The Senate on Thursday voted 53-44 to confirm Billy Long, former congressman from Missouri, as head of the Internal Revenue Service.
Politico reported that Long’s confirmation comes amid massive layoffs at the IRS and the Department of the Treasury’s push to enhance IRS technology and leverage artificial intelligence to improve tax compliance.
Melanie Krause was named acting IRS commissioner and deputy commissioner in February. She previously served as the agency’s chief operating officer.
Billy Long’s Career Background
Long served in the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2023.
He was a radio talk show host on the KWTO station and worked as a part-time realtor.
The former auctioneer graduated from the Missouri Auction School and the Certified Auctioneers Institute at Indiana University, Bloomington.
He is a member of several associations, including the National Association of Realtors, the National Auctioneers Association and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. He is also the former president of the Missouri Auctioneers’ Association.