In Profile – Senator Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.)

This is the third in a series of occasional profiles of the members of the U.S. Congressional Caucus on CPAs and Accountants.

Wyoming Senator Michael Enzi has served in the U.S. Congress for nearly 20 years, since he was sworn in on January 7, 1997. He is currently the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and a member of the Finance Committee, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, and the Small Business Committee.

Prior to being elected to the U.S. Senate, Senator Enzi served as mayor of his hometown Gillette, and as a representative and senator in the Wyoming state legislature. Aside from his political career, Senator Enzi operated a small business called NZ Shoes and worked as an accountant in an oil well servicing company.

As one of the only two accountants in the Senate, Enzi has a profound understanding of the profession. He has been a strong and steadfast supporter of the profession on various issues, such as preserving the cash basis of accounting for tax purposes. Also, over the years, Senator Enzi, along with Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins, promoted due dates legislation, eventually resulting in a significant win when the proposal was signed into law last year.

Additionally, Senator Enzi has been vocal about improving IRS taxpayer services. In a newsletter released on Tax Day last year, he said, “I know there has been some difficulty getting through on the lines to be able to talk to the IRS about tax problems. And I want to chastise the IRS a little bit for that,” noting, also, that change is past due.

Senator Enzi has also advocated for the inclusion of accounting in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).  He stated, “The U.S. government’s initiative to encourage students and teachers to engage in these four fields helps develop leaders who can solve future national and world problems.  Accounting is another field where more engagement means improvements for all of us and I encourage more young people to give it some thought.  Accounting is important and can be both a rewarding and fulfilling career choice.”

The American Institute of CPAs truly appreciates Senator Enzi’s continuous work on issues that impact the accounting profession.