By Richard Rubin

WASHINGTON -- The Senate confirmed former Republican Rep. Billy Long to run the Internal Revenue Service, placing a consistent and vocal supporter of President Trump in charge of the tax agency.

Long, a former auctioneer who represented southwestern Missouri in the House for 12 years, takes over an IRS that expanded substantially during the Biden administration before shedding thousands of workers this year.

The vote was 53-44, along party lines.

"Congressman Long is uniquely suited to instill needed change at the IRS, " Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R., Idaho), said earlier this month.

Democrats sharply criticized Long's nomination, pointing to his work since leaving Congress in 2023 in guiding business owners to claim tax breaks. He promoted the employee retention tax credit, a pandemic-era incentive that the IRS said was riddled with fraud and erroneous claims.

After Long was nominated, executives from a company that promotes tribal tax credits donated to Long's largely dormant campaign committee, helping retire a $130,000 debt that the campaign owed Long.

The IRS has told Democrats who asked about the tribal tax credits that they don't exist. Long said during his confirmation hearing that he wasn't sure if they were legal and said that he encouraged anyone that he referred for potential tax breaks to consult with professional tax advisers.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) earlier this week described Long as a "shockingly bad nominee." He said "when it comes to independent, qualified, and free of scandal, Mr. Long is zero for three."

Long is the sixth IRS commissioner this year -- after a series of interim heads came and went -- and he will occupy a term that expires in November 2027. Danny Werfel, who had been chosen by former President Joe Biden, resigned on Inauguration Day. Two career IRS employees, Douglas O'Donnell and Melanie Krause, had brief tenures as acting commissioner.

Gary Shapley, an IRS criminal investigator who had criticized the government's handling of the Hunter Biden tax-evasion case, did a three-day stint in the top job. Michael Faulkender, the deputy Treasury secretary, has been running the IRS since mid-April.

The Trump administration has dialed back the Biden-era tax enforcement expansion that was aimed at increasing audits on high-income households and corporations. Instead, Long is likely to focus on customer service and technology improvements.

Write to Richard Rubin at richard.rubin@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 12, 2025 13:12 ET (17:12 GMT)

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