IRS chief to leave agency less than two months after assuming the role

The head of the Internal Revenue Service is leaving the agency just two months after his confirmation, continuing a period of tumult in the leadership ranks of the federal tax collector as it seeks to shrink its workforce. 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will lead IRS on an acting basis, a White House official said, who will be the sixth person to head the agency since President Trump took office seven months ago. Billy Long will instead serve as ambassador to Iceland. His departure was first reported by The New York Times.  

“It is a honor to serve my friend President Trump and I am excited to take on my new role as the ambassador to Iceland,” Long said. “I am thrilled to answer his call to service and deeply committed to advancing his bold agenda. Exciting times ahead!” 

Long was just confirmed as IRS commissioner on June 16. Trump nominated him to the role in December, despite the former congressman having little experience in tax policy and not serving on relevant committees during his 12 years in the House. 

The Trump administration has overseen a significant reduction to the IRS workforce, having successfully pushed out 25,000 employees. More than 20,000 employees left from the deferred resignation program alone, which allowed employees to sit on paid leave for several months before separating from government service.

IRS has yet to implement widespread layoffs—it has so far only targeted a few hundred employees at specific offices—but as of earlier this year, it was preparing to implement significant reductions in force. 

Long has taken a softer approach to the workforce since taking office. Earlier this month, the commissioner reversed the RIFs at the Office of Civil Rights and Compliance, as first reported by Federal News Network. 

The Trump administration in its fiscal 2026 budget proposal requested a 31% funding increase for the IRS’ Taxpayer Services division to hire 11,000 employees, a nearly 50% staffing increase. It warned of dire consequences if the resources were not provided. 

Long has also won some admiration from the workforce for his consistent messages to staff allowing them to leave early on Fridays, including as recently as this week. One IRS employee noted they had not immediately heard the news of Long’s departure because they had, at the now former commissioner’s direction, already left for the day and were no longer checking in.