On Thursday, the Senate confirmed former GOP Rep. Billy Long of Missouri to lead the Internal Revenue Service, installing a loyal ally of President Donald Trump atop the very agency he once tried to get rid of.
Long, a former auctioneer, now takes the reins of a tax agency in flux. The IRS grew significantly during President Joe Biden’s tenure but has since shed 6,000 employees as part of Trump’s sweeping downsizing of the federal government. It’s also been rocked by controversy, lawsuits, and a revolving door of leadership.
Long is now the sixth person to head the IRS this year after a series of acting commissioners quit or were removed.
The Senate confirmed him on a 53-44 vote, with all present Democrats opposing his nomination. GOP Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho called Long “uniquely suited” for the job—a generous descriptor given that Long has no background in tax administration and spent his congressional career pushing legislation to abolish the IRS entirely.
The Internal Revenue Service Building in Washington, D.C.
Adding to the controversy, since leaving Congress in 2023, Long has advised business owners on how to claim tax breaks—most notably the employee retention tax credit, a pandemic-era program that the IRS has since flagged as a magnet for fraud and erroneous claims. Long denies wrongdoing, but the scrutiny hasn’t faded.
And after Trump tapped him for the role in December, executives tied to a company promoting tribal tax credits poured money into Long’s long-dormant campaign account, helping him erase $130,000 in personal campaign debt.
“After leaving Congress, Mr. Long lined his pockets in the tax scam industry, where he peddled fake tax credits and took advantage of small businesses. The American people don’t want the IRS to be run by a tax cheat,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday.
Long is taking over the IRS at a particularly volatile time. Since Trump was inaugurated, the agency has burned through five different commissioners, including acting heads Michael Faulkender, Melanie Krause, Douglas O’Donnell, and Gary Shapley. Former IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel resigned on Day 1 of Trump’s second term.
Meanwhile, the agency’s workforce is cratering. In April, The Associated Press reported that the IRS was planning to cut up to 20,000 jobs—nearly one-quarter of its staff. An IRS spokesperson confirmed Thursday that about 20,000 have already left, which has effectively wiped out any gains made during the Biden administration.
Now, Long inherits an IRS gutted of expertise and trust while facing legal heat. Unions and advocacy groups have sued over the so-called Department of Government Efficiency’s mishandling of sensitive taxpayer data.
Where Long takes the agency from here is anyone’s guess. When asked during his confirmation hearing whether he’d push back against political interference from Trump, Long only vaguely said that he would “follow the law.”
Education Secretary Linda McMahon has been open about her goal to eliminate her department, too.
That answer is hard to square with recent history, as many of Trump’s appointees haven’t even pretended to draw such lines. And Long now finds himself in charge of implementing the tax provisions of Trump’s proposed “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” should Congress pass it.
Then there’s tax season. This year was a mess, thanks to workforce attrition and instability at the top. According to a May report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the IRS lost nearly one-third of its revenue agents, who conduct audits, as of March.
And more pain may be coming. Trump’s fiscal 2026 budget request calls for a 37% cut to IRS funding, including steep reductions in staffing and technology.
It all raises the same question that’s dogging much of Trump’s second-term agenda: Is the goal to govern or to gut?
We’ve seen this movie before. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has openly said that her mission is to eliminate her department by handing its duties to the states.
And now the IRS is in the hands of a man who spent years trying to shut it down.
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