The former US representative Billy Long, candidate of the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, testifies to the Senate’s financial committee at his hearing on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 (Screenshot from the Committee Webcast)
Washington – Senators who are commissioned to control taxes who praised and grills and grills to the former Republican US representative Billy Long from Missouri on Tuesday, the candidate of President Donald Trump, to head the Internal Revenue Service.
Long, who worked in the congress from 2011 to 2023 and had previously spent several years as a talk radiom host, said the Senate Financing Committee that he plans to “eliminate stinking thinking” at the IRS and to invest a “comprehensive plan” to modernize the agency and “to invest in qualified members of the team”.
“This does not mean an inflated agency, but an efficient one in which employees have the tools they need to be successful,” said Long.
The agency has lost more than 11,000 employees or 11% of its workforce, either by postponement or by mass fire report From the general inspector of the agency. Trump said in December that he intended to nominate for the IRS post for a long time.
“Top-down culture change”
The chairman of the Mike Crapo Committee of Idaho opened the hearing for confirmation, in which he expressed his trust for a long time, and explained that he would go to the agency that benefits the taxpayers.
“President Trump gave the” perfect person “for a long time. Long congress member is very clear that he will make himself available to all IRS employees, regardless of their office.
The hearing for confirmation comes as legislators Effort In a budget reconciliation package that expands and expanded the Trump tax law in 2017 and, in turn, expanded the IRS responsibilities.
Senator James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma, said that he trusted Long’s work ethic and told him: “We will carry out a tax bill here in the next few months. To do this, as we did in 2017, we will do a lot of work to do the IRS to give guidelines to issue clear instructions.”
Non -existent tribal tax credits
The Democrats approached the hearing with skepticism.
The almost two-hour back and forth was followed by the recent revelations that he had nominated donations to his behind schedule Senate campaign shortly after Trump nominated him as an IRS commissioner. Democratic senators in the committee also have it called for an investigation in Long’s work with a company that has classified non -existent tribal tax credits.
“Conclusion have the right to know whether the future IRS commissioner is a crook,” said Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon, the committee’s top democrat.
For a long time, any misconduct denies.
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, a democrat of Nevada, pushed for a long time to promote the bogus tax credits for the company -capital Edge strategies and the White River for his participation.
“If you know that (the credits) are illegal, the IRS said that they are illegal. Asked Cortez Masto.
Long replied that he corresponds to the Office for government ethics in terms of his nomination and that he “had no perception at all that these (credits) did not exist”.
For a long time, other Democrats in the committee asked about Trump’s recent statements that he would draw the tax -friendly status of Harvard University because of his refusal to meet the government’s requirements.
Wyden characterized as long as a “Maga devotee” and said that Trump “as a cudgel to make his opponents to submit”.
14-page letter
Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has broadcast a long time A 14-page letter For a long time, his past repeatedly questioned his past based on a law that prohibits the President of ordering tax exams for certain persons or companies.
“Is it illegal for the President to instruct the IRS to remove non -profit status from taxpayers?” Warren asked several times.
“I won’t have the answer you need, I apologize,” said Long.
The Republicans of the Senate on the committee have long asked how he can improve customer service for taxpayers – although the party successfully fought in 2023 cut New IRS financing under President Joe Biden in 2022.
Senator Todd Young from Indiana said that the agency was “behind the curve” in technology and that its customer service problems were “out of control”.
“When confirmed, you will commit yourself to develop a comprehensive IRS moderation plan that prioritizes customer service, identifies the infrastructure needs of critical technology and guarantees more transparency and examination practices? Yes or no?” Asked Young.
“Yes,” replied Long.
“Excellent,” said Young.
