IRS Commissioner Billy Long replaced after less than two months
The Trump administration is replacing IRS Commissioner Billy Long, less than two months after the former Missouri Congressman took over at the agency. It’s the latest in a string of IRS management shakeups.
A White House spokesman confirmed Long’s ouster, which was first reported by the New York Times. The administration did not offer an immediate explanation for the move, which took IRS staffers by surprise.
For the time being, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will serve as acting commissioner. The IRS churned through four acting commissioners in the early months of the Trump administration before Long was confirmed to the post in mid-June.
Long, who served six terms in the House of Representatives, is an auctioneer with little experience in tax administration.
The move to replace him continues a tumultuous time at the agency, which has laid off thousands of staffers, including nearly than a third of its auditors.
The tax collection agency also struck a controversial deal to share confidential taxpayer information with immigration officials searching for people who are living in the country illegally.
The IRS is currently gearing up to implement the sweeping changes to tax law in the recently-passed GOP budget bill.
Why Gen Z protesters worldwide are flying an anime pirate flag
Gen Z protesters from Indonesia and Nepal to Madagascar and Morocco, are rallying behind an unexpected banner: a grinning skull in a straw hat.
What to expect as Syria holds first parliamentary elections since Assad’s ouster
Syria is holding parliamentary elections on Sunday for the first time since the fall of the country's longtime autocratic leader, Bashar Assad, who was unseated in a rebel offensive in December.
Some Democrats share Trump’s goal of forcing more homeless people into medical care
President Trump says one part of the answer to homelessness is civil commitment and forced medical care. Some Democrats agree.
Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump’s National Guard deployment to Portland
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard to Portland, Ore., which the president had ordered over the objections of local leaders.
Largest US Lutheran denomination installs first Black presiding bishop
Rev. Yehiel Curry succeeds Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, who served for 12 years and was the first woman to lead the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
National parks caught in the crosshairs of government shutdown
National parks across the country face conflicting demands and uncertainty as a result of the ongoing federal funding dispute.
