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Trump Transition: Ex-Congressman Who Hawked Tax Credits Nominated to Lead I.R.S.

In Citizen
January 18, 2025

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Former Missouri congressman Billy Long has been selected by Trump to lead the Internal Revenue Service. Long, who served six terms in Congress, has been assisting businesses in claiming a tax credit during the pandemic. Unfortunately, this tax credit has been plagued with fraud and has ended up costing the government billions more than expected.

Written by Andrew Duehren

Writing from the capital

Donald J. Trump, who will soon be the President, announced on Wednesday that he plans to appoint Billy Long, a former congressman from Missouri, to be in charge of the Internal Revenue Service. This means that he intends to remove the current leader of the IRS, who was appointed by Biden.

Following his defeat in a Senate primary in 2022, Mr. Long has promoted a tax credit introduced during the pandemic that has been plagued by fraudulent activity, leading to government overspending. To address this issue, lawmakers have attempted to eliminate the tax credit, and the I.R.S. has halted the processing of claims temporarily to identify and reject fraudulent applications.

During a podcast interview in 2023, Mr. Long talked about how he assists businesses in applying for the Employee Retention Tax Credit. He mentioned that up until that point, none of their claims had been rejected by the tax agency. The Employee Retention Tax Credit was established by Congress and former President Trump in 2020 to encourage businesses to continue paying their employees during the economic downturn caused by the pandemic.

"We do not secretly help anyone get the refund, " he explained. "We ensure that they are eligible for the refund from the IRS along with interest."

President Trump made a new appointment to the IRS through a post on his social media platform, which would bring significant changes to the agency during a crucial time. The Biden administration has allocated a large amount of money to update the IRS and enhance its tax collection activities to enhance customer service and combat tax evasion.

President Biden appointed Daniel Werfel, a former consultant and government employee with experience in both Democratic and Republican administrations, to head the restructuring of the I.R.S. Werfel’s term was expected to continue until 2027.

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