WASHINGTON – The U.S. government is once again changing the leadership of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). President Donald Trump has fired Billy Long, who was only appointed as commissioner two months ago. This makes him the shortest-serving Senate-confirmed IRS commissioner in American history.
Long, a former congressman from Missouri and auctioneer, said on X on Friday that he would be leaving. He said, “It is an honor to serve my friend President Trump, and I am excited to take on my new role as the ambassador to Iceland.” He didn’t say why he was leaving, but he did say that he was committed to helping the president’s objectives in his new diplomatic job.
The change comes following a time when a lot of people left the tax department. Before Long’s confirmation in June, the IRS had four acting leaders. Since the Trump administration set up the Department of Government Efficiency, a new cabinet-level department, to cut down on waste and fraud, the agency has also lost a fourth of its workers.
Long’s short and contentious time in office
From the start, Billy Long’s appointment was strange. He had no professional training in tax administration and had sponsored bills to do rid of the IRS while he was in Congress. During the process of confirming him, Democrats also voiced worries about his previous work for a company that pushed for a tax advantage that has since been proven to be false.
The Senate confirmed Long anyhow, and he promptly sent a message to IRS workers about what he planned to do in his first 90 days in office. He wrote, “In the first 90 days, I want you, my employee partners, to help me build a new culture here.” But his time in office ended long before he could attain that goal.
Scott Bessent, the Treasury Secretary, will be the acting IRS commissioner now that Long has left. This is a return to a time of uncertainty for the agency, which is in charge of collecting federal taxes and enforcing the Internal Revenue Code.