By Richard Rubin
WASHINGTON -- Most House Republicans these days are loyal to Donald Trump. Few have been as ostentatiously loyal as Billy Long, the jovial Missouri auctioneer who is the president-elect's pick to run the Internal Revenue Service.
Before leaving Congress in early 2023, Long walked around Capitol Hill distributing fake $45 bills featuring Trump's picture. He hangs on to a striped tie -- signed by Trump -- that Long wore at a Nevada event early in Trump's first campaign. Trump has pointed out publicly that Long was one of his first endorsers, encouraging people to board what Long called the "Trump train" while other Republicans were wary.
In his first term, Trump "unbeknownst to him hired many swamp dwellers into his administration," Long posted on X the day after last month's election. "I tried to warn against it at the time but who'd pay attention to me?"
Trump is paying attention to Long now, elevating him to run the nation's tax agency as Republicans try to claw back billions of dollars in funding for tougher enforcement. Long's conservative, small-government politics and lack of experience running large organizations make him an unconventional pick, and his selection last week caught tax experts and lawmakers by surprise.
"Trump's probably looking for guys and gals who are going to shake things up," said Sen. Eric Schmitt (R., Mo.), who beat Long in a 2022 primary. "That's certainly in Billy's DNA -- and who knows? Maybe he'll even auction off a few buildings along the way."
Choosing Long for the role signaled Trump's intent to oust IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel, whose term doesn't end until November 2027. Trump praised Long's work ethic and said taxpayers and IRS employees "will love having Billy at the helm." He hasn't provided more detail on his plans for the IRS; Long didn't respond to requests for comment.
During his 12 years in Congress, Long was a reliable vote for GOP priorities, and he had a thin track record on taxes. He made headlines for frequent stock trading, quips and a 2017 health-policy clash in which he briefly opposed an ultimately doomed Republican bill before reaching an agreement with Trump for assistance to people with pre-existing conditions.
His auctioneer talents went viral in 2018, when he rattled off numbers during a hearing to drown out far-right protester Laura Loomer. He can also be disarmingly funny. Long opened his 2021 questioning of tech CEOs by asking each one if they knew the difference between the words "yes" and "no." After they answered yes, Long declared victory over his colleagues.
"They didn't think I could get all three of you to answer yes-or-no questions," he said. "I did it."
After Long left office, he worked as a business and tax adviser, encouraging employers to apply for the employee retention tax credit. The IRS says that credit is riddled with fraud, untrustworthy promoters and ineligible claims. It stepped up scrutiny, but advisory firms and some lawmakers are pushing the government to pay claims faster. As commissioner, Long could accelerate payments and end a moratorium on processing new claims.
Welcome to a thankless job
If confirmed by the Senate, Long would get one of Washington's toughest, most thankless jobs. The tax agency has more than 80,000 employees, a $12.3 billion annual budget, cybersecurity challenges and a multiyear enforcement campaign against corporations and high-income individuals that Republicans want to stop and defund. The IRS ranked last in a recent public-opinion survey about government agencies by Pew Research Center.
Some past IRS commissioners -- including Guy Helvering, the agency's longest-serving head -- held elective office. But as the agency and tax system grew, presidents turned to tax specialists or seasoned managers capable of directing complex bureaucracies. Werfel, a longtime federal official and consultant nominated by President Biden, is a self-described "government geek" who co-hosted a government-operations podcast called "Gov Actually." Chuck Rettig, Trump's first-term IRS commissioner, is an experienced tax lawyer who advocated for increasing the agency's budget.
Long would break those molds, and he could face questions in his confirmation hearing about his tax-credit work, willingness to resist Trump's demands and views on tax enforcement.
"The change Trump proposes in IRS leadership would be a gift to tax cheats and a blow to anyone who believes it is important to rein in deficits," said Rep. Don Beyer (D., Va.)
Long, 69 years old, entered Congress in the tea party wave of 2010, declaring himself fed up with the state of the country and winning a crowded primary in a heavily Republican district. Right after joining Congress, he co-sponsored a bill to create a national sales tax and abolish the IRS. Two weeks later, he criticized Obamacare, which the IRS helps administer, as "the trap of government-run health care."
"He's always thought that Washington, D.C., was the enemy, just like Donald Trump does," said Elijah Haahr, a former Missouri state house speaker who is now a radio host in Long's hometown of Springfield. Haahr said Long would be "running a business that he generally, in my mind, wants to put out of business, and I think he will run it with that theme."
The IRS isn't independent. It's inside the Treasury Department, and the president can remove the commissioner. Werfel's drive to expand tax enforcement fits Biden's agenda, and he has followed Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's directive to not raise audit rates on households making less than $400,000.
Agency officials say they try to block political interference with tax administration, particularly on the fraught question of exactly who gets audited. (It's illegal for the president and senior officials to request or stop particular audits.) Former commissioners emphasize that most IRS work -- running tax-filing season, answering phones, updating aging technology -- is nonpartisan.
Republicans will control the Senate next year, but Long isn't a lock yet. Democrats warn that Trump wants to meddle in the tax agency. Several Finance Committee Republicans, including Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and James Lankford of Oklahoma, said they looked forward to hearing more about Long's plans.
Long's elevation to the IRS job comes after years of cultivating a friendship with Trump. When Long ran for Senate in 2022, Trump praised him as a warrior and a "big, loud and proud personality" but ultimately didn't endorse him. Long finished a distant fourth in the primary -- and stuck with Trump. Over the past month, he has posted photos of himself at Mar-a-Lago and a Trump golf course in Florida.
'A heart for working people'
His former House GOP colleagues say Long understands taxpayers and will make the agency more responsive. Long ran his family's miniature golf course and left college without graduating before starting his successful auction business, according to a 2010 profile in Missouri's Springfield News-Leader.
"Auctioneers. Sometimes people have to sell things when they're in a tough way, and they have to get rid of their possessions and they see that," said Rep. Tim Burchett (R., Tenn.) "Billy has a heart for working people because he is one."
Long, a member of the National Auction Association Hall of Fame, drew a warm reception from Trump during the president's mostly rote recitation of dignitaries at the White House celebration of the St. Louis Blues' 2019 National Hockey League championship. He bounded up to the podium to conduct a mock auction of the Stanley Cup. "Get that satisfied look off your face!" Long teasingly chastised Trump, who was raising his hand during the bidding.
Don't be fooled by the folksy facade, Long's allies say.
"Deep down, beneath all of that bravado and all that comedic relief, he's a talented and smart guy, kind of a self-made man," said Rep. Steve Womack (R., Ark.), who entered Congress with Long.
Womack predicted IRS officials would warm to Long. "They will come to love him," he said. "They may push back maybe a little bit against some of his policies."
Write to Richard Rubin at richard.rubin@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 08, 2024 10:00 ET (15:00 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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