In response to the Senate Finance Committee advancing Billy Long, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Internal Revenue Service, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement: 

“Donald Trump picked a loyalist crook to lead the IRS so he can let billionaire and corporate tax cheats off the hook. As hardworking Americans are drowning in record-high costs, Trump is focused on giving tax handouts to his ultra-wealthy friends and sticking working families with the bill. Make no mistake: Billy Long and Trump are fraudsters and scammers — and the American people deserve better.”

NEW: Senate Republicans advanced unqualified MAGA loyalist Billy Long to head the IRS and help Donald Trump continue to give billionaire tax cheats a pass. 

Laura Weiss, Punchbowl News: “NEW: Senate Finance Committee votes 14-13 along party lines to advance former Rep. BILLY LONG’s nomination for IRS commissioner”  

ProPublica: “Billy Long, Trump’s Nominee to Lead the IRS, Touts a Credential That Tax Experts Say Is Dubious”

CNBC: “‘Wealthy tax dodgers’ could benefit from IRS layoffs, Democrats warn”

“As the IRS faces mass layoffs, Congressional Democrats warn those staffing cuts could undermine the agency’s progress in collecting unpaid funds from ‘wealthy tax dodgers.’”

Washington Post: “Staff cuts and disruptions related to the U.S. DOGE Service have officials bracing for a sharp loss of revenue. …

“The prediction, officials say, is directly tied to changing taxpayer behavior and President Donald Trump’s rapid demolition of parts of the IRS. Senior tax agency officials issued detailed warnings about those outcomes to the incoming Trump administration before the president took office, according to records obtained by The Washington Post. … 

“The administration has moved to fire nearly 20,000 agency employees, specifically targeting new hires in taxpayer services and enforcement divisions. It’s already dismissed more than 11,000 workers at the agency, though some of their statuses are unclear pending fast-moving court cases.

“The IRS has dropped investigations of high-value corporations and taxpayers”

Long backed Trump’s tax scam and called for making tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy and big corporations permanent and larger. 

Springfield News-Leader: “Rep. Long then notes the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as a ‘win for families.’ Using $75,000, the average family will save $1,200 or 1.6 percent (Bloomberg 12-20-18). But if you earn between $300,000 and $700,000, you save an average of $13,000, or 4.1 percent.”

Billy Long, Springfield News-Leader: “[Trump’s] speech promised a pro-growth plan that would help … businesses that were burdened with overregulation and excessive taxes. Less than six months after his speech, President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) into law …

“I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on tax reform 2.0, which will be released in September. Tax reform 2.0 would ensure TCJA tax cuts are permanent and would create incentives for both businesses and individuals to innovate and save money.”

Long has a history of corruption, taking over $130k in donations — much of it from donors affiliated with tax consulting groups — after being nominated to head the IRS. 

Politico: “President Donald Trump’s pick for Internal Revenue Service commissioner recently cleared a substantial debt from his failed 2022 Senate bid, using campaign contributions that rolled in after Trump announced his intent to nominate him to lead the tax agency, according to federal filings.

“Former Republican Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) raked in roughly $137,000 in campaign donations in January — the month after Trump said he would nominate him to serve in Trump’s administration — according to campaign finance disclosures filed late Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission.

“Long then paid back an outstanding personal loan of $130,000 he had made to his now-dormant 2022 U.S. Senate campaign in February. A number of the donors are affiliated with firms in the tax consultancy industry.”

New York Times: “Since leaving Congress in 2023, Billy Long has peddled a pandemic-era tax credit that the I.R.S. has warned is a magnet for fraud.”

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