The Senate has confirmed that William “Billy” Long, a former Missouri congressman, will serve as IRS commissioner.
Senators
voted 53–44 to confirm Long, whom President Donald Trump nominated for the position in December 2024. Long’s confirmation was put on hold for months while Democrats investigated his background, including Long’s ties to groups that promoted controversial tax-credit programs.
Long was appointed to serve the remainder of the prior commissioner’s term, which will expire on Nov. 12, 2027.
Chuck Flint, CEO of a taxpayer-advocacy group called The Alliance for IRS Accountability, congratulated Long and expressed optimism that the new commissioner will forge much-needed reforms.
“We all know that the IRS is a broken agency; for far too long, it’s been focused on harassing taxpayers, rather than serving them,” Flint said in a video message
posted on social media, adding, “We’re looking forward to working with Billy Long in the coming months and years to see that, hardworking taxpayers … are treated fairly and with respect by the IRS.”
Opposition to the Republican has divided along partisan lines. Fellow GOP members expressed confidence in Long’s folksy personality, determination, and track record of getting things done. But Democrats raised concerns over his political connections and accused him of lacking sufficient experience with tax policy.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) criticized those who voted for Long shortly after the votes were tallied.
“Senate Republicans just confirmed an IRS Commissioner who: 1) Supported legislation that would abolish the IRS 2) Doesn’t know the law 3) Has a track record of doing whatever Donald Trump tells him to do,” she
wrote on social media June 12. “It’s dangerous and absurd.”
Long, 69, served in Congress for 12 years, ending in 2023. During that span, he co-sponsored a
bill that would have eliminated the IRS. But that 2013 proposal died.
He has stated that his congressional experience enabled him to see how Congress and the IRC interact—a qualification that past commissioners lacked.
The former congressman has denied any conflicts of interest, pointing out that he had made all required disclosures to the Office of Government Ethics.
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), chair of the Senate Finance Committee that shepherded Long’s confirmation, posted a photo of himself shaking Long’s hand. “I look forward to partnering with him in his efforts to modernize the IRS and improve customer service for taxpayers,” Crapo wrote.
Long, during his May 20 confirmation hearing, pledged to arrive 90 minutes before office hours so that employees can share information with him—one action he would take to change the culture at the agency.
He also said he would prevent the IRS from being “weaponized” for political reasons and would borrow best practices from businesses to streamline and modernize IRS operations.
Long’s appointment comes at a time of upheaval for the agency.
The IRS’s mismanagement of the Employee Retention Credit—a COVID-era program—has hurt “countless eligible businesses,” according to a
report from the National Taxpayer Advocate, an independent office within the IRS.
That tax-credit program was the agency’s top problem, the report said, followed by inefficient tax-refund processing.
The Department of Government Efficiency
criticized the agency for its inability to perform basic functions without outside help, and asserted that modernization efforts are decades overdue—and billions over budget.
