On May 9, 2016, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists published a searchable database intended to allow users to identify "who's behind almost 320,000 offshore companies and trusts from the Panama Papers and the Offshore Leaks investigations."

The release of the "Panama Papers" more than a month ago, detailing the use of shell companies, focused additional attention on tax avoidance in Washington and elsewhere. Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) said in April that he is opening an investigation into tax evasion based on the leak of the documents, and Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) urged the Treasury Department to investigate whether US or US-linked entities were involved with the Panamanian firm whose records were leaked.

During a May 6 news briefing announcing steps intended to combat money laundering, corruption, and tax evasion, President Obama said: "In recent months, we've seen just how big a problem corruption and tax evasion have become around the globe. We saw what happened with the release of the Panama Papers, and we've seen the degree to which both legal practices of tax avoidance that are still unfair and bad for the economy, as well as illegal practices that, in some cases, involve nefarious activities continue to exist and to spread."

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