The Senate confirmed former Rep. Billy Long, R-Mo., to be IRS commissioner on June 12 by a party-line vote of 53 to 44. The agency has had four acting commissioners since January.
Long, a six-term congressman and longtime member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, served as a tax and business consultant between leaving office in 2021 and his nomination to lead the IRS. His promotion of tax credits during that period — including the Employee Retention Tax Credit and what the IRS has said is a non-existent tribal tax credit — became a topic of scrutiny from Senate Democrats during the nomination process. While Congress, Long sponsored legislation to abolish the IRS.
As commissioner, Long will play a role in carrying out the Trump administration’s transformation of the tax collection agency, which focuses on a rollback of the expansion the agency saw under the Biden administration. The IRS will also oversee rules and regulations related to the major tax policy legislation anticipated to become law this year and is part of a Trump initiative to re-examine tax-exempt status for certain colleges and universities.
The IRS received a funding increase of $79.4 billion in the Democrats’ 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to improve taxpayer services, boost enforcement and modernize its business systems, but Congress has since rescinded a little more than half of that.
Long can hold his position as commissioner without renomination until November 2027, as he will finish out former Commissioner Danny Werfel’s term.
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