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Why Billy Long's IRS stint was so short

President Trump’s removal of Billy Long as head of the IRS after only two months on the job has cast an uncomfortable spotlight on the agency, which has already churned through six different leaders this year.

© Greg Nash

Multiple sources familiar with the matter told The Hill that leadership at the Treasury Department clashed with Long and that there were concerns within the administration that he was not a good fit to lead an agency that prides itself on implementing tax policy without getting caught up in partisan drama.

But his exit also means the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will have its seventh commissioner of the calendar year, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent taking over on an interim basis.

“I think they’re going through turbulence right now,” one source familiar with the matter told The Hill. “People just don’t know yet what the future holds.”

Long was a controversial choice to lead the IRS, a technocratic agency responsible for collecting tax revenue and enforcing the nation’s tax laws.

• A former Republican Congress member from Missouri, Long previously worked as an auctioneer and a real estate broker.
• He drew scrutiny over his promotion of a pandemic-era tax credit that was riddled with fraudulent claims.

Sources told The Hill that there was growing frustration among Treasury officials with IRS leadership since Long’s arrival as commissioner.

One source familiar with the matter said Long had gone off-script and made remarks that required clarifications or cleaning up, something viewed as a particular issue on an issue as sensitive as taxes.

The Hill's Brett Samuels has........

© The Hill