Report: Long to be removed as IRS commissioner

Last edited 12:15 p.m., Aug. 11, 2025 [Editor's note: More information has been added.]

Recently confirmed Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Billy Long is being removed from his post by President Donald Trump, according to an Aug. 8 article by The New York Times. 

Reached by email, a White House official confirmed The New York Times’ story that indicates Long would be replaced on an acting basis by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Citing four sources familiar with the matter, The New York Times reported Long is expected to instead be nominated to an ambassadorship. Bessent would lead the IRS on an acting basis until a permanent replacement is named.

On X, Long has changed his biography area to read as follows: “Nominee for Ambassador to Iceland.” 

“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 in a post on X. “I am thrilled to answer his call to service and deeply committed to advancing his bold agenda. Exciting times ahead!”

Long, former U.S. representative for Missouri who worked as a Springfield-area auctioneer before getting into politics, was confirmed with a 53-44 vote in the U.S. Senate on June 12, according to past reporting. 

Long held the 7th District Congressional seat covering southwest Missouri in the U.S. House of Representatives 2010-23. He also ran to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate but lost in the Republican primary to Eric Schmitt.

Prior to his tenure in the House, Long closed his 29-year-old business, Billy Long Auctions LLC, and sold its assets, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.