Reflecting the partisan divide, a Democrat leader made a last-minute appeal to replace the Republican nominee who has faced intense scrutiny.
After narrowly winning a Senate committee’s approval, President Donald Trump’s nominee for IRS director will advance to a full Senate vote.
The Senate Finance Committee’s June 3 vote, 14–13 in favor of nominee Billy Long, followed months of controversy along partisan lines and comes as the agency faces allegations of disorganization, mismanagement, and targeting political opponents.
During Long’s confirmation hearing in May, Democrats accused Long of lacking direct experience with tax policy. They also questioned some of his financial dealings and his professional involvement with a controversial tax-credit program.
Long, a former Congressman, said he was well placed to lead the agency given his understanding of how the IRS and Congress interact. He denied alleged conflicts of interest over his previous involvement in promoting tax-credit programs, saying that he had made all required disclosures to the Office of Government Ethics.
The hearing followed a five-month probe of concerns over Long’s post-Congress work. He has served as a business adviser since 2023.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, reiterated his concerns on June 3, objecting to Long’s nomination over an alleged lack of tax policy experience and prior involvement in controversial tax credit schemes.
Meanwhile, the committee chair, Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), said Long’s responses to questions and concerns reassured him that Long is the right man to lead the IRS into a new era.
“Congressman Long clearly affirmed that all of his tax-consulting work was as an independent contractor,” and he never worked for any agency that prepared tax-credit applications, Crapo said.
Crapo said during the confirmation hearing last month he was “encouraged to hear Congressman Long clearly commit that the IRS will not and should not be politicized.”
Chuck Flint, executive director of the Alliance for IRS Accountability—a pro-taxpayer group—supports Long.
In a social media post on June 3, as the committee was considering Long’s nomination, Flint said Long would “restore the IRS’s focus to serving taxpayers.”
He urged the committee to “take a step in that direction today.”
By Janice Hisle
