The Long and the Short (Term) of It

[BobKamman]

Former Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) is being replaced as commissioner of the IRS less than two months after he was confirmed by the Senate.  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will lead the agency on an acting basis, the official confirmed. Long is expected to be nominated to an ambassadorship. IRS has had six different people in charge this year.

Long has repeatedly sent emails to all I.R.S. employees allowing them to leave work early on Friday afternoon.  “Please enjoy a 70-minute early exit tomorrow. That way you’ll be rested for my 70th birthday on Monday!”  Long wrote to staff on Thursday.

[sjrcpa]

Wow. I didn't see that coming. Granted he was totally unqualified.

[BobKamman]

More details from the NY Times:

Mr. Bessent and Mr. Long had clashed at times, three [sources] said. Mr. Long had remarked to some colleagues that he had to ask Mr. Bessent for permission for everything he did at the I.R.S., two of the people said.

Others said Mr. Long had at times appeared to get out ahead of the I.R.S. and Treasury Department. He told tax practitioners last month that the agency’s all-important filing season would start later than usual next year, a statement that the I.R.S. later said was premature.

From the Washington Post:

Long will be nominated as U.S. ambassador to Iceland, he posted on social media Friday afternoon.

Long had made several changes that frustrated leaders in the Treasury Department, according to two other people familiar with the president’s decision, also speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. He had planned to start tax filing season around Presidents’ Day in February — about a month behind schedule — and also preemptively announced plans to eliminate the IRS’s Direct File program, even though Treasury officials had not decided to do so.

[BobKamman]

This story shows just how chaotic things are at IRS.

"The IRS is rescinding layoffs at its civil rights office, an early target in its plans to slash its total headcount. IRS Commissioner Billy Long, in a memo obtained by Federal News Network, told employees in the Office of Civil Rights and Compliance that the agency is “reversing” reduction-in-force notices they received in April. 'This memorandum serves as cancellation of your prior RIF notice of separation,' Long wrote in the Aug. 1 memo. 'It supersedes any previous notices you may have received … I look forward to your continued employment with the Internal Revenue Service.' "

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2025/08/irs-rescinds-layoffs-at-civil-rights-office-an-earl... 

Meanwhile, the Guardian reports:

Long on X also made a joke about calling Trump and asking to join Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) like the actor Dean Cain announced he had on Wednesday.

“I guess he thought I said Iceland?” Long wrote. “Oh well.”

[TaxGuyBill]

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@sjrcpa wrote:

Granted he was totally unqualified.

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Just like most politicians.   🤣

[George4Tacks]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/irs-clashed-white-house-over-203253324.html

[gabletax]

Interesting take from Josh Youngblood EA on Substack. The following is copied in part from

https://substack.com/home/post/p-170558901

When President Trump removed Billy Long as IRS Commissioner, headlines swirled with politics, speculation, and uncertainty. He recently followed many tax professionals on X/Twitter, and I had some questions:

What did he love about the job? What didn’t he? And what changes did he see ahead for the IRS?

So, I reached out to him directly via X (Twitter). To my surprise, when I woke up this morning, there was a message from him, offering a small glimpse into the human side of a position most of us only see through policy debates and political headlines.

A Commissioner Who Opened the Door

In his own words, Long described starting each day with 10-minute one-on-one meetings from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. with what he calls his “employee-partners.” These weren’t just routine check-ins — they were personal, intentional conversations.

“Some had been there two decades and had never met a Commissioner or been allowed in the Commissioner’s office,” Long wrote.

For many employees, this was their first time being personally welcomed into the inner office — a symbolic and literal opening of the door.

Listening Across the Country

The other aspect Long cherished was meeting and listening to employees and partners as he traveled across the country.

When he visited the Ogden IRS Campus, he recalled:

“They had to sign releases for IRS to use pictures of them with me. In Ogden, 158 individuals signed the release — that’s a lot of one-on-one pictures.”

One notable stop was the NAEA Tax Summit.

“I probably took nearly 100 pictures with enrolled agents in Salt Lake City.”

I wasn’t at that conference, but many friends and colleagues who attended told me the same thing: Billy Long was personable, approachable, and genuinely interested in conversations.

That’s not something you hear about many government officials. For those in attendance, his willingness to engage left a positive impression.

[BobKamman]

Typical politician who likes to shake hands and tell people what they want to hear. Like, the bill he sponsored while in Congress to abolish the IRS and replace income tax with VAT.

Does anyone else find it amusing that we now have an acting Commissioner who helped George Soros make billions?