Billy Long, Trump's pick to lead IRS, pushed a tax credit that raises red flags, Sen. Warren says

Source: CBS News

Updated on: January 9, 2025 / 8:06 AM EST


Billy Long, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to run the IRS, is facing questions about his qualifications to lead the tax agency from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts who serves on the Senate's Finance Committee.

While serving as a representative, Long, a Republican from Missouri and a former auctioneer, co-sponsored legislation that aimed to wipe out much of the tax code. After leaving office, he served as a tax adviser to businesses seeking to employ a controversial tax credit, the Employee Retention Tax Credit, or ERTC.

In her Jan. 9 letter to Long, Warren raises questions about Long's tax expertise as well as his promotion of the ERTC, which has been flagged by the IRS for its high rate of fraud. Unlike other recent IRS tax commissioners, Long doesn't have a depth of experience in the tax industry, nor does he have a degree in accounting or tax law.

"[Y]our lack of significant management or tax experience — and your promotion of credits that have been "magnet[s] for fraud" — raise serious questions about your qualifications to lead the IRS," Warren wrote in the letter, noting that the Senate Finance Committee will hold his confirmation hearing early this year.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-billy-long-irs-ertc-tax-credit-senator-elizabeth-warren/