TreasuryDirect Begins Requiring ID.me; Wyden and Warren Ask Treasury to Delay and Explain Why Not Login.gov

Treasury’s requirement that users have an ID.me account to reach TreasuryDirect, which Sens. Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren describe as the “one and only place to electronically buy and redeem U.S. savings bonds,” was set to begin on October 28, 2026. Biometric Update reports that customers who decline “can still manage investments using paper processes, but risk losing online access to their accounts and tax documents.”

In a letter dated October 27, 2026, to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano, Sen. Wyden and Sen. Warren said users had 45 days to make the change and asked for a delay “until after the 2027 tax filing deadline.” FedScoop reports the letter was sent Thursday, the day it published. The letter says ID.me holds a “five-year, sole-source blanket purchase agreement with a ceiling of more than $1 billion.” It also says Login.gov has over 180 million users and that “The technical basis for continuing to require ID.me is unclear.” Biometric Update reports a further $1.57 million ID.me order, signed before OMB issued Memorandum M-26-18, which says agencies “must offer Login.gov” for covered public-facing services.

The senators write that, according to reports, Treasury and the IRS have considered letting ID.me keep biometric data for up to 36 months after an account closes and allowing “one-to-many” matching. Biometric Update notes: “The senators do not say those capabilities were ultimately authorized.” An ID.me spokesperson told FedScoop that any biometric data it collects “is never sold or shared, and is not matched against outside databases.” The senators asked for a response by November 9, 2026.