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Trump Transition: Ex-Congressman Who Hawked Tax Credits Nominated to Lead IRS

In Citizen
January 18, 2025

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Former Missouri congressman Billy Long has been selected by Trump to lead the IRS. Long, who served six terms in Congress, has been assisting businesses in obtaining a tax credit during the pandemic. However, this tax credit has faced issues with fraud and has ended up costing the government more money than originally expected.

Written by Andrew Duehren

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President-elect Donald J. Trump announced on Wednesday that he plans to nominate Billy Long, a former congressman from Missouri, to be in charge of the Internal Revenue Service. This move would mean that the current leader of the IRS, who was appointed by Biden, would be removed from their position.

After being defeated in a Senate primary in 2022, Mr. Long has promoted a pandemic-related tax credit that has been plagued by fraudulent activity, causing the government to incur billions more in costs than anticipated. Attempts have been made by lawmakers to terminate the tax credit, and the I.R.S. has temporarily halted processing claims to identify and eliminate false applications for the tax benefit.

During a podcast interview in 2023, Mr. Long talked about his efforts in assisting businesses in claiming the Employee Retention Tax Credit. He mentioned that, so far, he and his team have not had any claims denied by the tax agency. The credit was established by Congress and former President Trump in 2020 as a part of a stimulus package to encourage businesses to continue paying their employees during the economic shutdown.

"We don’t try to deceive anyone," he stated. "We thoroughly verify that they are eligible for this refund from the I.R.S. along with any applicable interest."

Donald Trump announced his selection for a key position in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) through his social media platform. This decision is significant as it comes at a crucial time for the IRS. The current administration under President Biden has invested heavily in upgrading the agency and enhancing its tax collection activities to enhance customer experience and combat tax evasion.

President Biden selected Daniel Werfel, a previous management consultant and government employee with experience in both Democratic and Republican administrations, to be in charge of revamping the I.R.S. Werfel’s term was scheduled to continue until 2027.

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