Speaker Sam Rayburn said: “You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too.”
We have before us four people who have been nominated by President Obama to help lead the Government. It is imperative that each of you lead. But remember that you cannot lead alone. You must lead with the help of those around you.
And as you lead, you must follow the guidance of those whom you serve. We are all just the hired hands. The American people are the bosses. As you lead, you must follow the guidance of the American people.
Mr. Wilkins, you have been nominated to be Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service.
In this role, you will not lead alone. Rather, you will lead with the help of more than 1,400 attorneys in that office. And you will lead the IRS on critical issues. You will have influence over the resolution of tax issues that affect individuals, businesses, and tax exempt organizations.
Effective tax administration requires equitable treatment of all taxpayers. Taxpayers have a right to expect consistency and certainty in the way that tax laws are interpreted and applied.
Taxpayers have a right to know that issues will be addressed expeditiously within the bounds of IRS authority. Issues must not be allowed to fester for years just because no one is willing to take a position.
Taxpayers have a right to expect the IRS to act tenaciously to shut down scams and schemes that undermine the health of our voluntary tax system. A $345 billion annual tax gap is simply not acceptable.
Mr. Wilkins, you have an excellent reputation. That was demonstrated by your selection as the Tax Section Chair of the American Bar Association in 2008. Your distinguished career also includes lengthy service for the Senate Finance Committee, culminating in your role as Staff Director and Chief Counsel.
Mr. Tangherlini, you are nominated to be the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Management and the Treasury’s Chief Financial Officer.
In this role, you will not lead alone. Rather, you will lead with the help of experts throughout the Treasury Department. And in this role, you will help to ensure the quality of the Treasury Department at every turn.
You will provide primary policy advice during the development of Treasury’s budget. Adequate funding there will ensure that Treasury can help to guide us out of these difficult economic times. It will allow IRS to provide top-notch taxpayer services, and to bring the IRS up to the 21st Century in computers and technology.
I commend your long history of public service at the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Transportation, and most recently the District of Columbia, as the D.C. City Administrator and Deputy Mayor. I appreciate your willingness to take on this important role at Treasury.
The nation will be relying on your experience, expertise, and leadership to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars. And as you lead, you must also take your guidance from those taxpayers. For the policies that you further will also affect each American.
Ms. Rios, you are nominated to be the U.S. Treasurer.
In this role, you will not lead alone. Rather you will lead with the help of folks through the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, as well as the U.S. Mint.
=You will lead in a position that touches every American. The Treasurer oversees our nation’s currency with responsibilities for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the United States Mint. The U.S. Savings Bond program also falls under the aegis of the Treasurer. And your signature will appear on all paper currency printed during your tenure.
Your distinguished career in municipal economic development demonstrates a commitment to sound fiscal policy that will serve you well in your new position.
The nation will be relying on your experience, expertise, and leadership to protect our money supply and to promote responsible savings policies. And as you lead, you must take your guidance from the American people. For the decisions that you make will also affect each American.
Ms. Nazario, you are nominated to be the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families. In this role, you will not lead alone. Rather, you will lead alongside the many Americans who dedicate themselves to bettering the lives of our underserved children and families.
In your 40-year career, you have shown your ability to lead. Your career began as a child welfare case worker in 1968. And you have been working for children and vulnerable families ever since.
You have served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Administration for Children and Families during the Clinton Administration. And you have run departments serving children and families in Virginia, Delaware, and Puerto Rico.
I look forward to working with you to implement the Fostering Connections and Increasing Adoptions Act that passed through this Committee and was signed into law last year. We must also reauthorize the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program, or TANF. And we must work on the Child Care Development and Social Services Block grants.
The TANF bill will provide opportunities to improve the safety net and provide sustainable employment for folks trying to support families. It also presents the opportunity to look at related programs that serve children, like Child Support Enforcement.
And although we made great strides last year, our work on child welfare is far from done. We must strive to ensure that children need not enter the welfare system. And we must provide solutions for those children who do enter foster care.
Ms. Nazario, the nation’s children and families will be relying on your experience, expertise and leadership. And as you lead, you must take your guidance from those worthy people whom you will serve. For the decisions that you make will affect not only the children and families of this generation, but those of generations to come.
You have all been chosen to lead. But as you lead, do not lead alone. Rather, lead by following the guidance of those whom you serve. And together, you will then achieve the worthy goals of the positions to which you have been nominated.
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