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Trump Removes IRS Commissioner Billy Long, Appoints Bessent as Interim Head

Officials warn that chronic leadership turnover, deep staff cuts, unresolved privacy disputes threaten the IRS’s tax enforcement capacity and data protections.

Former Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.), nominee to be commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, testifies during his Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing in Dirksen building on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Sipa USA.
Billy Long; Rachel Maddow.
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Overview

  • President Trump removed confirmed IRS Commissioner Billy Long on August 8, ending his 53-day tenure as the agency’s seventh leader this year and naming Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as interim head.
  • Reports say DHS requested personally identifying tax records for about 40,000 individuals and the IRS initially released roughly 3 percent, a dispute linked to Long’s ouster.
  • The IRS has lost about one-quarter of its workforce since early 2025, including revenue agents and customer service staff, following administration-led layoffs and buyouts.
  • Proposals to share taxpayer-identifying information with DHS/ICE prompted objections from senior civil servants and departures of career officials such as Acting Chief Counsel Andrew De Mello.
  • Career officials and outside experts warn that the combined leadership churn and staffing losses are already undermining audit operations, service capacity and implementation of new tax laws.