Billy Long’s tenure as commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service lasted less than two months—an abrupt end to what many had hoped would be a stabilizing chapter for the embattled agency. His removal on Friday, confirmed by administration officials, followed a dispute between the IRS and the White House over the use of confidential taxpayer data to assist in the administration’s immigration crackdown.
According to reporting by The Washington Post, the Department of Homeland Security sent the IRS a list of 40,000 individuals it suspected of being in the country illegally and asked the agency to verify their addresses using tax records. The IRS was reportedly able to confirm fewer than 3% of the names, most of them tied to taxpayer identification numbers provided by DHS. When the administration requested information on those taxpayers, the IRS declined, citing statutory privacy protections.
The White House has identified the IRS as a key component in efforts to locate as many as 7 million undocumented immigrants and had earlier struck a data-sharing agreement between DHS and the Treasury Department, which oversees the IRS. Long, however, is said to have resisted handing over taxpayer information outside the agency’s legal obligations. While administration spokesperson Abigail Jackson denied any discord, insisting all agencies were “aligned on the mission,” the disagreement appears to have set the stage for Long’s removal.
His departure makes him the seventh person to lead the IRS this year, continuing a period of extraordinary turnover at the top of the agency. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will serve as acting commissioner while a permanent replacement is sought.
Long’s time in the post was notable not just for its brevity—the shortest for any Senate-confirmed commissioner in the IRS’s 163-year history—but also for his unconventional approach. A former Missouri congressman and auctioneer with little background in tax policy, he sought to connect with agency staff through informal gestures, such as granting early Friday departures, even as the IRS faced steep budget cuts, high attrition, and the complex work of implementing recent tax law changes.
Long’s firing shows just how deep the tensions are between people who take over major roles in federal agencies in the Trump administration. The president wants his subordinates to fall in line over his poicies, especially immigration enforcement. When they don’t they’re gone. We’ve recently seen this not only in the IRA but the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics, where there’s been major turnover due to disputes over policy.
Long’s exit comes as the IRS grapples with diminished resources—over 25,000 employees have left since 2021—and ongoing skepticism from Republican lawmakers, some of whom have pushed for the agency’s abolition. For career staff, the revolving door at the top raises concerns about the agency’s ability to manage its core responsibilities, including next year’s filing season.
Announcing his next assignment, Long said he would be nominated as U.S. ambassador to Iceland. In a social media post, he called it “an honor to serve my friend President Trump” and expressed enthusiasm for his new role, even joking that a misheard conversation about joining ICE might have led to the appointment.
