Few federal agencies have come under more scrutiny by conservatives than the Internal Revenue Service.
Left-wing efforts to expand the agency, combined with existing concerns about tax collectors targeting conservative Americans, has led to widespread calls to reform or even abolish the IRS.
Now, President-elect Donald Trump is preparing for his second term by picking an outsider, former Rep. Billy Long (R-MO), to head up the department.
As The Hill reported:
Trump said his relationship with Long, who currently works as a business and tax adviser, dates back to 2011 and described him as a “people person” who was “well respected on both sides of the aisle.”
Long does not have a college degree, although he briefly attended the University of Missouri before dropping out in 1976, according to Ballotpedia.
He later completed an auction training program at the Missouri Auction School and went on to earn the title of best auctioneer in the Ozarks for seven years in a row.
The current IRS commissioner, Danny Werfel, has three degrees from Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Cornell University, respectively.
ADVERTISEMENTWerfel was appointed to a five-year term by President Biden in 2022, which will likely be cut short by Long if the Senate can confirm him.
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