President Donald Trump has fired Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Billy Long and appointed Scott Besant as interim Treasury Secretary.
Besant’s appointment
Besant is adding to an already long list of responsibilities, which include managing trade talks with China, Canada, Mexico and other nations that are still negotiating tariff rates. Besant is also helping to find the next Federal Reserve chairman. The IRS operates under the Treasury Department. The appointment is considered an interim one.
What Long said about his removal
Long was sworn in as commissioner in June. The move comes just a month after Trump’s new tax measures, which included a slew of tax cuts and tax code reforms, were enacted.
I look forward to beginning my role as ambassador to Iceland and it is an honor to work with my friend, President Trump. I am thrilled to answer his call to serve and am deeply committed to advancing his bold agenda. Exciting times lie ahead!” Long said in a text message to the outlet. Long said at the time of his departure.
Basant will be the sixth person to oversee this important agency during Trump’s tenure. Danny Werfel, who was nominated for the role by President Joe Biden, served until Trump’s inauguration in January.
During Trump’s administration, the IRS has been forced to make significant staff cuts due to pressure from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
In a statement, a Treasury spokesperson thanked Commissioner Long for his “commitment to public service and the American people. Throughout his time in the House of Representatives and the Trump administration, he demonstrated a strong desire to bring a fresh perspective to the federal government.”
The spokesperson added that “a new candidate for the commissioner role will be announced in due course.”
Before being confirmed by the Senate to lead the IRS, Long served as a Missouri congressman from 2011 to 2023. Before Congress, he worked as an auctioneer.
The Trump administration is changing the way the nation collects revenue. The President’s new import tariffs mean that the U.S. is now collecting billions of dollars more in customs revenue every month. So far this year, importers — including American businesses both large and small — have paid the U.S. government more than $100 billion in customs duties.
Trump has promised to establish an “External Revenue Service” to manage the collection of these customs revenues, but for now, the responsibility lies with the Treasury Department and Customs and Border Protection, as well as Homeland Security’s Border Protection Department.
Last month, Trump signed his “big bill,” which included various tax breaks, service cuts and budget cuts, into law.
Vice President J.D. Vance broke the tie and helped the controversial bill pass the Senate.
Tax cuts, spending measures and service cuts. The hotly debated bill passed the Senate with a decisive vote by Vice President J.D. .
The law extends tax cuts that expire in Trump’s first term in 2017, temporarily reduces taxes on tips and overtime pay, and allows for interest payments on auto loans to be reduced. It also includes hundreds of billions of dollars in new military spending and funds Trump’s massive deportation plans.
Republicans have been at odds over how deep to cut federal safety net programs and how much to raise the limit on deductions for state and local taxes (SALT). .
Experts say the bill would increase the national debt by $3.3 trillion over the next decade and More than 11 million people will lose health insurance coverage due to Medicaid cuts and other provisions.