President Donald Trump on Friday removed Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Billy Long and is replacing him temporarily with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, three sources with knowledge of the matter told NBC News.
Long was only just sworn in as commissioner in June. Bessent will become the sixth person this year to oversee the critical agency under Trump. Danny Werfel, who was nominated to the role by President Joe Biden, also held the job until Trump’s inauguration in January.
Before being confirmed by the Senate to run the IRS, Long was a congressman from Missouri from 2011 until 2023. Before serving in Congress, he was an auctioneer.
Under the Trump administration, the IRS has faced sweeping job cuts as part of a push by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
The temporary appointment adds to Bessent’s long list of tasks such as managing trade talks with China, Canada and Mexico as well as other countries that are still trying to negotiate tariff rates. Bessent is also currently helping with the search for the next Federal Reserve chair. The IRS is part of the Treasury Department.
A Treasury Department spokesperson declined to comment. The IRS did not respond to a request for comment.
One day before his removal, Long sent all IRS employees an email saying, “Please enjoy a 70-minute early exit tomorrow. That way you’ll be rested for my 70th birthday on Monday,” The New York Times reported.
