President Donald Trump ousted Internal Revenue Service Chief Billy Long last week, only eight weeks into his tenure, continuing the rapid turnover in top leadership at the agency, which has already seen seven changes in less than 12 months.
‘An Impossible Situation’
Long, a former Republican congressman from Missouri, was confirmed in June on a party-line vote in the Senate, and with his background as an auctioneer and a real estate broker, with no experience in the tax industry, he has been a controversial choice to lead the IRS.
Tensions between Long and the Treasury Department quickly escalated, with concerns that he was not a good fit to lead the agency, which prides itself on being non-partisan, according to a report by The Hill.
Treasury officials considered Long’s tenure “an impossible situation” that needed to be resolved, with certain reports also saying that the IRS clashed with the White House regarding a push to use private tax data in order to crack down on immigrants, which likely prompted Long’s ouster.
Frustrations continued to mount over Long’s off-script gaffes, the most notable one being his comment on delaying tax filing season to February, before walking back, which was seen as the final straw.
Minutes after announcing his departure on X, Long clarified that the tax filing season “will start at the customary time around MLK Day” and praised the Treasury staff, saying, “These folks are pros and know what they are doing.” Long has since been appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to Iceland.
Turbulent Times For The IRS
In addition to the seventh change in top leadership over the past 12 months, the IRS has dealt with significant policy turbulence in recent months.
The agency laid off thousands of its workers during a busy tax-filing season as part of the Elon Musk-led DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) initiative.
Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers had warned a few months ago that these cuts could end up costing the U.S. Government $1 trillion over the next 10 years. Summers referred to the move as “raw incompetence,” something that was putting the very foundation of the tax system at risk.
The agency’s funding was cut yet again by $2.8 billion last month, via legislation passed by the House Appropriations subcommittee. This marks a 20% reduction in its budget, which critics argue would make it harder to collect taxes while benefiting tax evaders.
Photo Courtesy: noamgalai on Shutterstock.com
Read More:
