Former Missouri congressman Billy Long was sworn in as the 51st commissioner in the history of the IRS on June 16, saying transforming the culture at the tax agency is at the top of his to-do list.
In a message to IRS employees on June 18, which was posted online and verified by agency employees, Long wrote:
Howdy folks. Billy Long here. I’d like to start by saying you have a friend in the Commissioner’s office. Now that I’m official and have been sworn in, you can now officially call me “Billy.”
In my first 90 days I plan to ask you, my employee partners, to help me develop a new culture here. I’m big on culture, and I’m anxious to develop one that makes your lives and the taxpayers’ lives better.
I used to teach a class on UFOs: “Upbeat, Friendly and Open.” That’s the way I plan to operate, and I hope you’ll join me.
— Billy Long
He will finish out the term of his predecessor, Danny Werfel, who resigned as IRS chief on Jan. 20, the day of Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration. Werfel took over as commissioner on March 14, 2023; that term ends on Nov. 12, 2027.
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Long, a Republican who represented southwest Missouri in Congress for a decade, faced sharp questions during his Senate confirmation hearing from Democrats over his promotion of tax credits that they said don’t exist. He was criticized over his ties to White River Energy Corp., an Arkansas-based oil and gas company, which Democrats said offered non-existent “tribal tax credits.”
After Long, 69, left Congress in 2023, he received at least several thousand dollars in compensation from White River, which holds oil and gas mineral leases in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Long made an “insignificant amount of referrals of these credits to third parties,” White River has said in a statement. The company has also said no federal regulatory agency has ever told it the credits are invalid. Long said during the hearing that he had only referred the credits to a few friends.
During the hearing, Long wouldn’t say whether the credits exist or not, saying he didn’t know. “The jury’s still out on that.”
Long, a strong supporter of Trump, takes control of the nation’s tax collection agency at a fraught moment, as IRS employees fear firings and layoffs resulting from the administration’s plan to reduce the size of the federal government’s workforce will harm the agency’s ability to serve taxpayers.
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Long doesn’t have extensive experience in the tax field, but pitched his time in Congress as valuable. After Congress changes the tax code, the IRS then spends months or years interpreting the changes, he said, adding that his familiarity with Congress will help the agency have a “comprehensive understanding” of the legislature’s intent.
“My two main concerns will be my employee partners, the IRS, and the hard-working American taxpayers who deal with them,” Long said during his confirmation hearing. “I don’t want either one of that equation to be intimidated by the other side.”
Sen. Mike Crapo, an Idaho Republican who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, called on Long to prioritize taxpayers. Crapo said his conversations with Long had assured him he would focus on improving taxpayer services and enforcing tax laws with fairness.
“He wants to implement a top-down culture change at the agency,” Crapo said. “This sea change will benefit the American taxpayer, who too often views the IRS as foe rather than friend.”
Trump said last December that Long was his choice for IRS commissioner. The Senate Finance Committee voted along party lines in early June to send Long’s nomination to the Senate floor. The full Senate confirmed Long as IRS commissioner a week later.
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Long served as a U.S. representative for Missouri’s 7th congressional district from 2011 to 2023. Prior to his time in Congress, Long was a real estate broker for 32 years and an auctioneer for 31 years, and he was inducted into the National Auction Association Hall of Fame in 2016. Long also was a radio talk show host from 1999 to 2006.
— With Tribune News Service
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Tags: Billy Long, IRS, Taxes
