Trump nominates former Rep. Billy Long to head the IRS

President-elect Donald J. Trump said Wednesday that he would nominate Billy Long, a former Republican congressman who represented Missouri, to head the Internal Revenue Service, effectively promising to replace the current head of the tax collector, a Biden appointee, to dismiss.

Mr. Trump’s decision, announced on his social media site, would shake up the IRS at a crucial moment. The Biden administration has poured billions of dollars into modernizing the agency and strengthening its tax collection efforts to improve customer service and crack down on tax cheats.

In 2022, President Biden selected Daniel Werfel, a former business consultant and official who had worked in both Democratic and Republican administrations, to lead the IRS overhaul. His term should last until 2027.

Republicans have strongly opposed the Biden administration’s vision for the tax agency, which called for providing about $80 billion in additional funding to the IRS over a decade. Republican lawmakers have successfully pushed to cut $20 billion of that money and are considering further cuts. The IRS is unpopular with the public, and Republicans have long attacked it as invasive and inept.

Budget experts say the additional funding for the IRS will help raise money for the government by enforcing tax laws more effectively and requiring Americans to pay the taxes they owe.

Mr. Long, a former auctioneer, was not a member of the House Taxation Committee during his time in Congress. But he put his skills as an auctioneer to good use while in Washington.

During his first term, Mr. Trump called Mr. Long to the stage to jokingly auction off the Stanley Cup while the St. Louis Blues hockey team visited the White House.

“I have known Billy since 2011 – he is an extremely hard worker and is respected by everyone, especially those who know him in Congress. Taxpayers and the wonderful people at the IRS will love having Billy at the helm,” Mr. Trump said in a social media post.

Presidents typically do not select new IRS commissioners when they take office, and the Senate must confirm Mr. Long. President Biden waited for the end of the term of Mr. Trump’s first nominee to lead the Internal Revenue Service, Charles P. Rettig, before selecting Mr. Werfel.

“I imagine my last day of work will be November 12, 2027,” Mr. Werfel said in a podcast for the publication Tax Notes last month. “My stance on the IRS is that it is nonpartisan and that our priorities can and should change with new leadership at the Treasury Department.”