Internal Revenue Service commissioner-designate Billy Long during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on May 20, 2025 (Image: Screengrab via electron media group / YouTube)
Billy Long is no longer the commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after just two months on the job, according to a report by the New York Times.
The Times' Andrew Duehren, Maggie Haberman and Alan Rappeport reported Friday that Long's tenure atop the tax collection agency was abruptly cut short for unspecified reasons, and that he will soon be named to an ambassadorship. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will serve as acting IRS commissioner until Trump names a permanent replacement.
Long was narrowly confirmed in June, and writer Charlotte Clymer pointed out that he was the fifth person to lead the IRS since Trump began his second term in January. Long had relatively little experience in tax policy, and had co-sponsored legislation to abolish the agency as a Republican member of Congress. The Times reported that Long once sent IRS employees an email letting them leave work 70 minutes early on the eve of his 70th birthday.
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Journalists, commentators and pundits heaped mockery on Long following the news of his removal. Alex Jacquez — who was an official in former President Joe Biden's administration — responded to the Times' report by tweeting: "More like Billy not-for-Long!"
NOTUS Capitol Hill bureau chief Matt Fuller noted that Long was a staunch Trump loyalist who "pulled out all the stops to try and be the most loyal congressman to Trump" and "used to walk around the Capitol with a $45 bill with Trump’s face in his coat pocket." Punchbowl News' co-founder Jake Sherman observed that Long's confirmation vote in the Senate was contentious, with senators having spent "precious time" arguing for Long to lead the IRS despite him having no relevant experience.
"Republican senators defended him. Voted for him. And he got pushed out almost immediately," Sherman wrote.
One X user pondered whether Long was being removed and given an ambassadorship so a "fixer" could take over due to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) probing the IRS' handling of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's tax planning business despite Epstein not being an accountant or a tax attorney. In late July, Wyden sent Long a letter asking if the IRS had ever "performed any audits or investigations of Epstein’s tax and estate planning services and transactions." And former Biden administration Treasury official Ashley Schapitl opined that Long's predecessor had been "doing a great job" in the role and should have been allowed to serve out the remainder of his term "as had always been the custom." She added that "having a functioning tax system in this country is very important!"
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Click here to read the Times' full report (subscription required).