7 views 3 mins 0 comments

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

In Citizen
January 18, 2025

Transitioning from the

Transition of power

Transition of power

Prom

Former Missouri congressman Billy Long has been chosen by Trump to lead the IRS. Long, who served six terms in Congress, has been involved in helping businesses take advantage of a tax credit meant to help during the pandemic. Unfortunately, this tax credit has been misused and has ended up costing the government billions more than expected.

Written by Andrew Duehren

Sending updates from the

On Wednesday, President-elect Donald J. Trump announced his intention to nominate Billy Long, a former Missouri congressman, as the new head of the Internal Revenue Service. This move indicates his plans to remove the current leader, who was appointed by Biden, from the position.

Following his loss in a Senate primary in 2022, Mr. Long promoted a tax credit introduced during the pandemic that has experienced widespread fraud and ended up costing the government significantly more than anticipated. Efforts have been made by lawmakers to eliminate the tax credit, and the I.R.S. has temporarily halted the processing of claims to investigate and eliminate 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 he and his team have not had any of their claims rejected by the tax agency so far. This credit, established by Congress and Mr. Trump in 2020, is part of a larger stimulus package aimed at encouraging businesses to continue paying their employees during the economic downturn.

He stated that they do not bring anyone in secretly, but rather ensure that they are eligible for the refund from the IRS along with interest.

Donald Trump’s selection, revealed on his social media platform, would have a significant impact on the Internal Revenue Service during a crucial time. The Biden administration has invested large sums of money in updating the agency and strengthening its tax collection initiatives to enhance customer service and combat tax evasion.

President Biden selected Daniel Werfel in 2022 to be in charge of reorganizing the IRS. Werfel has experience as a management consultant and civil servant in both Democratic and Republican administrations. He is expected to serve in this role until 2027.

We are experiencing difficulties in accessing the content of the article.

Make sure to activate JavaScript in the settings of your web browser

We appreciate your understanding as we confirm your access. If you are currently in Reader mode, please make sure to sign out and log into your Times account, or consider subscribing to access all content from The Times.

We appreciate your understanding as we confirm access.

Are you currently using the service? Sign in to access your

Interested in getting access to all of The Times content? Subscribe now

Prom

Index of the website

Navigation to access site information