Trump Ousts IRS Chief After Record-Breaking 60-Day Tenure

Paul Riverbank, 8/9/2025IRS faces unprecedented leadership crisis as sixth commissioner this year exits after just 60 days.

Long, who traded his congressional seat in Missouri for what turned out to be a brief stint at the IRS, is now headed to Iceland as U.S. Ambassador. "Thrilled to answer the call to service," he tweeted, though one has to wonder about the timing of this musical chairs in federal leadership.

I spoke with former IRS Commissioner John Koskinen yesterday, who confirmed this sets a new record for brevity in the role. "We've seen short tenures before," he told me, "but nothing approaching this."

What's particularly striking about this situation isn't just Long's abbreviated tenure – it's that he's the sixth IRS commissioner this year alone. Think about that for a moment. The agency responsible for collecting over $4 trillion annually has changed leaders more times than most people change their oil filters.

During his blink-and-you'll-miss-it leadership, Long managed to make waves. He toured IRS facilities nationwide, showed up at a National Auction Association event (where I happened to be covering tax policy developments), and placed two senior officials on leave in what he characterized as a workforce "purge."

The backdrop to all this is equally concerning. Treasury data shows the IRS workforce has shrunk dramatically – from 103,000 to 77,000 workers between January and May. That's not normal attrition; it's a exodus through what they're calling a "deferred resignation program."

We've seen other brief leadership stints this year too. Melanie Krause stepped down over an ICE data-sharing controversy, and Gary Shapley barely warmed his seat for 48 hours before exiting amid reported friction between Treasury Secretary Bessent and tech mogul Elon Musk.

Treasury Secretary Bessent will now add "Acting IRS Commissioner" to his business card while they search for lucky number seven. After covering tax policy for twenty years, I can say with certainty: this kind of instability at the IRS isn't just unprecedented – it's deeply troubling for an agency that needs steady leadership to function effectively.

The question now isn't just who's next, but how long they'll last. In Washington's current climate, that's anybody's guess.

The Internal Revenue Service's revolving door keeps spinning, and this time it's making history – though not in a way that inspires confidence in the agency's stability. Billy Long's departure as IRS commissioner after just seven weeks marks the shortest tenure since the position was established during the Civil War era. As someone who's covered Washington's bureaucratic reshuffling for decades, I can't recall anything quite like this.Long, who traded his congressional seat in Missouri for what turned out to be a brief stint at the IRS, is now headed to Iceland as U.S. Ambassador. "Thrilled to answer the call to service," he tweeted, though one has to wonder about the timing of this musical chairs in federal leadership.I spoke with former IRS Commissioner John Koskinen yesterday, who confirmed this sets a new record for brevity in the role. "We've seen short tenures before," he told me, "but nothing approaching this."What's particularly striking about this situation isn't just Long's abbreviated tenure – it's that he's the sixth IRS commissioner this year alone. Think about that for a moment. The agency responsible for collecting over $4 trillion annually has changed leaders more times than most people change their oil filters.During his blink-and-you'll-miss-it leadership, Long managed to make waves. He toured IRS facilities nationwide, showed up at a National Auction Association event (where I happened to be covering tax policy developments), and placed two senior officials on leave in what he characterized as a workforce "purge."The backdrop to all this is equally concerning. Treasury data shows the IRS workforce has shrunk dramatically – from 103,000 to 77,000 workers between January and May. That's not normal attrition; it's a exodus through what they're calling a "deferred resignation program."We've seen other brief leadership stints this year too. Melanie Krause stepped down over an ICE data-sharing controversy, and Gary Shapley barely warmed his seat for 48 hours before exiting amid reported friction between Treasury Secretary Bessent and tech mogul Elon Musk.Treasury Secretary Bessent will now add "Acting IRS Commissioner" to his business card while they search for lucky number seven. After covering tax policy for twenty years, I can say with certainty: this kind of instability at the IRS isn't just unprecedented – it's deeply troubling for an agency that needs steady leadership to function effectively.The question now isn't just who's next, but how long they'll last. In Washington's current climate, that's anybody's guess.