U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was appointed by President Donald Trump on Friday to serve as the acting IRS commissioner, a powerful role that empowers Bessent like no other treasurer before him.
Bessent, who serves as a de facto whisperer to Wall Street on behalf of the administration, will oversee both the government’s disbursements as well as its collection of revenue, the first time in history that one person has held both roles simultaneously.
The move kicks former IRS Commissioner Billy Long out of office just two months after he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate, a move that was made directly by Trump, according to four people familiar with the decision.
However, Long remains in Trump’s good graces and will be nominated for an ambassadorship, the sources said. Bessent’s temporary selection makes him the sixth individual to head the beleaguered agency this year.
Long, who represented Missouri’s 7th congressional district from 2011 to 2023, lost the 2022 Republican primary for U.S. Senate, leaving him sidelined from office for the first time in years. He was an early and enthusiastic supporter of President Trump’s 2024 campaign.
However, the Republican former congressman was light on tax policy or experience. He has been a staunch supporter of a flat tax, a libertarian wish-list item, and previously floated abolishing much of the federal tax code.
During his two-month tenure, Long fired two IRS officials and posted on social media about the need to “purge” career bureaucrats from the agency’s ranks. His leadership style was quixotic at times, as when he dismissed all employees early on Friday in advance of his birthday.
“Please enjoy a 70-minute early exit tomorrow. That way you’ll be rested for my 70th birthday on Monday!” Long wrote in an email obtained by the NYT.
In contrast, Bessent has been a mollifying force among corporate executives anxious about the president’s next power play. He has voiced support for Trump’s ongoing tariff strategy and been central to landmark deals with China, Mexico, the U.K., and some of the most critical trading partners for the U.S.
His appointment as acting commissioner comes at a trying time for the IRS. Much of the agency’s budget increases under the Biden administration were gutted after Trump took office, including a much-maligned plan to hire an additional 85,000 auditors.
The agency now operates with approximately 25% less revenue than it did 15 years ago in inflation-adjusted dollars, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Conservatives have celebrated the cuts as a backdoor downsizing of the federal government through the starvation of its ability to collect taxes.