on International Development

10:30 a.m., 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building

– May 23, “European Union Economic Relations: Crisis and Opportunity”

10 a.m., 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

– May 22, “Performance Management and Congressional Oversight: 380 Recommendations to Reduce Overlap and Duplication to Make Washington More Efficient”

10 a.m., 342 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

– May 22, “The Pharmaceutical Compounding Quality and Accountability Act, Drug Supply Chain Security Act, NLRB Nominations”

10 a.m., 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Judiciary

– May 22, “Judicial Nominations”

12:30 p.m., 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building