The commissioner carousel at the IRS continues to leave a revolving door atop the agency, as President Trump is moving on from his appointee after less than two months on the job.
Reuters reported Friday that Trump fired Billy Long, who was sworn in as the 51st commissioner of the IRS in June following a contentious confirmation process. According to initial reporting by the New York Times, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will serve as acting commissioner and seventh individual to head the IRS this year.
Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender last pitched in to help bridge the gap between the tenures of Long and the previous commissioner, Danny Werfel. Other officials who are no longer at the agency served in brief stints as acting commissioner after Werfel resigned on Trump’s inauguration day in January.
This list includes Doug O’Donnell, who had announced his retirement before exiting the Trump’s Treasury Department.
The news came from an unnamed White House source familiar with the situation, per the New York Times. Long himself has since confirmed the announcement on social media platform X.
Reports also circulated over the weekend that the reason behind the firing was Long’s alleged refusal to provide to the Department of Homeland Security tax information on a group of individuals suspected of living in the U.S. illegally. The IRS and DHS in April reached a formal data sharing agreement amid litigation challenging the constitutionality of the IRS giving statutorily protected tax documents to outside agencies.
In a confrontation between Long and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) during his confirmation hearing, Long expressed that he would ensure the IRS follows the law in any potential exchange of tax records protected under IRC §6103. Warren accused Long of not answering her questions directly when she asked him about the IRS-DHS agreement and how he would proceed as commissioner.
There is also speculation that Trump is poised to not appoint a replacement for Long and instead dismantle the IRS in favor of a supposed External Revenue Service that will supply the government collections from Trump’s tariffs.
Assistant to the President & White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino Jr. posted after Long’s firing: “ABOLISH THE IRS!!!” Long, a former member of Congress, had supported legislation to effectively end the IRS. As for what is next for Long, he updated his profile page on X to now say “Nominee for Ambassador to Iceland.”
The IRS did not immediately respond to Checkpoint’s request for comment.
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