(CNN) Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has declined to appear before the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday to testify on 36,000 Internal Revenue Service employees being called back to work without pay, a committee aide told CNN on Wednesday.

Committee Chairman Richard Neal, a Massachusetts Democrat, had called last Thursday for Mnuchin to cut short his scheduled trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, so that he could attend the hearing. The White House announced later that day that the trip had been canceled due to the partial government shutdown.

The committee has canceled the hearing, which would have been focused on the impacts of the shutdown on American taxpayers, the aide said, noting that Neal had spoken to Mnuchin earlier Wednesday.

A person familiar with the conversation between Mnuchin and Neal confirmed the two men had spoken by phone and had a productive conversation on concerns of the chairman regarding the government shutdown and its impact on taxpayers.

During the call, Mnuchin conveyed his willingness to appear before the committee soon.

Read More