SEC Chairman and Chief Accountant Deliver Remarks at the AICPA Conference

On December 8, 2025, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins and Chief Accountant Kurt Hohl delivered remarks at the AICPA Conference on Current SEC and PCAOB Developments. Chairman Atkins outlined a “back-to-basics” agenda to simplify regulations and reduce the cost and volume of disclosures for public companies. He identified integrity, objectivity, and professional skepticism as the foundations of audit profession and emphasized the need for the PCAOB to issue clear, practical standards.

Chief Accountant Hohl outlined the SEC’s agenda to improve standard setting and the PCAOB’s engagement with audit firms. He called for the PCAOB and FASB to work with their international counterparts on convergence with international standards, noting that such collaboration would reduce compliance costs, investor confusion, and complexity for multinational audits. He further emphasized the need for the PCAOB and FASB to engage with preparers early in the standard-setting process and employ robust cost-benefit analyses to avoid imposing unnecessary compliance costs. Chief Accountant Hohl also addressed the PCAOB’s inspections program, suggesting that the PCAOB should adapt the inspections process to focus on firms’ systems of quality control and noting that auditors may benefit from a consultation process to receive feedback from the PCAOB prior to completing their audits.