IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel says he'll step down on Trump's Inauguration Day

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WASHINGTON (AP) — IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said in a letter to IRS workers on Friday that he intends to step down from his position on President-elect Donald Trump's Inauguration Day.

“After significant introspection and consultation with others, I’ve determined the best way to support a successful transition is to depart the IRS on January 20, 2025,” Werfel said in a note addressed to all IRS employees. “While leaving a job you love is never easy, I take comfort in knowing that the civil servant leaders and employees at the IRS are the exact right team to effectively steward this organization forward until a new IRS Commissioner is confirmed.”

Werfel's term was not scheduled to end until 2027. His early departure on Monday is unusual, since IRS commissioners' terms typically extend from one presidential administration into another. Werfel's term began in March 2023, under President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and was set to end in November 2027, under Trump, a Republican.

However, Trump in December announced plans to nominate former Missouri congressman Billy Long, who worked as an auctioneer before serving six terms in the House, to serve as the next IRS commissioner.

"While I had always intended to complete my full term as Commissioner," Werfel said, “the President-elect has announced his plan to nominate a new IRS Commissioner. I have been touched by those who have reached out to me to share how they were hopeful that I could remain in seat and continue the important work underway. But as civil servants, we have a job to do, and that job is to now ensure a new Commissioner is set up for success.”

Democrats including Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon have called Long’s nomination “a bizarre choice.”

The federal tax collection agency originally received an $80 billion infusion of funds under the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act, though that money has already been clawed back. A 2023 debt ceiling and budget cuts deal between Republicans and the White House resulted in $1.4 billion rescinded from the agency and a separate agreement to take $20 billion from the IRS over the next two years and divert those funds to other nondefense programs.

While Trump has spoken at length about his proposed tax plans, he has not spoken as much about the agency in charge of administering tax policy or explicitly said he would cut its budget. He has, however, repeated a debunked claim that the agency has hired 87,000 armed enforcement agents to pursue taxpayers.