Trump ousts Billy Long as IRS commissioner, names Bessent acting head
Trump has already selected Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to serve as the acting head of the IRS while the administration seeks a more permanent replacement, according to two White House officials.
Trump is expected to nominate Long, a former GOP congressman, for an ambassadorship, three of the sources familiar told CNN. Long said in a post on X that he was 'excited to take on my new role as the ambassador to Iceland.' He did not address his departure from the IRS.
The IRS has faced an unusually turbulent period in Trump's second term, churning through several different leaders.
The IRS referred comment to the Treasury Department, and Treasury did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Long's removal was first reported by The New York Times.
Long was an unorthodox pick to lead the IRS, given his limited tax experience, his ties to a fraud-riddled tax credit, and his past support for abolishing the agency. But there weren't any public signs in recent weeks that the Trump loyalist's future at the IRS was in jeopardy.
Known for his gregarious and friendly personality, Long occasionally sent staff-wide emails to all IRS employees telling them they could leave early on Fridays, a source familiar told CNN. He sent one of these emails on Thursday, with the subject line: 'It's Almost FriYay,' according to a copy of the message obtained by CNN.
In that company-wide missive, he shared lessons from one of his fraternity brothers who he said runs the parent company of Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, and talked about 'building a new culture at the IRS.' As in previous weeks, Long told the staff they could leave early before the weekend.
'With this being Thursday before another FriYay, please enjoy a 70-minute early exit tomorrow,' Long wrote. 'That way you'll be well rested for my 70th birthday on Monday.'
He signed the message: 'Call Me Billy.'
With Long's departure, and with Bessent taking over as acting commissioner, seven different people have led the beleaguered agency since Trump won the 2024 election.
There hasn't ever been this level of rapid-fire turnover at the commissioner level in IRS history. And there has also been significant tumult among the rank-and-file: The agency lost 25% of its workforce under Trump amid government cuts and mass buyouts, according to a July inspector general report.
The Biden-appointed and Senate-confirmed commissioner Danny Werfel resigned when Trump took office, even though his statutory five-year term hadn't expired.
Werfel was succeeded as acting commissioner by Doug O'Donnell, a career official who abruptly retired in February after policy clashes with Trump appointees. Then came Melanie Krause, another career official, who resigned in April after Trump allies pushed through a deal to share sensitive taxpayer data with immigration agencies.
Trump then announced that the next acting commissioner would be Gary Shapley, a career IRS agent who is best known for going public with allegations that the Justice Department went easy on Hunter Biden while investigating his taxes. But Shapley's appointment was opposed by Bessent — and Shapley was ousted within days.
One of Bessent's allies, Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender, then took over as acting commissioner before the GOP-run Senate confirmed Long in June.
This story has been updated with additional reporting and context.
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