Trump Reappoints Newly-Minted IRS Commissioner to Ambassadorship
President Trump has opted to replace Billy Long as commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), with the former congressman announcing Friday that he will assume a new post.
“It is an honor to serve my friend President Trump, and I am excited to take on my new role as the ambassador to Iceland,” Long, who will now be serving as U.S. ambassador to Iceland, posted to X Friday afternoon. “I am thrilled to answer his call to service and deeply committed to advancing his bold agenda. Exciting times ahead!”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will serve as acting IRS commissioner until a permanent replacement is appointed, an official source told FOX Business on Friday.
“It is a honor to serve my friend President Trump and I am excited to take on my new role as the ambassador to Iceland. I am thrilled to answer his call to service and deeply committed to advancing his bold agenda. Exciting times ahead!” – Billy Long
— Billy Long (@auctnr1) August 8, 2025
“Treasury thanks Commissioner Long for his commitment to public service and the American people,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Treasury Dept. told FOX Business in an email. “His zeal and enthusiasm to bring a fresh perspective to the Federal Government was evident in both the House of Representatives and as part of the Trump Administration. A new candidate for Commissioner will be announced at the appropriate time.”
Long, a former U.S. representative for Missouri’s 7th Congressional District, was sworn in as the 51st IRS commissioner on June 16. Just days earlier, on June 12, the GOP-controlled Senate confirmed his appointment in a 53–44 party-line vote, the outlet added.
His term as IRS commissioner was to run through Nov. 12, 2027.
The former congressman assumed leadership of an agency he had once sought to abolish, having previously supported legislation to eliminate the IRS and replace income taxes with a national sales tax.
FOX noted that in a message to IRS employees upon his swearing-in, Long expressed his goal of transforming the agency’s culture into one that “makes your lives and the taxpayers’ lives better.”
“In my first 90 days I plan to ask you, my employee partners, to help me develop a new culture here,” Long said.
Long was the fifth person to lead the IRS since the start of 2025, succeeding Michael Faulkender, who had been serving as acting commissioner while also fulfilling his role as deputy Treasury secretary.
On Tuesday, Trump stated that Bessent will not be considered for the position of Federal Reserve chair.
Not surprisingly, Democrats reacted negatively to the news.
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued a sharply worded statement Friday in response to Long’s reassignment.
“In just a handful of months, Trump and his crew have already gutted taxpayer service, weaponized IRS data against innocent taxpayers and set us up for disaster when next year’s filing season comes around,” Wyden said in a statement without offering any evidence to back up his wild claims.
“This is what Trump does — pick incompetent, unserious people for serious jobs, and sit back as the damage piles up,” he added.
Known for his outgoing and approachable demeanor, Long would occasionally send agency-wide emails to IRS employees granting them permission to leave early on Fridays, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. According to a copy of one such message obtained by CNN, he sent one on Thursday with the subject line: “It’s Almost FriYay.”
In the agency-wide email, Long shared advice from one of his fraternity brothers, whom he said leads the parent company of Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, and spoke about “building a new culture at the IRS.” As he had in prior weeks, Long also told employees they could leave early ahead of the weekend.
The IRS has never experienced such rapid turnover in its top leadership. Turmoil has also extended to its workforce, with the agency losing 25% of its employees under Trump due to government cuts and mass buyouts, according to a July inspector general’s report, CNN added.
