Trump dismisses IRS commissioner Billy Long; removed less than two months after Senate confirmation, Scott Bessent to serve as acting head
US President
Donald Trump
on Friday dismissed former US Rep Billy Long as IRS commissioner less than two months after his confirmation. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent will serve as acting commissioner in the interim.
A White House official who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity, confirmed the removal, however, did not give a reason for it.
Long was confirmed by the Senate in a 53-44 vote despite concerns raised by Democrats about his previous work with a firm involved in a fraudulent coronavirus pandemic-era tax credit program, as well as campaign contributions he received following his nomination by Trump.
Before Long's confirmation, the IRS had already cycled through four acting leaders. These included one who resigned over a controversial deal allowing the IRS to share immigrants' tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and another whose appointment triggered a public dispute between Tesla CEO
Elon Musk
and treasury secretary Bessent, according to AP.
During his time in Congress from 2011 to 2023, Long, a former auctioneer with no background in tax administration, sponsored legislation aimed at abolishing the IRS altogether.
After leaving Congress to run unsuccessfully for the US Senate, Long worked with a firm that distributed the employee retention tax credit during the pandemic—a program later shut down after then-IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel found widespread fraud.
Democrats have called for a criminal investigation into Long's connections to other alleged tax credit loopholes. Lawmakers claim that firms linked to Long misled investors into spending millions of dollars on fake tax credits.
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