John,
Billy Long faced the Senate last week and got absolutely torched. Under questioning, Trump’s pick to run the IRS was forced to defend years of attacking the agency, zero tax enforcement experience, and ties to shady tax shelters that ripped off small businesses.[1]
Now, our new report, Backer of Abolishing IRS Proposed to Lead Agency, shows how Long didn’t just criticize the IRS, he tried to erase it. As a Congressman, he co-sponsored the so-called Fair Tax Act, a far-right plan to scrap the income tax, repeal payroll and estate taxes, abolish the IRS, and replace all of it with a crushing 30% national sales tax that would hike costs on everything from groceries to rent.[2]
That’s not tax reform. That’s a billionaire giveaway on the backs of working families. We cannot let this happen. The Senate could vote to confirm Billy Long as the next IRS commissioner as early as next week. Help us shut down this nomination.
Rejecting Billy Long is the way to support tax enforcement of the wealthy, keep Direct File free for working people, and stop Trump’s billionaire tax dodge. Tell the Senate to vote NO.
Long built his post-Congress career grifting off pandemic-era tax credits. He peddled them as “available to everyone”, even to businesses that didn’t qualify, and pursued a $3.6 million claim for one that had to be withdrawn. Then, people connected to those schemes gave him campaign donations to a previously failed U.S. Senate race, after he was nominated to lead the IRS, so he could pay himself back $130,000 in campaign loans.
The IRS had finally begun cracking down on millionaire and billionaire tax cheats, recovering billions in unpaid taxes, and making tax filing free for working Americans. We can’t allow Trump’s nominee to roll back that critical progress.
The American people deserve better. Tell your senators to vote NO on Trump’s corrupt IRS nominee.
Let’s keep tax enforcement in the hands of public servants, not political cronies trying to burn it down.
John Foti
Legislative Director
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund
[1] Senators Grill IRS Nominee on Conflicts, Experience
[2] Backer Of Abolishing IRS Proposed To Lead Agency
-- David's email --
John,
Donald Trump’s IRS nominee, Billy Long, was just grilled in the Senate, and for good reason. He’s a man with no tax policy experience, a record of pushing tax scams, and a history of trying to abolish the very agency he’s been nominated to run.[1]
Now, Americans for Tax Fairness is out with a new report, and it’s damning. Long didn’t just talk about dismantling the IRS, he tried to do it. While in Congress, he co-sponsored the Fair Tax Act to scrap our progressive tax system, pushing a plan that would make middle-class families pay more while giving billionaires a massive break.[2]
But that’s not all. Long’s post-Congress career reads like a case study in conflicts of interest. He promoted pandemic-era tax credits that were widely abused and tied to fraud. He falsely claimed “everybody qualifies” for one such credit, helping companies pursue millions in taxpayer dollars they weren’t eligible for, then quietly walked away when the truth caught up. Worse still, individuals connected to those scams donated to Long’s failed U.S. Senate campaign after he was nominated to run the IRS, and years after he lost his Senate race—allowing him to pay himself back $130,000 in campaign loans.
It’s clear that Long’s confirmation would be a green light for tax cheats and corporate scammers. He’d gut enforcement, kill the free Direct File tax filing program, and take us back to the era where millionaires and billionaires went unpunished for tax evasion and working-class people faced more audits.
Tell the Senate: We don’t need a commissioner who wants to kill the IRS. We need one who will make the rich pay what they owe. Demand the Senate reject Billy Long’s nomination today.
Under Commissioner Werfel, the IRS clawed back $1.3 billion from the wealthiest tax cheats, notified Microsoft it owed $29 billion in back taxes, and launched a free online tax filing system that saved everyday people millions of dollars in fees.
Billy Long threatens to unravel that progress. His track record makes clear: he’s not just unqualified, he’s a Trojan horse for Trump’s billionaire benefactors. He’d gut the IRS from within, letting the rich and powerful off the hook while sticking working families with the tab.
The Senate could vote on his nomination as soon as it returns next week. We’re building pressure right now, mobilizing thousands to speak out against this reckless nomination. But we can’t do it without you.
Send a clear message to the Senate: No fraudsters, no tax dodgers, no IRS Commissioner who wants to kill the agency.
The IRS should serve working families, not be handed over to someone who tried to eliminate it. Let’s shut this nomination down.
David Kass
Executive Director
Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund
[1] Senators Grill IRS Nominee on Conflicts, Experience
[2] Backer Of Abolishing IRS Proposed To Lead Agency
